By looking at that place where your brand (and what it stand for) meets sustainability (as consumers define it: personal, social, spiritual and environmental), we begin to carve out an authentic communications strategy that truly reflects your sustainability initiatives and intentions.
While sustainability is a popular phrase today, and has on many levels, been hijacked by green marketing and “buy green”, it’s important to note that for consumers, sustainability is defined by a series of issues that go beyond green and fall into consumers’ Four Pillars of Sustainability™: Social, Environmental, Social and Spiritual Sustainability. While this may seem to complicate the issue, upon closer look it actually provides much more opportunity for businesses today. It provides the right insight and direction to carve out an authentic sustainability story, born from an alignment of brand positioning + sustainability truths.
This insight was uncovered in the maiden research study of The SHIFT Report in qualitative research across North American in 2005/06 combined with big picture cultural analysis and close trend observation. While the headlines may be calling “green” today, we predict that social and personal sustainability issues will be taking over the headlines in the next twelve months. Ci’s SHIFT Report already shows us that the top sustainability issues for consumers do not fall into the environmental sustainability pillar, but instead fall into the social and personal sustainability pillars such as “feeling connected to my friends, family and community”, “a sense of well being”, “how employees are treated” and “fair trade”.
