The idea or role of Sustainability Advocate was never a prominent part of the Chief Marketing Officer’s (CMO) ever-changing job description. Until now. These may seem like two unrelated fields of expertise, but marketing leaders can and should play an imperative role in leveraging sustainability in their messaging strategies and core business tenets.
A first step is answering the question: what does sustainability mean for marketing and its leaders, and how can the two serve as catalysts for one another?
Marketing and Sustainability: the Connection
Consumers champion purpose-driven brands. They also reward sustainable companies. If you need evidence, look no further than Unilever, which continues to experience financial success with sustainability as a key growth driver.
Marketers want to serve and show up for their audience in the right way. According to a recent survey, 67% of consumers not only want, but expect companies to address economic equality, social injustices, and climate change. If they haven’t already, CMOs will be forced to associate their brand with something larger than just the product they sell. In return, due to higher trust and brand connection, their consumers will become brand ambassadors.
Put directly: sustainability brings a deep understanding and transparency of the issues, and marketing simplifies those issues and emphasize those pieces that are most compelling to the customer. Purpose sticks in minds of customers through acts, not ads.
CMOs and Sustainability: the Responsibility
CMOs are keenly aware of how their job responsibilities have shifted, especially within the last 14 months. They’ve been forced to pivot, and then pivot again. CMOs now play an integral role guiding company culture, creating new ways of internal collaboration, recommending technology solutions, and speaking out on broader social and societal issues that have taken place in 2020 and now into 2021.
CMO’s are now forging closer working relationships with their Chief Innovation Officers, Chief Sustainability Officers, and Chief Financial Officers to achieve ever more innovation through collaboration. CMOs are well equipped to help create a sustainability strategy within their organization by leveraging tools they use every day such as customer data, market analysis, and audience insights.
The CMO of Target said, “one of the key responsibilities of the CMO is to represent and communicate their company’s purpose and values both internally and externally. This is becoming increasingly important as consumers are making purchasing decisions based on more than a brand’s attributes.” There is no one better at message communication, strategic buy-in, and storytelling than the CMO.
CMOs who embrace and communicate sustainability, not just for altruistic reasons but because it makes for good business, can future-proof their brand and job performance in the long run.
Strategy and Sustainability, the Future
Now that we see the connection between marketing and sustainability and how it plays into the CMOs role, we need to answer the question: how can CMOs integrate sustainability moving forward? How can CMOs walk the walk when it comes to sustainability practices? Below are a few steps to keep economic, environmental, and social cornerstones at the forefront of your brand’s purpose.
- Value a bigger purpose – According to the CMO of Unilever, purpose must sit at the core of the brand, driving everything it does. It’s not an add-on or something that comes and goes according to whim or budget. Consumers, especially millennials, want an idea to buy into. Brand purpose can be a constant to hold onto when the marketing landscape shifts. As mentioned above, consumers prioritize brands that take action and stand up for what they believe in, especially when it comes to climate change, social justice, and economic inequality.
- Advocate for your employees – When you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customer. When a company’s purpose aligns with employees’ values, higher engagement is the result. For example, as more and more Gen Z and Millennials enter the workforce, it’s essential that CMOs integrate diversity and inclusion into the soul of their brand. When everyone is included and heard, it leads to more creativity and innovation.
- Be transparent in pursuit of your goals – CMOs are the storytellers, communicators, and target audience experts. The best approach in sharing your sustainability goals and progress with your customers is transparency and authenticity. It will not be a quick and easy process, but sharing sustainability successes and setbacks with your customers along the way builds honest relationships which leads to brand loyalty. Ensure your stakeholders know the steps you are committed to taking to make a more sustainable future.
CMOs cannot ignore sustainability. Marketing leaders with a strong sustainability strategy and a compelling, purpose-driven way to communicate what their brand is doing will outperform their competition. Going all in on sustainability not only strengthens your brand loyalty and your bottom line, but it also leads to higher employee engagement and a more collaborative culture within your organization. Incorporating sustainability in 2021 will result in the right return on investment for Chief Marketing Officers.
At Longview, we recognize the challenges and nuances of guiding marketing through a sustainability lens. If you want to learn more about how Longview can help your marketing and sustainability strategy, download our CMO toolkit today!
