Back when we were heading into 2023, it was unanimous: from a marketing and communications perspective ESG issues and corporate social responsibility (CSR) were going to rule the day. As we all came to find out, however, it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns. Regulatory actions throughout the EU, SEC consideration of climate-related disclosures here in the states, and a clear shift among institutional investors favoring ESG integration in the investment process turned ESG and CSR into a political football.
Backlash appeared so strong it even resulted in the minting of a new term, greenhushing. It was hard to pick up any newspaper or surf any media outlet and not come across an article about ESG sentiment. If you were able to rise about the noise though, corporates continued apace with the ESG and CSR strategies anchored in compliance and reporting requirements playing a greater role than they ever have before. Even looking at the media coverage in its entirety paints a positive picture, not a negative one.
So, as we’ve noted here before, and now again, regulation around ESG and disclosure is here to stay. The train has left the station, and if you aren’t trying to catch up now, waiting any longer will only result in more costs and negative outcomes.
ESG and CSR have matured and are now underpinned by an environment of compliance. For this reason, the way it’s communicated requires a slightly different tact. Drawing on emotional proofs is no longer viable – it runs the risk of greenwashing or only fuels political agendas and divisiveness. Data is your friend, no matter the issue area or topic. Transparency and accountability are the pivotal elements in the ongoing discourse surrounding ESG and CSR. With this in mind, below are the topics and trends that led the way in 2023 according to the 3BL Media platform.
Top performing content types:
Article:
- Pageviews: 2,734,704
- Impressions: 18,290,491
- Engagement Rate: 15%
Blog:
- Pageviews: 1,938,918
- Impressions: 13,059,379
- Engagement Rate: 14.8%
Multimedia:
- Pageviews: 486,435
- Impressions: 3,446,105
- Engagement Rate: 14.1%
Newsletter:
- Pageviews: 36,639
- Impressions: 318,293
- Engagement Rate: 11.5%
Press Release:
- Pageviews: 2,133,755
- Impressions: 14,902,998
- Engagement Rate: 14.3%
Top 3 topics:
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Responsible business employee engagement
- Philanthropy and cause initiatives
Top 3 topics with most pageviews:
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion: 1,036,661
- Philanthropy: 856,765
- Responsible business employment engagement: 688,924
Top 3 topics with highest engagement:
- Innovation and technology: 21%
- Research, report publication: 17.5%
- Sustainable finance and socially responsible investment: 15.8%
