Present Sustainability Action Plan
Working in business development, I
am frequently asked about my company’s sustainability practices during pitches.
Of course, we discuss our buildings green certifications (LEED Platinum), and
company initiatives, like our Sustainability Council, implementing policies
across our supply chain (i.e., eliminating plasticware in favor of reusable
products).
Initial Thoughts - Promoting Green
Products Digitally
As an advertiser promoting
consumerism on the daily, however, my conscious tells me continually to dig
beyond this. What else can we do. Alongside the average consumer, I am
skeptical of eco marketing. Why promote a sustainable product when you can buy
something used that would otherwise be wasted? Do we really need to manufacture
sustainable things when those existing are available in abundance? But when
thinking about green products that have more legs to stand on, such as meat
free alternatives, I find strategic digital targeting to be interesting. Adweek
discusses how vegan meat alternative Quorn targets younger audiences with
"Food for the Future" messaging, and skeptical older generations with
taste test content. Any type of green messaging for clients will require
extensive consumer research, A/B Testing, DCO, and Optimizations to enhance
effectiveness and drive outcomes.
Source: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/why-you-might-be-getting-your-eco-marketing-wrong/
Future Forward Explorations
I, however, think a broader view of
sustainability practices in advertising would be fascinating to explore, including
topics like sustainable web hosting, ad buying and creative production,
particularly NFTs which are growing more controversial due to heavy blockchain
mining.
This assignment gave me a
fantastic opportunity to explore the topic. I found this article about the
topic, including innovations in the space (i.e., low carbon PMPs). As brands
look to make their physical supply chains carbon neutral, they need to make
their digital supply chains follow suit. I also found it interesting that one
of our leading partners, The Trade Desk, is actively making moves in this
space.
