“Conventional marketing thinking is increasingly unable to cope with the ecological, social and commercial realities that confront mankind”  (Peattie, Ken et al , Sustainability marketing – An innovative conception of marketing). And to cope with these changing realities, we seem to be adopting  different more innovative approach – sustainibility marketing.

“In general terms, sustainability marketing involves building and
maintaining sustainable relationships with customers, the social
environment and the natural environment (Belz 2006)” (Peattie, Ken et al).

You may have noticed that I highlighted “social environment” in the definition above. That is because it is my topic of focus today! With my subjec of focus being ‘Nike’.  In late 2018, the famous “Dream Crazy” campaign starring Kollin Kaepernick created an uproar (mostly positive) in society. Nike had done something that many big brands are afraid of doing – they took a political stance in their campaign. Supporting Collin Kaepernik consequently meant, fighting for social justice and racial equality, and essentially accepting the “Take a Knee” movement.

Well, 2 days ago , on February 24th 2019,  Nike released the second installment of the campaign ,”Dream Crazier” , to the world.  This time, focusing on women in sport , the social barriers they face, but despite all, the incredible successes. They highlighted the work and used the narration of the ever incredible Serena Williams to deliver their message. It was powerful, and has touched any audience member that has watched it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whpJ19RJ4JY

While I love what both campaign installments stand for, and my own values are synonymous. I had to take a critical look at this – is this true “sustainable marketing”? In my opinion, no. We very often mistake sustainable messages for sustainable marketing. The definietion of sustainable marketing includes “Building relationships with the social environment”. Nike’s campaigns sure do start a dialogue, but what is it doing to build relationships and solidify its values in society?

I believe that we should be grassroot level efforts to work with young girls in sport, or youth of colour who are often discriminated against. Building and sponsoring initiatives that help develop the careers within often marginalised subgroups.

These are my thoughts, please let me know if Nike is in fact working on actual acticity-based initiatives. I would love to know!

A few weeks ago, we discussed “sustainable consumer behaviour” in our Marketing Sustainability class. We were excited at the statistics which showed that there are 2.5 billion customers who are categorized as “Aspirational” – i.e. customers who have shifted from “obligation” to “desire” when it comes to sustainable consumption.

As positive as it was to read this , my reading week trip to New Orleans was a quick reminder that as staggering as the numbers seem, sustainable consumption is far from widespread, even just within North America. The famous “Bourbon” street, known for its live Jazz shows and incredible party environment is in fact strewn with plastic cups, cutlery, plates and more between 8pm and 2am. And while the streets are cleaned a fresh for the next morning, are the items recycled? Can they be recycled?

 (Image from : here)

Most local restaurants did not even have alternatives other than plastic cutlery and plates, even if one was looking to dine in instead of taking the food to go. In addition, due to lax drinking and anti-public disorder laws, consumers could freely drink alcohol beverages on the streets, which prompted an increase in cans strewn about and is an incentive/need for local restaurants to provide “to go” cups. Most of which, are plastic!

As I was reading the sustainable brands article we referenced in class, I was able to see 2 major reasons why plastic use/ lack of sustainable options is a reality in New Orleans:
1.Young and Urban: According to the article, the “Aspirational” segment is majorly made up of millenials (40%) and GenX (37%) generations. However, New Orleans total population see’s 12.9% being 65 years and older, and the majority (over 50%) are between 18-65 years of age. I am assuming that from this proportion, majority are baby boomers rather than millenials. From personal observation as well, New Orleans also attracted tourists who looked well over 30 years of age.
2. Education : According to the Pelican Institute New Orleans rate of adult illiteracy is twice the national average and 40% of the cities residents do not use the internet. This proves to be a huge obstacle when it comes to education and information on sustainability. Curbs the possibility of understanding and also limits any word of mouth that could help.

While I loved the spirit of the city, the live Jazz on every corner and the delicious cuisine, I was glad to land back in Vancouver – where even our bins are separated according to type of garbage.