Every brand, agency, and event knows perfectly well how much waste is created in the name of experiential advertising. It’s accepted as a necessary evil. But the writing is on the wall as Australia’s temperament changes and becomes eco-conscious.
In a recent Nielsen study, 81% of global respondents said they feel strongly that brands should help improve the environment. Sustainable experiential marketing plays a fundamental role in this strategy. This is because it gives brands a unique opportunity to connect with audiences through positive green culture messaging. This approach is helping the environment as well as their brand image through sustainable event marketing.
The Ripple Effect
A sustainable strategy has become a new way of meeting new consumers. That is because consumers aren’t necessarily judging brands on their for goods or services, but rather, they want to see that a brand cares about something important and has the same goal as them.
When these consumers connect with a sustainable brand, they are showing the world that they also care about sustainability. The environment is something the majority of people are concerned about so if your brand can show, and more importantly demonstrate, that it shares that concern, then you are one step closer to connecting.
Sustainable Alternatives
For starters let’s look at some easy things to implement. Provide plentiful access to recycling bins, supply compostable or even edible cups and utensils for your product sampling. Also, it’s important to have plenty of places to dispose of used materials in an environmentally friendly way.
Then, rather than distributing the usual show bag items, look at giving people digital experiences that delivers fun and excitement without all the waste. A great example of this is our work for St. Georges Bank. The Unwrap Christmas campaign brought the excitement of unwrapping a Christmas present to St George branch windows without creating piles of rubbish.
Activations Are PR Opportunities
By pivoting away from traditional show bags and unsustainable pop-ups we tend to create more creative experiences that lend themselves to PR. Again, take our Unwrap Christmas campaign for example. Because the idea was newsworthy, the entire event was filmed and made into a viral Facebook campaign which got over 530k views. This is something a traditional pop-up would only dream of achieving.
Be The Change
Environmental awareness is here to stay and brands have a responsibility to think about sustainability and how we engage. We can no longer simply greenwash a message and attract customers. Marketers and brands need to be aware of how our services and products are affecting the environment and strive to do better.
Sustainability is a global issue and as experiential advertisers, we need to move in the right direction. We have the creative ability to bring sustainability to the experiential space, we just need brands to be brave enough to put their budget where their mouth is.
