Marketing 4 min read

Why Sustainable Marketing is Important for Your Business

NicoElNino / Shutterstock.com

NicoElNino / Shutterstock.com

In recent years, “sustainability” has become more than just a buzzword, whether in environmental, economic, or social development contexts.

As far as marketers are concerned, sustainability is the ability of their business to continue indefinitely.

Between immediate and short-lived success and long-term value, which would you opt for as a marketer?

Unless we’re speaking, maybe, of a big one-time success, there’s really little choice for businesses but to pursue “sustainable marketing.”

Edgy answers the what, the why, and the how of it all.

What is Sustainable Marketing?

This isn’t another buzzphrase that we throw-in.

“The concept of sustainable marketing holds that an organization should meet the needs of its present consumers without compromising the ability of future generation to fulfill their own needs,” writes Philip Kotler and Garry Armstrong in Principles of Marketing.

Sustainable marketing is about making marketing and sustainable go hand in hand. There are several theories on sustainability marketing. We can identify three main approaches: auxiliary, reformative, and transformative.

sustainable marketing
Nattapol_Sritongcom / Shutterstock.com

Auxiliary sustainable marketing revolves around sustainable products. The reformative approach extends to sustainable behavior. Last but not least, transformative sustainability goes beyond the first two to include changes in the whole existing systems, laws, and norms.

Sustainable marketing campaigns put an extra focus on the social and environmental implications of business. It’s finding a balance between doing business and responsible marketing practices promoting a more eco-friendly and fairer consumption system.

Why Integrate Sustainable Marketing in Your Business Strategy?

First and foremost, it’s about our own survival if we look at the big picture. And second, it’s business common sense.

Our economic activities, on which life itself depends, have a significant impact on the planet and its resources. If we keep our business, as usual, the environmental and socioeconomic consequences may be far-reaching.

Then, it’s about the survival of your business.

Institutions, systems of laws and norms, pressure from customers and investors. There are so many growing constraints that any ambitious company would have to confront, all at once.

In a business ecosystem that’s developing and changing at breakneck speed, you should take a proactive approach based on adaptation and anticipation.

Unless you want to see your competitors take several steps ahead, you should adapt to constraints and anticipate both risks and business opportunities. After your product per se, come sustainable marketing campaigns.

How to Save Your Brand for Business Posterity

By creating more sustainable products and/or services, and changing marketing practices on a constant basis to accommodate any new developments around “sustainability.”

Of course, you should pursue developments that are relevant to your business. Big brands switching to renewable power sources are becoming a “classic” example.

There are other things to consider when implementing sustainable marketing in your business strategy.

We mentioned above marketing campaigns. This could be more impactful with a brand with a broad catalog of products.

sustainable business
patpitchaya / Shutterstock.com

It can, for example, promote products that are more respectful of the environment, or fairer socioeconomically than other products.

Sustainable marketing campaigns can also go beyond their established niches to cast a wider net. Brands can cast a wider marketing net and target unconventional customers to convert them into consuming more responsibly.

This is sustainability just at the marketing level, which is a constant element in the life of any business.

Though it comes in a bit later stage. It all starts with the product itself, then choosing the right (read: most responsible) supply, distribution, and sales channels.

Read More: What Is Performance Marketing?

First AI Web Content Optimization Platform Just for Writers

Found this article interesting?

Let Zayan Guedim know how much you appreciate this article by clicking the heart icon and by sharing this article on social media.


Profile Image

Zayan Guedim

Trilingual poet, investigative journalist, and novelist. Zed loves tackling the big existential questions and all-things quantum.

Comments (0)
Most Recent most recent
You
share Scroll to top

Link Copied Successfully

Sign in

Sign in to access your personalized homepage, follow authors and topics you love, and clap for stories that matter to you.

Sign in with Google Sign in with Facebook

By using our site you agree to our privacy policy.