https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJn5ew-vAMg

Wendy’s is a North American fast food chain. It is the third largest fast food chain in North America with over 6500 locations. McDonald’s and Burger King are the only fast food chains bigger than them. The American international fast food company has been appearing lately in the news because of their new marketing campaign. The “Deliciously Different” campaign and Wendy’s new message “fresh never frozen” try to emphasize the local sourcing of the company’s products and their intention of changing how business is made within the company from now on.

It is not easy for fast food chains to meet their huge demand and source local at the same time. It is a big challenge for them but it may be worth the effort if consumers view this local sourcing as a differentiator. New research seems to support this idea. 89% of Americans recognize where a food product is produced as an important factor when making a purchasing decision. And 66% of the people surveyed see food produced close to home worth a premium price, according to a research published in 2014. Briefly, consumers are willing to pay more as long as food products are produced locally. Wendy’s is aware of the “local food movement” going mainstream and is willing to profit from it. Food products produced close to home is not a trend limited to little businesses. Large companies can use this trend to differentiate themselves from other competitors. Wendy’s is the first big player in making a real effort. Their debut ad “Where’s the Beef?” has already reached 1.9 million views in Youtube.

Wendy’s needs to inform the consumers about where they source their food and what impacts on local communities they have. The consumers are the ones that have to decide if they trust the company’s promise of delivering “fresh never frozen” beef from close locations or not. The North American fast food chain is appealing to Millennials and revitalizing their brand at the same time. They are following the 7th strategy of Jacquie Ottman’s 15 Strategies for sustainable product design: Think global, grow local. Wendy’s is making an effort to turnaround their environmental impact. I really think the company’s effort in differentiating themselves while having a positive impact on local communities can be a game changer in their industry.

http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/marketing_comms/hannah_furlong/wendy’s_new_campaign_suggests_local_sourcing_what_make

http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/stakeholder_trends_insights/sustainable_brands/77_americans_say_sustainability_factor

https://www.wendys.com/en-us/about-wendys

2014 was the warmest year in modern record according to NASA. Climate Change can be found in the 5th position in the Council of Councils’ Ranking of the Top Global Challenges. Global warming is a real threat not just to us, but to future generations as well. A rise in global temperatures can have a lot of catastrophic consequences. It threatens the earth, our future and future generation well-being. We must do something about it as fast as possible.

Sweden’s highest peak is an example of the rise in global temperatures the earth is suffering. The countries tallest mountain could stop being the tallest one in the years to come. The peak has been shrinking for the past 15 years. Bigert & Bergström is an artist duo formed by Mats Bigert and Lars Bergström. They both live and work in Stockholm. In an attempt to stop the peak’s shrinking trend the two Swedish artists covered the glacier on Mount Kebnekaise with a blanket. This may not seem a very effective idea in order to slow glacial melting, but it can get people’s attention. And it did. “The rapid melting of the southern peak was front-page news in the summer of 2014,” the artists explained.

The two Swedish artists’ attempt is more a symbolic gesture than an actual solution to stop the shrinking. But, in my opinion, their idea of covering the peak with a blanket can be seen as an out of the box marketing idea. Their intervention got the attention and interest of the media. Now that the public knows about the danger of Sweden’s highest peak, the government will be forced to address this issue.

Bigert & Bergström are a great example of what humanity is able to do. Climate Change is a reality and an extremely dangerous issue we must address. We can change the climate for better or for worse and it looks like we have been changing it for worse for some time now. It is time to turn the tide. We can’t ignore Climate Change anymore.

http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/marketing_comms/hannah_furlong/artists_cover_sweden’s_tallest_peak_help_slow_glacial_

http://www.cfr.org/councilofcouncils/reportcard/#!/ranking/2015

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/january/nasa-determines-2014-warmest-year-in-modern-record