It’s every brand’s objective to maximize customer engagement. One highly effective way to do this is to connect with your customers on a deeply personal level. That involves demonstrating that you care about issues they care about — for example, the environment.
Note that according to a 2017 study, 87 percent of Americans will buy products from companies that support issues they find important, and 76 percent refuse to do business with companies that advocate for issues that conflict with their beliefs. Moreover, 63 percent want businesses to drive environmental change. Knowing this, it’s a good idea to highlight your company’s contributions to environmental protection.
The Origins of Earth Day
According to EarthDay.org, Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin propelled environmental protection into the American people’s awareness on April 22nd, 1970. On that day, thanks to his efforts, approximately 20 million people took to the streets to show their support for a healthy environment.
By December 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — or EPA — had been established; plus, the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Air, Clean Water Act had been passed. In the following years, support for Earth Day spread to other countries, and by 1990, it had become a global event.
Examples of Big Brands Highlighting Earth Day
Every year, big brands around the world commemorate Earth Day with their own initiatives. For example, in 2018, Apple made a donation to Conservation International for every device it received through its Apple GiveBack program — a recycling effort. It also introduced Daisy, a recycle robot that can quickly take iPhones apart and recover reusable components.
Source: Apple
And in 2014, The Smithsonian National Zoo partnered with the rock band Portugal. The Man to launch the Endangered Song Project. Together, they produced 400 records that degraded over time. The only way to save the song was to digitize it. The concept was to highlight the fact that the Sumatran tiger is an endangered species and will become extinct unless the world takes action.
Tips for making an environmental connection with your customers
Begin by determining what the theme of your initiative will be. You can use any one of the themes Earth Day is highlighting, such as:
- Protect Our Species: Currently, the world is experiencing the highest rate of extinction since the demise of the dinosaurs — and it’s due to human activity. Earth Day provides resources about this topic and is asking for donations to support its campaign.
- End Plastic Pollution: Plastic waste is endangering flora and fauna — and even threatening human health. Earth Day provides educational materials, as well as an online calculator and guide you can use to make a plan to reduce your plastic consumption.
- Reforestation: Earth Day aims to plant 7.8 billion trees — one for each person on earth by April 22nd, 2020. So the organization’s asking people for donations: Every dollar facilitates the planting of a tree.
Of course, you’re always free to choose your own theme. It’s helpful if the theme aligns with your brand.
For example, if you sell clothes, you could start a clothes recycling program, or if you’re an app producer, you could decide to go completely paperless at the office by eliminating all print-outs and instead using phones, tablets and laptops.
Similarly, regardless of your product or service, you can eliminate all paper marketing materials in favor of digital assets or establish a carpool to help reduce carbon emissions from commuting.
Next, you need to decide on the best type of initiative. If you have a brick-and-mortar location and come into contact with your customers on a daily basis, you can organize on-site activities. For example, you can hold a raffle to raise money for an Earth Day campaign or organize an Earth Day drawing contest for kids.
If you don’t have a brick-and-mortar location, leverage social media. You can highlight what you’re doing at the office to celebrate Earth Day and invite your customers to share their own stories. You can even organize a photo contest about the environment. Whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s relevant to the environment, true to your brand and will engage your customers.
Get Expert Help for Your Earth Day Marketing Campaign
If you’d like to share your Earth Day celebrations with your customers but need some help designing a campaign, talk with the team of marketing experts here at Aliste Marketing. We listen to your needs and create a campaign that represents your brand and achieves your objectives so you can concentrate on your core business. For more information, contact us today.
Sources:
https://www.earthday.org
http://www.conecomm.com/research-blog/2017-csr-study
https://www.earthday.org/about/the-history-of-earth-day/
https://www.earthday.org/campaigns/endangered-species/earthday2019/
https://www.earthday.org/plastic-calculator/
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2018/04/apple-adds-earth-day-donations-to-trade-in-and-recycling-program/
https://www.endangeredsong.si.edu
