Sustainable Brand Marketing: When Hugging Trees is Paying

Several years ago, I was in a spirited discussion with an MBA lecturer, and a consultant about the evolving role of sustainable brand marketing in today’s business landscape. Our conversation, which took place around 2016, centered on the relationship between marketing and branding, and how companies could effectively integrate sustainability into their brand identity.

Marketing Magic: When Old-School Ads Met New-School LOLs

He thought that branding was a subset of marketing. However, I held a different view – that branding and marketing, while interconnected, are distinct entities. To settle our debate, I ended up sending him some resources to elucidate the differences.

• Disentangling the meanings of brand authenticity: The entity-referent correspondence framework of authenticity | Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (springer.com)
• Building a unique brand identity: measuring the relative ownership potential of brand identity element types | Journal of Brand Management (springer.com)
• Consumer Research Insights on Brands and Branding: A JCR Curation

His perspective, I believe, was shaped by his generation’s approach to marketing. As a member of Generation Y, he was accustomed to using graphic designers to create corporate or visual designs and then articulating the mission, vision, and values based on the marketing campaign. 

This approach was prevalent among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups during the advertising age, largely influenced by the late 90s and early 2000s graphic design revolution. However, it’s crucial to correctly position branding in today’s context, especially when dealing with sustainability.

Pretty Is as Pretty Does: More Substance, Less Fluff

Brands have been around for centuries, serving various roles even before the advent of modern marketing concepts. But creating a brand goes beyond just marketing. It’s the company’s identity, embodying its values, personality, and reputation. 

While marketing communicates this vision, branding permeates every aspect of the business, from product quality and customer service to employee behavior and internal reporting. In 2024, we all understand that creating a brand is not a solo endeavor; it requires the collective effort of focus groups to craft the right brand.

The emergence of sustainable marketing could potentially blur the lines between marketing and branding. Sustainable marketing promotes socially responsible products, services, and practices, prioritizing environmental and social responsibility over merely promoting a product or service. 

This post is part of our sustainable branding series because brand management should be closely linked to marketing management, especially for sustainable brands. In fact, all stakeholders of any sustainable development activities should communicate throughout their projects.

This brings us back to the classic relationship between branding and marketing – the push and pull dynamics. However, the push-and-pull relationship between sustainable brands and their sustainable marketing is fundamentally deeper than the classical dynamics.

Cats and Dogs: The Comedy of Branding and Marketing’s Love-Hate Relationship

Push Relationship: The push refers to how sustainable brand initiatives impact marketing. It’s internal to the brand, values, eco-friendly practices, and sustainability commitments. For example, a brand doing green practices like using recycled materials pushes this message through marketing channels, shouting about its sustainability.

Pull Relationship: The pull is how sustainability marketing impacts brand perception and consumer behavior. It’s about attracting the sustainability-conscious consumer. Good sustainability marketing like campaigns for eco-friendly products pulls the conscious consumer towards the brand, enhances the brand image, and drives responsible behavior.

Brand- Marketing Tango: Who’s Leading, Who’s Following?

Let’s explore examples that illustrate the push-and-pull relationship between sustainable brands and their marketing strategies:

1. Tesla’s Electric Vehicles (EVs):
   • Push: Tesla’s commitment to electric vehicles (EVs) pushes its brand message. Their technological advantage and environmental stewardship resonate with eco-conscious consumers.
   • Pull: Sustainable marketing pulls in consumers who value clean energy transportation.
2. Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” Campaign:
   • Push: Patagonia’s campaign pushes the message of conscious consumption and environmental impact awareness. It challenges traditional marketing by urging customers not to buy excessively.
   • Pull: The campaign pulls in consumers who appreciate transparency and authenticity.
3. Burt’s Bees’ Natural Personal Care Products:
   • Push: Burt’s Bees pushes its brand message through natural ingredients, eco-friendly packaging, and responsible sourcing. These practices are embedded in their product offerings.
   • Pull: Consumers seeking natural, sustainable personal care products are drawn to Burt’s Bees.
4. Unilever’s Sustainable Living Brands:
   • Push: Unilever integrates sustainability across its product portfolio, pushing its commitment to responsible sourcing, ethical practices, and environmental impact reduction.
   • Pull: Consumers who prioritize sustainable living are attracted to Unilever’s brands like Dove and Ben & Jerry’s.

5. Coca-Cola: 

• Push: Coca-Cola actively promotes its environmental initiatives, such as water conservation and packaging recycling programs, through its marketing campaigns.
• Pull:
  1. Clear Sprite Bottles: Coca-Cola changed the Sprite bottle from green to clear, making it easier to recycle.
  2. Cardboard Multipack Cans: The company replaced plastic shrink-wrap with cardboard for multipack cans, reducing plastic waste.
  3. In a significant breakthrough, Coca-Cola launched its inaugural 100% plant-based plastic beverage bottle in 2021, marking a major milestone in its sustainable packaging journey. This innovative packaging solution excludes the cap and label, further reducing the company’s environmental footprint.

These examples demonstrate how sustainable marketing and branding work together, creating a cohesive brand identity that appeals to conscious consumers

Sustainable Marketing: Where Doing Good Meets Doing Well

While it may seem that sustainable branding and marketing are just extensions of their classical and modern counterparts, they’re playing a whole new ball game. Why? Because their eyes are firmly set on the future.

The current state of sustainable branding and marketing is like a chrysalis, ready to emerge into something more. The dynamics between them are akin to a dance of push and pull. On one hand, we have sustainable marketing pulling with innovative strategies like the 5C Framework, the Great Pyramid of Sustainability, Environmentalism, Sustainable Social Marketing, Enviro-preneurialism, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). These aren’t just fancy buzzwords; they’re the tools that sustainable marketing uses to pull us towards a greener future.

On the other hand, we have sustainable branding pushing with every fiber of its being. But what does it push for? It’s not just about selling eco-friendly products or services. It’s about aligning every business decision with sustainability principles. This means reducing environmental footprints, promoting fair labor practices, and actively contributing to the welfare of communities and ecosystems. The mission and values of the brand serve as the push, emphasizing ethical, environmental, and social responsibility.

Sustainable branding is a beacon, signaling to consumers and stakeholders that a business is not just about profits. It’s about minimizing its environmental footprint, supporting ethical practices, and making a positive contribution to society. The mission and vision of the brand contribute to this push. By incorporating sustainable brand marketing strategies, businesses can effectively communicate their commitment to sustainability.

The Sustainable Branding and Marketing Happy Ending (For Now)

In a nutshell, sustainable branding is about crafting a brand identity that is profitable, ethical, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible. As more sustainable brands enter the global stage, they bring with them new marketing concepts and frameworks that are essential for successful sustainable brand marketing. These tools will be there to pull whatever these brands push.” strategies, businesses can effectively communicate their commitment to sustainability. In a nutshell, sustainable branding is about crafting a brand identity that is profitable, ethical, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible. As more sustainable brands enter the global stage, they bring with them new marketing concepts and frameworks that are essential for successful sustainable brand marketing. These tools will be there to pull whatever these brands push.

So, what’s your brand’s sustainability story? How will you use your brand identity to push for positive change and pull consumers towards a greener future? The time to start writing that story is now.