How to Communicate Sustainable Actions to its Customers
Companies communicate very little about their sustainable actions. How do you go about it without being accused of greenwashing? You just have to adapt your message to your customers.
Companies communicate very little about their sustainable actions. How do you go about it without being accused of greenwashing? You just have to adapt your message to your customers.
Companies communicate very little about their sustainable actions. How do you go about it without being accused of greenwashing? You just have to adapt your message to your customers.
The ecological transition has been at the heart of industry concerns and discussions since the start of the pandemic. Several companies want to step up in this direction, while others are already involved, but do not share their actions on their various platforms. It is, however, relevant to put them forward in order to inform current and potential customers.
At the last annual conference of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), held in the Azores in December 2019, professor and researcher Xavier Font, from the University of Surrey, England, pointed out that 70% of the sustainable measures taken by tourism companies are not disclosed. This new phenomenon is called greenhushing. Different reasons can explain this. On the one hand, companies do not believe that their sustainable practices are a decision factor for their customers. On the other hand, they are afraid that their actions will be perceived as greenwashing. In the latter case, it is then a question of moral silence rather than moral hypocrisy, as its antonym (greenwashing).
Greenwashing refers to the broad-spectrum promotion of an insignificant sustainable action in order to convey a good brand image and, thus, to deceive the customer, according to the researchers Font, Elgammal and Lamond. The use of this term is subjective and left to the discretion of the interlocutor. It is therefore not surprising that many companies do not wish to publicly disclose their initiatives.
However, according to Xavier Font, companies have a responsibility to educate visitors, so that they become more aware of their environmental impact. To do this, they must communicate their good practices. It is not only a question of mentioning that one is taking sustainable actions, but of sharing them as examples.
How do we proceed without risking being singled out? How do we avoid any dissonance that may exist between the company's perception of sustainable development and that of its customers?
The answer is simple: the message will change depending on the target audience. You must therefore be familiar with your different customer segments and adapt your words to each of them. For example, the sustainable tourism offer will be the key message of a marketing campaign aimed at those most committed to the environmental cause. In the event that responsible practices do not constitute a determining criterion in the choice of accommodation or a tourist attraction, it is better to bet on the location, the price or the quality of the product or service to attract the customer. It is only once there, that they can be made aware by learning about the various sustainable practices put in place by the organisation.
The term sustainability may seem abstract to many visitors. In order to be well understood by your audience, it is better to use tangible concepts. For example, it is best to report facts about respect for animals, the beauty of the surrounding wilderness, privileged contact with local communities and traditions, etc.
GLP Films, a content marketing agency, is solely dedicated to strategic distribution campaigns supporting sustainable tourism. It has also won various awards and recognitions for this purpose. Rob Holmes, founder and strategic leader, realises short videos using storytelling to present the good practices of a destination or tourism product. There is no explicit reference to sustainable development. He prefers to show traditional dances, local chefs in their restaurant, etc. Visuals are a good way to get a message across, especially since storytelling makes it possible to reach people through the emotions transmitted.
Source: Youtube, GLP Films
According to L'Écho tourisme, incentive marketing consists of “putting individuals in a context of choice that encourages them to adopt a specific desired behaviour". This is a good way to communicate your actions to your customers while encouraging them to participate. By concretely demonstrating its involvement in sustainable practices, the company gains credibility and minimises the appearance of greenwashing, while increasing the confidence of its customers.
For example, the Vanoise National Park, in France, issued 17 recommendations with a humorous tone in order to promote, among other things, energy saving in the rooms. One of the messages read as follows:
“To sleep better, lower the temperature by one degree C, you will not melt under the duvet, you will be well rested and proud to help the planet. 1 degree C less at night in the bedroom = 7 % less energy effort for the planet. This tip also produces great results once you get home."
As these messages promote immediate action, they are often put into practice once the tourist arrives at the destination.
Another way to engage current and potential customers, both before and after the trip, is to engage with them through social media. One of the things to remember is to stay true to your brand image.
Source: YouTube, Piknic Électronik
Some companies publish all their new sustainable development initiatives, while others, such as Piknic Électronik and Igloofest, prefer to choose the information they transmit to their festival-goers.
In all cases, it is recommended to create a publication calendar. For example, every Thursday, the hashtag #jeudidurable (#sustainablethursday) can be used to communicate your actions. This helps to generate a more faithful and constant commitment. It is better to post once a week on a regular basis, rather than once every day for two weeks, then disappear for the next two months. This advice is relevant for various platforms. Better to devote yourself to one or two of them than to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Social media also makes it possible to survey the opinions and concerns of its target audience. Asking them questions about what they would like to obtain in terms of content or to have a better idea of their knowledge on the subject can help the company to better understand their expectations and, therefore, to better equip itself to meet them.
Regardless of the strategy adopted for the various social media, the important thing about communicating your sustainable actions is to remain honest and admit that the company is not perfect, but that it is making the necessary efforts to be successful. improve and reduce its environmental footprint, while getting involved in its community.
The company must communicate its sustainable actions by adopting a language adapted to its different customer segments in order to promote their learning and demonstrate its skills. Publicising good practices also helps inspire other tourism stakeholders. Faced with the climate crisis, the era is more cooperating than competing.
What sustainable practices have you adopted?
How could you communicate them to your customers?
https://www.glpfilms.com/films
This article is published in partnership with Transat Chair in tourism at the Université du Québec à Montréal, School of Management (ESG-UQAM). This article was originally written in French by Fanny Beaulieu Cormier, 4 May 2021, we have provided an English translation.
Companies communicate very little about their sustainable actions. How do you go about it without being accused of greenwashing? You just have to adapt your message to your customers.
The ecological transition has been at the heart of industry concerns and discussions since the start of the pandemic. Several companies want to step up in this direction, while others are already involved, but do not share their actions on their various platforms. It is, however, relevant to put them forward in order to inform current and potential customers.
At the last annual conference of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), held in the Azores in December 2019, professor and researcher Xavier Font, from the University of Surrey, England, pointed out that 70% of the sustainable measures taken by tourism companies are not disclosed. This new phenomenon is called greenhushing. Different reasons can explain this. On the one hand, companies do not believe that their sustainable practices are a decision factor for their customers. On the other hand, they are afraid that their actions will be perceived as greenwashing. In the latter case, it is then a question of moral silence rather than moral hypocrisy, as its antonym (greenwashing).
Greenwashing refers to the broad-spectrum promotion of an insignificant sustainable action in order to convey a good brand image and, thus, to deceive the customer, according to the researchers Font, Elgammal and Lamond. The use of this term is subjective and left to the discretion of the interlocutor. It is therefore not surprising that many companies do not wish to publicly disclose their initiatives.
However, according to Xavier Font, companies have a responsibility to educate visitors, so that they become more aware of their environmental impact. To do this, they must communicate their good practices. It is not only a question of mentioning that one is taking sustainable actions, but of sharing them as examples.
How do we proceed without risking being singled out? How do we avoid any dissonance that may exist between the company's perception of sustainable development and that of its customers?
The answer is simple: the message will change depending on the target audience. You must therefore be familiar with your different customer segments and adapt your words to each of them. For example, the sustainable tourism offer will be the key message of a marketing campaign aimed at those most committed to the environmental cause. In the event that responsible practices do not constitute a determining criterion in the choice of accommodation or a tourist attraction, it is better to bet on the location, the price or the quality of the product or service to attract the customer. It is only once there, that they can be made aware by learning about the various sustainable practices put in place by the organisation.
The term sustainability may seem abstract to many visitors. In order to be well understood by your audience, it is better to use tangible concepts. For example, it is best to report facts about respect for animals, the beauty of the surrounding wilderness, privileged contact with local communities and traditions, etc.
GLP Films, a content marketing agency, is solely dedicated to strategic distribution campaigns supporting sustainable tourism. It has also won various awards and recognitions for this purpose. Rob Holmes, founder and strategic leader, realises short videos using storytelling to present the good practices of a destination or tourism product. There is no explicit reference to sustainable development. He prefers to show traditional dances, local chefs in their restaurant, etc. Visuals are a good way to get a message across, especially since storytelling makes it possible to reach people through the emotions transmitted.
Source: Youtube, GLP Films
According to L'Écho tourisme, incentive marketing consists of “putting individuals in a context of choice that encourages them to adopt a specific desired behaviour". This is a good way to communicate your actions to your customers while encouraging them to participate. By concretely demonstrating its involvement in sustainable practices, the company gains credibility and minimises the appearance of greenwashing, while increasing the confidence of its customers.
For example, the Vanoise National Park, in France, issued 17 recommendations with a humorous tone in order to promote, among other things, energy saving in the rooms. One of the messages read as follows:
“To sleep better, lower the temperature by one degree C, you will not melt under the duvet, you will be well rested and proud to help the planet. 1 degree C less at night in the bedroom = 7 % less energy effort for the planet. This tip also produces great results once you get home."
As these messages promote immediate action, they are often put into practice once the tourist arrives at the destination.
Another way to engage current and potential customers, both before and after the trip, is to engage with them through social media. One of the things to remember is to stay true to your brand image.
Source: YouTube, Piknic Électronik
Some companies publish all their new sustainable development initiatives, while others, such as Piknic Électronik and Igloofest, prefer to choose the information they transmit to their festival-goers.
In all cases, it is recommended to create a publication calendar. For example, every Thursday, the hashtag #jeudidurable (#sustainablethursday) can be used to communicate your actions. This helps to generate a more faithful and constant commitment. It is better to post once a week on a regular basis, rather than once every day for two weeks, then disappear for the next two months. This advice is relevant for various platforms. Better to devote yourself to one or two of them than to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Social media also makes it possible to survey the opinions and concerns of its target audience. Asking them questions about what they would like to obtain in terms of content or to have a better idea of their knowledge on the subject can help the company to better understand their expectations and, therefore, to better equip itself to meet them.
Regardless of the strategy adopted for the various social media, the important thing about communicating your sustainable actions is to remain honest and admit that the company is not perfect, but that it is making the necessary efforts to be successful. improve and reduce its environmental footprint, while getting involved in its community.
The company must communicate its sustainable actions by adopting a language adapted to its different customer segments in order to promote their learning and demonstrate its skills. Publicising good practices also helps inspire other tourism stakeholders. Faced with the climate crisis, the era is more cooperating than competing.
What sustainable practices have you adopted?
How could you communicate them to your customers?
https://www.glpfilms.com/films
This article is published in partnership with Transat Chair in tourism at the Université du Québec à Montréal, School of Management (ESG-UQAM). This article was originally written in French by Fanny Beaulieu Cormier, 4 May 2021, we have provided an English translation.
At the last annual conference of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), held in the Azores in December 2019, professor and researcher Xavier Font, from the University of Surrey, England, pointed out that 70% of the sustainable measures taken by tourism companies are not disclosed. This new phenomenon is called greenhushing. Different reasons can explain this.
At the last annual conference of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), held in the Azores in December 2019, professor and researcher Xavier Font, from the University of Surrey, England, pointed out that 70% of the sustainable measures taken by tourism companies are not disclosed. This new phenomenon is called greenhushing. Different reasons can explain this.
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