Aurora Magazine

Promoting excellence in advertising

Go Green or Go Home

What should brands be doing to counter climate change?
Published 29 Jan, 2025 01:47pm

Once upon a time, brands could get away with telling customers just about anything, but that is not how it works anymore. Audiences today are far more informed about how brands operate, often having intimate knowledge about their behind-the-scenes workings (including the stuff brands don’t want them to know about). That’s why, as Ogilvy once said, what brands do will always be far more important than what they say, especially when trying to take on a bigger positioning or platform. This includes jumping on the ‘green’ bandwagon and trying to appear more socially responsible. However, greenwashing and actually going green are two different things. Here are some initiatives brands can incorporate to make an impact – both on the environment and on their customers’ perceptions.

• Start With the Product

Whether it means sourcing eco-friendly materials, switching to energy-efficient manufacturing practices or reducing or recycling wastage, your product (and how it’s made) speaks volumes about your brand’s commitment to the greater good. By making products more efficient and ecofriendly, customers are more likely to believe a brand’s intention and embrace its mission of creating a more sustainable planet.

• Collaborate to Conserve

Bringing more brains together can lead to new eco-friendly initiatives. For example, brands can partner with like-minded companies to share technologies, research, resources, and expertise to develop sustainable products and practices. They can also leverage each other’s marketing platforms to cross-promote eco-conscious consumer choices to wider audiences. Sharing knowledge and resources effectively allows brands to spread their messages further and wider afield than ever before.

• Look Inwards

Employees are instrumental in carrying a brand’s values to the outside world. This is why they should lead by example in their daily routines. Employees should be encouraged to adopt eco-friendly practices in and outside the workplace. This includes saving on electricity, water, paper and other resources. It even includes allowing remote working opportunities to reduce commuting. Relying on renewable energy to power offices is a great long-term plan. Implementing such ideas and values into daily work routines not only helps save the planet but also helps build a more conscientious and efficient workforce.

• Go Beyond The Business

Brands should look for eco-friendly opportunities outside their businesses. This could be as simple as participating in regular cleanups or tree planting drives. On a bigger scale, it may involve infrastructure-level initiatives that impact larger communities. Examples include setting up virtual retail stores that have a smaller carbon footprint or using billboard/advertising space to plant greenery or generate energy.

Taimur Tajik is Creative Director, Creative Liberty.

Join DawnMedia’s Breathe Pakistan initiative to combat climate change.