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Pat Heffernan
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8/1/17 10:04 AM
Signs abound of a growing sustainability language disconnect between marketers’ communications and what consumer and business customers understand, or care about. If sustainability is core to your mission, you can ask yourself a few questions to avoid a disconnect in your message framing for sustainability.
“Sustainability doesn’t mean anything real to consumers. Too often, it brings to mind technical issues or seemingly insurmountable environmental challenges.”
This is the problem statement challenge from a recent report, the New Sustainability Narrative. Consumer trends highlighted in this and other recent reports include:
So consumers care, but a combination of specific language (sustainability, green, environment, technical) and specific messengers who lack credibility blocks any consumer impact from sustainability messages.
McKinsey’s summary highlights a similar disconnect in business-to-business communication: “New research shows there’s a surprising gap between the brand messages that suppliers offer to customers and what their customers really want to know.” Again, specific language exacerbates the problem.
The themes that many B2B companies consider important for brand imaging appear to have minimal influence on buyers’ perceptions of brand strength. (McKinsey exhibit.)
So if sustainability is core to your mission, how do you avoid this language disconnect? Ask yourself a few questions:
If you can confidently answer “yes” to 4 out of 5 questions, chances are your customers feel no sustainability disconnect. If you can’t, then it’s time to get to work.
“The winners will be those that build an authentic, transparent narrative for the long run — one that is all about sustainability, with or without the ‘S’ word in it. “
Finding a Narrative: ‘Sustainability’ Doesn’t Mean Anything Real to Consumers (Triple Pundit)
The New Sustainability Narrative (pdf)
It Pays To Be Green: Corporate Social Responsibility Meets the Bottom Line (Nielsen)
How B2B companies talk past their customers (McKinsey)
Open thread: what does 'sustainable' mean to you? (Guardian)
Sustainability labels on food products: Consumer motivation, understanding and use (Science Direct, Elsevier)
——————-photo via flickr cc license: Fraser MummeryEditor's note: This post was originally published in July of 2014 and has been updated to include new information.
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