Every large corporation cares about its image, which allows it to win over more consumers and followers. The global trend of recent years is environmentally friendly marketing. It is picked up and developed by numerous companies around the world.
Environmental marketing primarily focuses on positioning the company as an integral part of a society that cares about the environment. Marketers develop strategies to strengthen the brand, thereby expanding the influence of eco-trends.
The main goals of environmentally friendly marketing campaigns are to win the loyalty of consumers and partners by implementing various projects in the field of environmental protection. Today more and more people understand that natural resources are not eternal, and we must take care of the planet.
“Humanity has finally realized that this planet is the only one we have, and we must save it. developed society chooses the concept of conscious consumption and care for the environment. Launching a sustainable business is rather pricey and requires great attention to detail. But on the other hand, it helps to save a planet and, speaking of business, opens up new opportunities for brand PR activities” - as to Peter Miller, Head of PR at PhotoRetouchingServices.net
Promotional and environmental campaigns are gaining popularity and support with each passing day. We present to you the most creative environmentally friendly marketing campaigns.
- In 2017, the World Wildlife Fund launched a digital campaign aimed at fighting illegal tiger trade. Anyone could turn an ordinary selfie into artwork and share it with friends.
Tiger Beer brand has brought together six artists from six different countries to help people all over the world to create beautiful artworks. Anyone can take a selfie and have it edited in a unique style, provided by one of the guest artists.
- In 2018, the French company Lacoste released the collection named Save Our Species, where the traditional crocodile on the logo was replaced by ten animals from the endangered list. Lacoste organized this action together with the non-profit organization International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The limited edition collection of white polo shirts was a great success: it raised awareness about the endangered animals from around the world, as well as served its marketing goals.
- In 2009, advertising agency Tribal DDB Stockholm invented "The Fun Theory" for Volkswagen automotive concern's environmental program. The Swedish creatives believe that the best way to get people to change their habits is to add some fun. And the “Theory of Fun” was focused on this idea. The campaign was a series of creative artifacts, for example, piano staircase, or world deepest bin, or the arcade game of bottle bank, used to promote healthier ways of transportation.
Instead of making consumers feel guilty, this campaign encourages them to do the right thing. This pleasure of doing well is also very much associated with a series of vehicles Volkswagen Bluemotion that are quite environmentally friendly.
- In 2018, Ikea immortalized its "Last Straw" at an exhibition at the Design Museum in London. It symbolizes the reinforcement of the company's commitment to its sustainability goals. In other words, Ikea's campaign marked the beginning of the removal of all single-use from their restaurants and bistros, with the goal to implement it worldwide by the end of 2020.
The “Last Straw” is a part of the company's global commitment to inspire and enable more than a billion people to live better on this planet. It is a call to action for broader systemic change.
- In 20108, Lego announced plans to manufacture most of its products, including packaging, from environmentally friendly or recycled materials by 2030. As part of this company, the manufacturer released a constructor based on polyethylene from sugar cane.
The parts of the kit are 98% made of green polyethylene in complying with the directive of the World Wildlife Fund. The manufacturer notes that the constructor is not edible, and its parts do not digest. The blocks look the same as those made of ordinary plastic, however, make a positive environmental statement.
- The Coca-Cola company has been surprising the world with very creative marketing for years. In 2019, Coca-Cola installed billboards featuring the famous “wave” pointing the way to separate waste bins. The idea comes from the Italian agency Publicis Italia and is based on research that people are more willing to hand over packaging for recycling when containers are easy to find.
It was a part of a global strategy called World Without Waste, in which Coca-Cola plans to switch to recyclable packaging by 2025.
- As we already mentioned, Coca-Cola has a lot of marketing campaigns that deserve attention, that is why we are including in this list one more innovative ad from Coca-Cola from 2019. The name of the campaign was “Round in Circles,” created by agency Recipe. It featured prints and outdoor advertisements focusing on transport hubs. A range of illustrations weaved information into circular figures. The campaign intended to demonstrate the Coca-Cola commitment to a circular economy developing.
By 2030, Coca-Cola aims to collect and recycle 100% of the packaging it put on the market.
- In 2017, Hyundai trolled Tesla with a new billboard installed at the Geneva Motor Show that read, "Your turn, Elon." Hyundai advertised the new Kona Electric crossover and hinted at Tesla for the absence of a worthy competitor.
Note that many companies desire to promote themselves using the name of a more successful competitor, and sometimes it even looks quite interesting. Judged by "the first compact electric crossover is already here" slogan, Korean developers and advertisers decided to remind Tesla that the promised model of the same class Model Y was still far from the release.
- In 2019, the Dutch airline KLM launched the Fly Responsibly campaign, which encourages passengers to “compensate for their flight-related CO2 emissions” and consider flying only when necessary.
The ad also addressed passengers, asking how often they need to meet their friends in person, and suggesting to use railways for short distances such as within Europe. This campaign highly stressed the importance of individual initiatives, inquiring into what everyone can personally do to reduce their carbon footprint?
KLM invites passengers to become members of the Co2zero program. Under this program, KLM launched reforestation in Panama to offset its carbon footprint. To participate in the program, when buying an air ticket, a passenger must pay an additional 8 euros, thus contributing to their reforestation initiative.
- In the American city of Denver (Colorado), a social campaign has been going on since 2005, aimed at reducing water consumption. During this time, Sukle Advertising & Design created many famous advertising messages for Denver Water. Although these social advertising received prestigious awards, the campaign was criticized on the Internet and the media on several occasions. Many expressed skepticism about the content of social media and its effectiveness.
The campaign is notable for a variety of ad placement options. Sukle Advertising & Design created amusing solutions for ambient-advertising. From a big board to a small sticker, the authors of the social advertisement showed remarkable imagination. They presented the world with many original ideas that can be used in the future.
“We endorse the movement of large businesses towards consciousness and sustainability. A development strategy towards brand sustainability is necessary: if a company cannot take responsibility for its actions, it has no future” — Mark Brady, Head of Data Research and Content Marketing at Adsy.
In this day and age, companies denying sustainability will soon start losing their loyal audience. We are witnesses of great changes regarding the importance of sustainability, and there is still more to come.
About the writer:
Marie Barnes is a writer for gearyoda. She is an enthusiastic blogger interested in writing about technology, social media, work, travel, lifestyle, and current affairs. Follow her on Medium.
