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Alice Ngatia is a Senior Marketing Executive & Sustainability Specialist
By: Alice Ngatia
Achieving market success has been a factor of serving the customer under the philosophy ‘customer is king’. This has allowed businesses to put customers at the centre of their decision-making process and in turn, they have enjoyed increased profits, loyalty and positive brand affirmations.Today, consumer behaviour is becoming more than the mere action of buying things they need; rather, consumers are becoming mindful of their purchases’ social and environmental impact, making brands reconsider their marketing approach.
This phenomenon has led to a concept known as Sustainable Marketing – a form of marketing that is all about empowering customers to make informed choices as they consider these impacts. With good alignment to the brand values, it becomes a powerful tool that helps businesses stand out from competitors.
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Further, brands are transforming to being purpose-driven with innovation, trust and authenticity at the centre.
Consider authenticity.Today, consumers are more aware and have become very good at spotting greenwashing, that is, any unethical or false marketing of a product as an environmentally friendly product or green product. They can detect greenwashing and will punish the businesses involved in such activities either by boycotting services or protesting against the business risking its future. As such, companies that care for their future should assess their processes, operations and even communication to ensure it is done honestly and transparently. A brand that wins trust authentically builds its credibility and, thus, achieves stronger brand loyalty.
Innovation is another critical element in providing sustainable marketing perks.For innovation to take root, businesses ought to ensure that it is critically incorporated at every level of the organisation irrespective of role or function. This means that firms that look at innovation not just as a one-department affair, but rather, as a requirement for the entire business where all levels of operations are rewarded for looking for new and sustainable ways of operating will have more opportunities to thrive in today’s business environment.
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A common misconception is the assumption that innovation should be left to the unit that is central to the output of the product; an example is asking manufacturing teams to come up with new methods that are eco-conscious for a product or building managers/owners to devise energy savings measures in a building complex just because they own a major part of the process or ecosystem. This should not be the case. Innovation that works should be adopted holistically.
Even those in departments traditionally seen as mundane such as finance, customer service, operations, human resources, and even marketing, should look at their day-to-day operations through the lens of innovation, asking the question ‘How can this be done differently’.
Once this is achieved, then embedding sustainability in the organisation’s core becomes easy. With sustainability overarching decision-making, operations, innovations and even communication from the organisation, then it will thrive despite its trading environment and still satisfy the demands of its customers.
So, while sustainability is the new buzz, it is not new fashion; rather, it’s a strategic step that business leaders must take if they want to stand on the right side of the market.
We can all stand to be counted as those ready to shape the world if only we look at everything we do from a different lens. A lens that seeks meaningful change through innovation and authentic purpose-driven marketing!
- Alice Ngatia is a Senior Marketing Executive & Sustainability Specialist with 18+ years of experience in helping brands WIN in the hearts & minds of customers.