If you've been paying any attention to marketing trends and consumer attitudes, you're probably aware of an increase in eco-friendly brand messaging in the business world. As climate change becomes more and more a part of our lives and our future, consumers are looking to make changes in many ways, including what types of products and services they choose. Brands are responding with eco-friendly messaging to better align with consumer desires. However, as you consider eco-friendly brand messaging, you need to take into account consumer behaviour to ensure your strategy is effective.

What is Eco-Friendly Brand Messaging?

Eco-friendly brand messaging is messaging that aligns your brand with values like sustainability, the circular economy, and eco-consciousness. For some brands, this means emphasising the sustainable aspects of their products or services, such as being made with recycled materials. For others, eco-friendly messaging focuses on the company's overall efforts toward sustainability, like recycling initiatives or donations to environmental organisations. These messages are expressed through product packaging, marketing materials, retail space design, and social media presence.

Eco-Friendly Messaging in the Real World

Let's look at some brands that are successfully using eco-friendly messaging to cultivate an image of responsibility and sustainability. These are companies that aren't necessarily in the business of making "sustainable" goods, but have taken steps to make their brands resonate with green-minded consumers.

Patagonia

A classic example of successful eco-friendly marketing, Patagonia's brand messaging goes beyond its products and aligns the entire company with sustainability. From sustainable production to promoting repair and resale of its products to a self-imposed "Earth tax" that supports environmental projects, the brand is a leader in eco-conscious messaging.

Tesco and Terracycle

While Tesco might not jump out at you as a sustainable brand, its partnership with Loop, a reuse service, is giving the company a chance to build an eco-conscious brand image while still promising consumers a convenient shopping experience and familiar brands. Products ordered through Loop are delivered in reusable packaging, which customers can send back to be washed and refilled. Other grocery chains are launching efforts to reduce packaging in stores (by offering more bulk options).

Ely Mattress

One of many online-only mattress companies, Ely bolsters its eco-friendly messaging with appeals to health-conscious consumers. The brand touts its green manufacturing in its marketing, and also works to convince customers that its mattresses are healthier and less toxic than other options. Ely offers a recycling program for customers' old mattresses, further boosting its sustainable image.

Tips for Updating Your Brand

As we mentioned before, simple adding a "green" message to your existing brand messaging isn't going to influence many consumers. Brands need to be strategic about shifting to more eco-friendly messaging, with an awareness of what motivates their target audience and a commitment to sustainable messaging that's ethical and has real impact.

Don't "greenwash". Consumers are perceptive, and are aware of which messages are actually eco-friendly and which are just jumping on the bandwagon without concrete actions. That awareness will only increase as the public becomes more educated around climate change and the impacts of human activity. If you promote your brand as eco-friendly, but ship your product in a mass of non-recyclable plastic, consumers will take note. Other examples of greenwashing include making vague claims or inflating the impact of your eco-friendly efforts. Beyond turning consumers off, greenwashing can lead to more serious consequences including ads being banned or fines.

Be creative and innovate. How can you develop an eco-friendly message that's unique to your specific brand? "We recycle" doesn't quite cut it any longer. Are your products made with a specific type of recycled material? Is there something unique about how you reduce waste? Are you partnering with an interesting sustainability initiative? Find an eco-conscious brand message that will make your brand stand out from the herd. More brands are turning to strategies like new recycling programs, discounts to reward eco-friendly customer practices, or carbon offsets to incorporate sustainable messaging into their brand strategy.

Aesthetics matter. Even if your eco-friendly brand messaging isn't specifically related to your packaging, the look and feel of your products, retail space, or promotional materials will affect how consumers perceive your sustainability.  Natural materials, reduced plastic, eco-friendly inks--there are plenty of design choices that can help your messaging resonate.

Eco-friendly isn't always enough on its own. Many consumers are interested in making more "green" purchases, but they still want high-quality products at prices they're comfortable with. By emphasising multiple benefits (convenience, price, quality, etc.), along with your eco-conscious messaging, you have the potential to reach and sway a larger portion of consumers.

Keep it positive. While eco-conscious consumers do have climate change and its negative impacts in mind, using a fear-based approach will turn off many potential buyers. Successful brand messaging makes eco-consciousness feel achievable and enjoyable, not guilt-ridden or dour.

Don't pivot too hard. Green messaging needs to still ring true to your consumer base. The demographics of your base will influence how your green message needs to be delivered. Brands that are perceived as feminine or masculine, classic or disruptive, need to retain that image even as they add an eco-friendly element.

Real Benefits of Eco-Friendly Messaging

Research shows that eco-friendly brand messaging can be part of a successful strategy to influence consumer behaviour.  A Nielsen study found that consumers worldwide expressed a desire to buy sustainable products, and that their attitude seems to be reflected in actual purchasing patterns. Brands that incorporated sustainability into their marketing, either directly relating to their products or at a company-wide level, saw sales increase of up to 5 percent, while brands without any eco-friendly messaging saw only a 1 percent increase.

In another study by the Sustainable Lifestyles Frontier Group, major brands found that solid eco-conscious brand messaging gave them a more positive image among consumers. When combined with effective language and graphic design, these brands were able to reach consumers interested in making sustainable choices.

If you're looking to revitalise your brand to match the new eco-conscious consumer and participate in the circular economy, let us help. THAT Branding Agency has extensive experience in updating brands to resonate in the modern world; contact us today.