Sustainability has become the watchword of savvy businesses everywhere. Consumer consciousness of environmental issues has never been more acute. Today’s shoppers want to know that you’re as aware as they are about sustainability.
Getting the message about your brand’s environmental awareness out to customers, both loyal and potential, is a multi-faceted project which includes building sustainability into your brand and then walking your talk with ways to make your POP campaigns more sustainable.
Let’s talk about putting sustainability at the center of your brand and joining the global effort toward a more environmentally-friendly world.
Transparency.
Your POP campaigns, to answer the need for messaging around sustainability, should feature products which offer you the opportunity to highlight their status as sustainably-derived. This is a public declaration that you’re aware of the properties and origins of your product line.
Companies, large and small, have adopted UN guidelines concerning sustainability, bringing giants like Coca-Cola, IBM and Unilever on board.
Patagonia is leading the way, with its campaign for radical transparency. Your enterprise should see sustainability as a means of getting an edge on competitors. Giving your customers as much information as you can about where your products come from and making that part and parcel of your sustainable POP campaigns is one way to do it.
Greening your POP.
All the POP display supports you utilize in your in-store campaigns should be subject to scrutiny regarding their sustainability. That means looking at factors like recycled content in the paper used, as well as the type of ink employed.
Again, transparency is the key to consumer’s hearts. If you’re embarking on a project of greening your POP, consumers want to know. Talking about the change in your social media channels builds interest. It also builds awareness of your brand and its sustainability practices. Companies who tell their sustainability stories intentionally are increasingly appealing to consumers. They’re seen as “the good guys.”
Do your homework.
Examining your POP merchandising from the standpoint of sustainability is a worthy endeavor and beneficial in today’s market. To be avoided at all costs, is the appearance of “greenwashing.” Greenwashing describes the pretension of employing the sustainability label, while not honoring what it represents.
Be sure about the products used in your POP displays. Don’t assume anything about them, before communicating with consumers about what you’re doing. Get your ducks in a row prior to deployment and avoid being labeled as a “greenwasher.”
The same goes for your products. The life-cycle from production through disposal needs to be considered, particularly if you’re featuring those products in a sustainable POP campaign. Plan your campaigns by examining every aspect of it, from the materials used for promotion, to the products themselves.
Public brand policy.
The foundation of these ways to make your POP campaigns more sustainable is a coherent public brand policy around sustainability. Even your mission statement should be reviewed to ensure it’s telling the same sustainability story.
Clip Strip Corp. creates exceptionally effective POP display supports. Contact us for more information.