I’ve Loved marketing since my first course in college and I’ve never looked back. There are so many branches of marketing, each one has its own beauty and challenges. I had the pleasure of being in product development for good part of my career, a unique party of the marketing world. Creating product is a responsibility, as is every other form of marketing.
In today’s world we’re seeing a big shift towards sustainability and awareness of the product development cycle on the environment, along with focus on diversity and social justice. But it is no longer focused on just the specifications of the product, such as in housewares, using recycled aluminum or if the packaging is either made of recycled material or a reduced version to use less material. Now consumers want to know that each and every component, every step of the products journey has a conscience. The factories used, the way the workers are treated, the materials used, how their sourced, what’s the impact on the environment, how are they transported, and how are they made – period! Cosnumers are now willing to spend more for products with a conscience made by companies that care.
“Making the World Better Together”
This headline is the title on a catalog by Mission Brand Alliance (https://missionbrandalliance.com/). I was so captivated by the title, that I couldn’t put the catalog down. They want to make the world better through the products they sell. They outlined it in the catalog they believe in the “power of collaboration over competition”, they fight for environmental and social justice through their missions, and they give us, the consumer, the power to vote with every purchase we make.
This was quite a powerful message. I was captivated by this group of companies working towards true social and environmental consciousness. As I flip through the catalog, the products are brilliant, the company names are catchy, the bottles, the packaging and the stories behind each one also engaging. Nothing over the top, and everything is clean and simple. I have a few favorites like the Parks Project (https://www.parksproject.us/) – “Mother Nature is key to our survival”. This particular brand helps consumers become champions to preserve the parks they love. The other one that I connected with was United By Blue (https://unitedbyblue.com/) – “New year, cleaner oceans: a plastic-free 2021”. For every product purchased, United by Blue removes one pound of trash from oceans and waterways. As of the writing of this blog, they have helped removed 3.5 million pounds of trash from our oceans, and still counting!
Connection and Caring – What Consumers Really Want
I could go on and on and every brand in this catalog deserves a shout out. From a product developer standpoint, the products are created and constructed quite well. No gimmicks or subpar quality here. I’m impressed and from a marketing standpoint I’m inspired.
Often when you think of marketing, people think of being sold something through a message created or contrived. Of being sold something or being convinced of something but marketing is so much more than that. When done right it’s the ultimate tool of engagement and connection something we all crave so much right now. Connecting through these products where we share a mission or values are ethics and bring awareness to issues that some may not have been conscious of is incredible. This is what consumers want now more than ever – connection and caring.
This is why I love marketing. It is one of the most powerful industries in the world and to see it now used by groups of people like Mission Brand Alliance to drive change, to drive social justice, to drive saving our environment – it leaves me smiling and hopeful for what 2021 and beyond will bring.
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
The lesson to remember is everything we do in marketing, from what we say to an individual client, to our messages in mass media, has an impact. We have great power in those messages, and we have a choice. What we do, how we do it, and why we do it, is equal to or in some cases more important than the product or service itself. It does matter! One product, one person, one marketing campaign – can change the world!
