Marketing is failing our kids.

PRIME: the most mentioned brand in my house but it’s highlighted worries for me.

Prime is the marketing phenomenon of recent years and the brand resonates particularly with Generation Alpha (born after 2010). These are the kids who are growing up in the fallout of covid lockdowns and live in a world dominated by social networks, steaming and tech. Is this why modern marketing is failing them?

As a parent, this craze for Prime is the worst I’ve seen yet. For those who have escaped and have no idea what I’m going on about - Prime is a hydration drink created by prominent influencers Logan Paul and KSI.

These two are huge on social media and their devoted followers have been consumed with consuming the latest status symbol. “The desperate frenzy to snag a bottle is less about the actual drink than the cultlike community that has popped up around it, marketing experts say.” - The Washington Post.

The power of influencers - KSI and Logan Paul.

“In the next 10 years, all the biggest brands will be made by creators,” said Mae Karwowski, CEO and founder of influencer marketing firm Obviously. “They understand the medium. They understand what their customers want.”

This is a marketing nightmare because influencers such as KSI and Logan Paul don’t understand the responsibility they have on the brainprint of Gen Alpha. Marketing has the power to impact behaviours, worldviews, identities, and habits of society. And this is especially vital when the target demographic are still developing and establishing themselves.

We need marketers who can relate to this generation but we really need marketing, media and creative professionals who have the skills to help influence and deliver the change we need to see across brands, organisations and society.

What we need are influencers who are there to inspire and drive change in society - we need to curb consumerism and grow citizenship. Do these people exist? I'm yet to find them.

And one last note on Prime - it’s another f***ing plastic bottle!

Is it time for marketing to expand their remit?

Is it time for traditional marketing departments to integrate with corporate sustainability and corporate communications?

In my experience each of the above departments in large corporations have been responsible for their own nuanced messaging and communications to separate audiences. For example (a very simplistic example!):

• Marketing target consumers to drive purchases.

• Corporate sustainability target investors & stakeholders to drive investment.

• Corporate communications target the industry & employees to drive PR & internal engagement.

But is it time to combine these public facing (audiences aside) messages into one source because everyone is (should or will be) concerned with how large corporations are doing business; whether they’re being responsible towards people and planet, and what impact our purchases have?

Nearly 1 in 3 consumers claimed to have stopped purchasing certain brands or products because they had ethical or sustainability related concerns about them.

Sustainability & Consumer Behaviour 2021, Deloitte

Consumers are becoming more aware of the impact they have via the brands they do business with.

For the last few years there has been heavy messaging around the reduced use of plastic straws and plastic packaging. This obviously helped brands sell more products and increased their reputation but it’s just one element of a much larger picture. Consumers are seeking out this type of information ahead of purchasing decisions because they’re ready to make responsible decisions. They care about reducing carbon footprints and waste, ethical working conditions, and protecting human rights.

Businesses have this information available across departments, but it’s usually siloed and packaged ready for different audiences. If it was all made available to the ‘customer marketing’ department, knowledge could be shared to everyone that is interested.

There’s a definite competitive advantage to having one marketing channel to share your sustainability journey because the days where only ‘business’ people read company news or only a select few invested interests in business performance are gone. We all need and want to know how a company operates and performs because our future is impacted by it.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still important for each department to continue to address their audiences with appropriate messaging but customer marketing needs to be addressed too as part of a wider consumer marketing strategy.

It’s going to take time and skill to adjust all company messaging to be consumer facing but the public are interested. The era of marketing just for sales is over.

We need to go beyond ‘sustainable marketing’

What’s the primary purpose of marketing? Profit.

But with great marketing and great profit comes great responsibility!

As marketeers, advertisers, brand gurus, we’re all here to sell products, but we have a responsibility to consumers to give them honest facts and authentic messaging. We can’t hide issues or plaster over cracks, these need to be resolved by other areas of the business before reaching us, or to not exist at all.

We need to go beyond ‘sustainable marketing’. 

For example, one theme of sustainable marketing is to promote your social mission and I 100% agree BUT it needs to be a mission or purpose which is embedded in the core of your business. It can’t be adopted to suit a trend or topical month.

During June we have seen many brands use rainbow colours or update social media avatars to rainbow versions. But how many of these are real and how many are guilty of ‘rainbow washing’ (when a business publicly shows support for the LGBTQ+ community but privately engages in practices that are detrimental to those who identify as LGBTQ+).

How many of these rainbow wearing brands can say that they:

• Have policies in place that create an inclusive and safe working environment?

• Actively support LGBTQ+ charities/groups/movements all year round?

• Are vocal in all territories, even where they discriminate against LGBTQ+ people?

Marketeers need to become ‘sustainability wardens’ to stop businesses casually adopting messages which are unsubstantiated. Basic core business sustainability knowledge would allow for empowerment and push back.

If you’d like to set up a session with your marketing team or fancy a 1-1 to learn more and empower your people, please do contact me.

TIME FOR MARKETING TO EVOLVE

There are more and more resale / rewear sites popping up on behalf of big brands - for example H&M and Anthropologie. These claim to be closing the loop and give the impression of impressive environmental companies but it’s another ‘clever’ greenwashing campaign.

Don’t get me wrong, I am 100% for rewearing and recycling clothing and for companies to take steps on their sustainability journey, big change will take time, but there needs to be more transparency and honesty in comms.

For example, fast fashion companies such as H&M produce around 3 billion garments a year. I’d like to know in their marketing how this is being reduced - maybe for every piece of clothing they resell they reduce a line in their main store?

I’m not naive though, I know this is big profit led business and while we have a consumer led culture this will never change.

BUT what if marketing changed? Surely, it’s time to evolve from hard selling to building customer relationships where we share truths and develop together. What if we all took responsibility for changing consumer behaviour? Yes, it would dent the profit line but at some point there will be no profit because there’ll be no natural materials to create with. Responsibility needs to start.

As marketeers we need to start thinking bigger than sales.

What impact is your website having?

If the Internet was a country, it would be the 7th largest producer of CO2.

This quote shocked many of you last week when I shared it and it still shocks me now. ‘From data centres to transmission networks to the devices that we hold in our hands, it is all consuming electricity, and in turn producing carbon emissions’ websitecarbon.com.

When I first found this out last year while going through the B Corp process I decided to check out how much CO2 my website produced. For my financial year 2021/2022 it produced 0.75kg of CO2 equivalent.

• As much CO2 as boiling water for 101 cups of tea.

• The amount of carbon that 1 tree absorbs in a year.

• Enough electricity to drive an electric car 11km.

Check yours out at www.websitecarbon.com

Now this is just my small website which doesn’t (yet!) receive huge numbers of page views. Imagine what the likes of Amazon generates!?!

Last year I decided to move my Squarespace site to be hosted by GreenGeeks but this did not go smoothly. Firstly, I discovered that you can’t just transfer a Squarespace site, it’s not that simple - why would it be? I’m a company of one and IT is not my expertise but I pushed on with determination, I’m pretty good at figuring things out. I learnt all about domains, MX records, DNS settings and more. I was so proud when everything was set up, a real achievement. I even told the mums on the school run who just stared at me.

BUT, I then lost all my emails and my site didn’t show up! Not good when you’re trying to grow your business and go through the B Corp accreditation process, I do exist, honestly!! It was an absolute nightmare, I was missing work and also potential projects.

So, unfortunately, I decided to back up and return to Squarespace and that’s where I still am today. However, this year I plan to work with someone to do this for me - an expert! It’s a really important move but one which requires time and thought.

Let me know if you’ve had any experiences, good or bad :)

3 Starter Sustainability Actions

Sustainability can be overwhelming and knowing where to start can be a barrier to moving forward. It’s ideal to put together an action plan which matches your purpose but there are 3 goals every business should set in motion today:

1. Ensure you’re paying your employees the real living wage. Not the minimum or living wage but REAL which is calculated according to the cost of living. (Living Wage) 

2. Review your pension provider today and then move to a sustainable supplier. Greening your pension is 21x more effective at reducing your carbon footprint than giving up flying, going veggie and switching energy provider combined (Make My Money Matter).

3. Move your website to a carbon neutral web server. If the internet was a country, it would be the 7th LARGEST producer of CO2 (Leap). 

Sustainable Growth - 2 years in

It’s hard to believe but I’ve just finished my second official year in business! It’s flown by so quick but has been so much more successful than I thought it would be. 

I’m not bragging because it could have been so much better too. I had low expectations of how I could drive and develop a business, it was after all a completely new world for me. Corporate working is like a cocoon where you can get very comfortable and stepping out is a shock and took some rehabilitation.

But, I am loving it and have a lot to thank LinkedIn for! So many people from my past work lives on here have been supportive, offered amazing advice, and even been clients.

I’m focusing on slow growth for my business and building strong intentional  relationships. If that’s what you’re looking for in a strategic business partner (sustainability and marketing), let me know.

How big is your kindness budget?

This morning I was reminded by an Instagram post about how #bekind trended following the death of Caroline Flack, an awful and unnecessary loss which kicked kindness back into the headlines. 

We all committed there and then to be kinder to others but as a business - how kind are you?

Employees spend a third of their life (or more) at work so employers need to take more responsibility for their well-being? A business’s impact on an employee has a knock on affect on their families and communities so we should make the impact positive.

There are many ways to be kind to employees and the list is ever growing. From flexible working hours and work mobility, self-development allowances, employee ownership, personal days, pension plans. There’s so many options to put employee well-being first in business.

My own experience of kindness in business was receiving paid leave following a miscarriage but it wasn’t a straight forward 1 week following the event, it was as and when I needed it because grief is unknown and unexpected and I appreciated the flexibility. I’m not sure this was company policy but more manager’s discretion but shouldn’t we empower employees to do the right thing at the right time.

What’s the best example of kindness you’ve experienced at work?

Sustaining Sustainable Events

My B Corp friends at x+why, a flexible workspace provider who’s on a mission to change the way the world works for good, kindly shared their experience of providing Sustainable Events.

At x+why we understand the importance of going beyond the bottom line, in order to focus on all of people, planet and profit. As events moved online during the lockdown period, there was no doubt that this had a positive impact on commuting and the environment, but came at the cost of connection. As many now look forwards towards the new normal, we explore how to transition back into places and faces more sustainably, with our tips for running cleaner and greener events.

Venue Vernaculars

When considering where to host your event, plan ahead to help attendees limit their carbon footprint by opting for venues more locally, or with easily accessible public transport links. As the world opens back up, supporting smaller and more local businesses could make a real positive impact.

Encourage carpooling including offers on ride-share programmes such as UberPool and LyftShared. Spaces such as x+Why have some great offers available to members on our exclusive portal - with discounts and greener gifting partnerships available all year round.

When it comes to building credentials, choose venues that have gone the extra mile to ensure that sustainability is built into the brickwork. For example all x+why buildings are BREEM certified - the gold standard when it comes to green architecture. They come with biophilic design, locally and environmentally sourced furniture, full fresh air handling systems and are fitted with sustainable materials including cork floors and Baux acoustic panels.

As well as benefiting the planet, this also serves to enhance both peace of mind and wellbeing. Floor to ceiling glazing ensures plenty of natural light, and secure cycle storage and showers for cyclists means that attendees are encourage to combine their commute with their workout. With a range of options to suit start-ups of any size, no event is too big or small to make an impact!

Sustainable Supplies

One of the most noticeable negative impacts of large events is the amount of waste that is produced - from festivals to conferences, the visible residue of congregating a huge number of people can make even the greenest event counterproductive.

To manage the fallout, have plenty of access to recycling facilities and waste disposal on hand. And as prevention is better than cure, focus on the first two principles of reduce, reuse, recycle and ensure that catering equipment is resourceful and locally sourced.

It could also help to opt for plant-based options, and ensure plastic materials and other ingredients such as palm oils are avoided or reduced. Where possible, consider going paperless or package-free, and aim for a circular supply chain that positively feeds back into itself, by creating more than it consumes.

Going plastic-free means using non-disposable plates and cutlery, encouraging guests to bring their own reusable water bottles or perhaps supplying some through an event partner, going straw-less and opting for glass or steel, and avoiding disposable decorations such as helium balloons.

Conferences, workshops and meetings can create a lot of paper waste, and unfortunately, not all of it gets recycled properly. Eliminate paper handouts or sign-in sheets and opt for digital alternatives, which are also faster and more efficient. Make the most of custom mobile apps, online ticketing and digital marketing - staying ahead of the latest tech and using channels such as these benefits both guests and hosts alike. It can make future marketing much more insightful and streamlined, and allows attendees to be more interactive with whats on offer.

Meaningful Marketing

Events are more meaningful when they have a message that carries beyond the boardroom, and bringing people together to connect is a great way to infuse a movement with the energy required to do so. Running events that are current, impactful and which challenge the status quo is a great reason for cohesion. For example x+why recently ran the COP26 event as the climate summit began. Leveraging the local community, our very own members were on the front line of presenting an interactive and impactful evening of debate, discussion, and objective-setting for instigating actionable change.

While it’s great to have memorabilia and things to take away, perhaps leave these to passion and ideas, instead of throwaway trinkets or merchandise goodie bags. Or opt for local gifts and signature pieces that positively support the creative community. While sustainable events do require more planning and consideration than a standard event, the benefits of doing so are myriad.

Beside the obvious benefits to the planet as a whole, sustainable events show clients or guests that your business or organisation is not just aware of these serious issues, but is enthusiastic about sustainable event management and actually making change. Furthermore, guests at a sustainable event often feel good about attending an event that openly aligns with their own values, adding to their overall experience.

Events: 6 changes for positive impact

Events are becoming more unique which is great but do you consider their impact on the planet and people?

There’s so many brilliant ways to implement positive change at events and ones which will make them more attractive to customers. People will be willing to pay more to attend an honest, authentic and sustainable event.

Here’s 6 changes to kick off an event planning brainstorm:

Venue
1. Locate a venue which has good public transport links so people can limit their carbon footprint.
2. Assess the sustainability credentials of a venue and choose one with minimal impact on the planet.

Suppliers
3. Choose a local catering company who source food from the surrounding area and consider a vegan menu.
4. Consider going paperless or find a printer who uses renewable energy, recycled paper, eco friendly ink.

Marketing
5. Set up your event website with a green web host.
6. Avoid goody bags even if they are tote bags. Opt for local gifts from makers or creators to promote the community.

3 Inspiring Companies

For me it always helps to learn from examples so I though I’d share 3 companies from different industries who are making positive impacts through their businesses:

FASHION: Nudie Jeans
Nudie Jeans takes responsibility from raw material to the product’s end of life. They work closely with suppliers and every pair comes with free repairs for life.

FRAGRANCE: Olivetreehome
Olivetreehome candles are created in the UK and come in UK hand crafted pots with dust covers infused with wild flower seeds, These can be planted in the pot after use or you can recycle and use their handy candle refill service.

TRAVEL: Byway Travel
Byway Travel are a slow travel company helping you travel by train, boat and bus. Holidays include local delights, hidden histories and soulful stays. They even offer vegan trips with every element catered for.

What does Big Small Good offer and who’s it for?

For over 20 years I worked in large corporations, and I’ve always felt that business shouldn’t focus on profit alone. There’s so much more to offer the world with their knowledge, power, and influence.

I needed to know more.

In 2019 I set up my own business and decided to follow the B Corp framework to ensure I was building a business I was proud of and comfortable with. This process taught me a lot and inspired me to also study with Cambridge University on their CISL Business Sustainability Management course (highly recommend it!)

Since then, I’ve become B Corp Certified and learnt so many ways in which businesses, large and small, can go beyond creating profit to creating positive impact on people and planet.

Start ups

When a business is beginning its journey from idea to reality, it’s a time of overwhelm and long to do lists. Founders don’t always have time to think about how to make this new business a responsible and sustainable one. And this is fair, the passion and drive that envisioned the idea is now consumed with building a business. Money is usually at the top of goals - investment, growth, paying the bills. This is where Big Small Good can help, I can create a simple action plan to be implemented in the short and long term which will enable this growing company to succeed in setting and meeting social, environmental, and economic goals.

SME

Small and medium size businesses may have be growing for a number of years and operations have grown and developed with them. Profit is of course still a business priority but maybe there’s now time to consider new social and environmental goals - what’s the businesses impact on people (customers, employees, suppliers) and the planet. I can help SMEs take a breath, pause, and reflect on this question. These goals should reflect the company’s mission and demonstrate their values. We can review together and create a plan of easy to implement actions, and where they’re not easy I can assist. I can also hold you accountable because impact only happens if change happens.

Large corporations

Established companies usually (hopefully) have a sustainability expert or CSR team so the need for Big Small Good may seem small. However, I can still help these departments, or the C suite look at the bigger picture of their industry. What change, conversations or collaborations need to happen to activate new ways of business to alleviate social and environmental risks.

So, if you fancy a chat, let me know 🙂

6 ways your business can be a force for good

Impactful change can be simple. Here are 6 options your business could adopt.

PEOPLE

1. Seek out new employees from disadvantaged communities or backgrounds.

2. Offer employees flexible working opportunities, listen to their needs and trust in their abilities.

PLANET

3. Consider your travel to events and networking. Set yourself a carbon limit for company travel.

4. Minimize your packaging or choose environmentally friendly options. Less is more for the planet.

PROFIT

5. Spend more with local suppliers to support your community and local economy.

6. Use an ethical bank. Banks such as Triodos make your money work for positive social, environmental and cultural change.

Business is personal to its founders though and operation should represent your purpose. This is why I love to chat and understand you first before putting a simple action plan together.

Big Small Good is a Certified B Corp!

BIG NEWS!

I’m super proud to announce that Big Small Good is now a Certified B Corp!

Ever since setting up my business 2 years ago I wanted to follow the B Corp framework to ensure I was building a business which was a force for good. This would not only reflect my passion but also the purpose behind my business.

I’ve been lucky enough over the past two years to work with some incredible and inspiring B Corps, Flooglebinder and Leap to name a few. The whole B Corp UK community has been so welcoming and helpful, everyone is focused on collaboration and not competition - 100% the way forward to making change. 

I could not have achieved this certification without the inspiration, patience and advice from Matt Hocking. He and his team at Leap were there to guide and motivate me during the process. Thank you so much!

For those who don’t know about the B Corp global community, it’s a ton of companies who are committed to prioritising the environment and society in the way they do business. It’s an honour to join them.

This is also a huge step in the development of Big Small Good - more on this soon!

Marketing or Sustainability?

What if marketing budgets were redirected to targeting sustainability issues instead, would the company still benefit?

I stumbled across this marketing stunt today (see image) and it made me think. Yes, Chanel No. 5 is marking its centennial anniversary this year and yes it’s Christmas, but a bottle the size of a house outside Harrods? Is this really necessary? Let alone the sustainable questions it brings up.

What would happen if companies redirected budgets from marketing pop-ups, giveaways and other activities, and instead focused this spend on improving their sustainability performance. For example, hire designers who can change manufacturing processes to use less carbon or who can consider the lifecycle of a product. Or use the funds to fill financial gaps when business models need to be changed which could cause a short term loss.

Would the consumer see these actions as preferable, would they buy into a committed and action orientated company? Or are we still in a place where big flashy gimmicks are necessary?

I’m not knocking marketeers because they’re talented innovators and I’ve worked in marketing for over 15 years. It’s a creative industry with amazing ideas but maybe we just need to plant the seed of sustainability early on in the thought process.

It would take a brave company to risk diverting marketing budget though because the reward wouldn’t be instantaneous. It would be a long term play where we would all benefit.

What are your thoughts? Do you know anyone doing this?

Big Small Good is One!

This time last year I left my safe job in hospitality and travel to go out on my own! Scary, yes. Sad, yes. Exciting, hell yes. I’d worked my way towards this so it wasn’t a complete blind jump of faith but still risky. If you’d have asked me 5 years ago if I’d be self employed I would have just laughed. But...

It’s been the most amazing year ever, I’ve learnt so much, met some fabulous people and rode an emotional rollercoaster, and that’s before Corona hit! 

I’m really proud of who I’ve become and feel really free to express myself and try new things. I’m no longer an employee searching for recognition from a big corporation and leaving the success of my career in their hands. I can’t explain what it feels like to wake up and know that the brand I represent is my own and that I can tell my own story.

There have been, and still are, 3 big influences on my journey:

1. Network

2. Mentor

3. Community

Support Network
Southwood Social Hub (SSH) is a network of incredible women led by the lovely Hayley Southwood. I joined SSH last January to get some inspiration from female entrepreneurs, to help me make the move to self employment. And wow, I’ve been inspired, humbled, educated, and listened to by some amazing women. It’s an incredible network and something I could not give up, especially now I’m running my own business. It’s like having the most talented and caring colleagues who are there not only to learn from but to have a laugh with too. SSH really came into its own during lockdown with lunchtime zooms where we talked about anything except business or COVID. What was said on the zoom stays on the zoom ;) I feel like a stronger and more free version of myself.

Mentor
I’ve had a few mentors in my career but this one is different. Barney Worfolk Smith is a friend from my days at IHG. I hired a social agency, That Lot, and worked closely with Barney week in week out. We had a good laugh and created some fabulous social media campaigns. Since we left those roles we stayed in touch, we discussed social media news as well as sharing travel tips and family stories - we both seem to enjoy the same camping / campervan / off the main route holidays. I really respect Barneys work ethic and knowledge and think he probably knows most people worth knowing. We’ve continued to meet up over the past year and even though it wasn’t a formal thing I’ve definitely looked to him as a mentor even though he might not know he was fulfilling that role!

Community
Every now and then you find a community which strikes a chord. They share the same ethics, interests and creative ways of thinking. For me this was the DO Lectures. I’ve always admired them and when lockdown kicked in I decided to join the Keyboard CEO course. I thought it would help me to write and be more creative in my business comms BUT it was so much more. I learnt about how to get scrappy and build a business without budgets. I also found an online community of like minded people who are all doing business in beautifully creative and ethical ways. I’m excited to see where these new relationships go.

I’m no expert at business but I’m doing pretty f***ing well for 12 months in and couldn’t have done it without these people (AND my fabulous friends and supportive husband). Here’s to the next year and meeting more new people and more exciting clients!