Sustainability & Brand Marketing - intro

by author, Marie Cesbron

Marie Cesbron has over two decades of experience in growing, transforming and future-proofing beauty & wellness brands.  First at l’Oreal group, where she took on various leadership roles in marketing, insight/foresight and innovation, based in Paris, New York and London. Then at Walgreens Boots Alliance’s consumer arm (now No7 Beauty Company), where she was Global Innovation Director.

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1. Brand purpose

connected yet not the same as sustainability.

What is a brand purpose?

Since Simon Sinek’s work around the “Why” of a brand and the Golden Circle (2009), brand purpose has been defined as the Very Reason Why a brand exists, beyond profit.

Purpose focuses on Why, Sustainability focuses on How

LEARN MORE AND READ THE FULL REPORT ON BRAND PURPOSE, HERE

The 3 mains risks of fusing purpose with sustainability

• Greenwashing:

Can come across as disingenuous as this is not the primary reason why most brands exist.

• Loss of focus:  

Can distract from what a brand must be best at - and innovate against- to keep existing.

• Loss of uniqueness

Could lead to brands becoming too similar, and consequently being picked off by private labels.

Sustainability can be a source of competitive advantage today, but will be table stakes tomorrow.

LEARN MORE AND READ THE FULL REPORT ON BRAND PURPOSE, HERE

Still, brand purpose should be accomplished sustainably!

• All stakeholders now hold businesses accountable

• <1/5 of SOM but 1/3 of growth (CPG)

LEARN MORE AND READ THE FULL REPORT ON BRAND PURPOSE, HERE

2. Brand equity

The reciprocal contributions between brand equity and sustainability

What is a brand equity?

Brand equity is the value added by a brand to a product/service.

Sustainability can strengthen all components of brand equity and vice versa

LEARN MORE AND READ THE FULL REPORT ON BRAND EQUITY, HERE

Brand equity provides a framework for best-in-class sustainability claims and initiatives

• Desirable (important and w/ no or low trade-off)
• Aligned (with brand value proposition and category)
• Clear (easy to understand)
• Competitive (make a difference and an impact)
• Substantiated (build trust)
• Spot on (in the right place & at the right moment)

LEARN MORE AND READ THE FULL REPORT ON BRAND EQUITY, HERE

3. Cause Marketing & Brand activism

mutually beneficial for a brand and for a cause – if done right.

Brands are now expected to share what they stand up for, beyond what they stand for

Beyond grounding sustainability within business operations, companies / brands are increasingly expected to join or create a movement.

LEARN MORE AND READ THE FULL REPORT ON CAUSE MARKETING & BRAND ACTIVISM, HERE

What is brand activism?

The main difference between cause marketing and brand activism is that the latter is driven by justice, with the aim to shape policy debates and reform the system.

Also, cause marketing is usually directly tied to purchase and/or advertising.

CEOs are expected to inform policy, not politics

LEARN MORE AND READ THE FULL REPORT ON CAUSE MARKETING & BRAND ACTIVISM, HERE

Brand activism: no pain, no gain

WINS:

• Brand loyalty
• Brand awareness
• Brand associations
• Brand advocacy
• E&S Impact

CHALLENGES

• Polarization
• Easy to misstep
• No full control
• Committing

Define what trade-off you are ready to take… in return of a deeper connection with key stakeholders.

LEARN MORE AND READ THE FULL REPORT ON CAUSE MARKETING & BRAND ACTIVISM, HERE

More info and details on the full report.

• Sustainability & Brand Marketing - part 1: Brand Purpose
• Sustainability & Brand Marketing - part 2: Brand Equity
• Sustainability & Brand Marketing - part 3: Brand Activism