Why emotional literacy holds the key to green marketing success

Significant progress has been made in recent years in the way that businesses approach their sustainability programmes. Three years ago only 50 per cent of the top 250 companies around the world included sustainability in their business reporting. This is now up to 80 per cent and shows that companies are increasingly integrating environmental responsibilities into core business plans.

This trend has also been reflected in the way that environmental credentials are communicated. Many organisations have realised they need to keep their customers and other stakeholders informed of their progress, on the grounds that their environmental performance has a significant impact upon the reputation of their brand. These organisations now tell key audiences what their targets are for cutting CO2 emissions, reducing waste, minimising water consumption, and so on.

But in addition to addressing the environmental impacts of their own organisation, companies have also begun to recognise, quite rightly, that they have a huge role to play in influencing the behaviour of their customers. This is an area which has massive potential to deliver deep and sustainable emission reductions, but which has been largely unfulfilled, to date. There are only a handful of behavioural change campaigns, run by businesses, that have had a tangible impact.

Ariel's "Turn to 30" campaign, run in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust, is one of the few good examples. Since the campaign's launch, the company claims a total of one million households have turned their washing machines to 30°C, resulting in an estimated 41 per cent cut in energy use.

Tesco's loyalty cardholder scheme, which allows customers to earn Clubcard points by re-using carrier bags or buying more energy efficient light bulbs, is another good example. But I can think of few others.

Part of the reason for this lack of progress is that companies are afraid of telling their employees and customers how they should behave for fear of coming across as overbearing and bossy.

Of course, as with any advertising effort, the key to the success of these campaigns is in the way they are communicated. Charities and NGOs are particularly skilled at stimulating action without provoking a negative reaction. Through a variety of PR and marketing techniques they demonstrate why their cause needs help. They provoke an emotional response which drives us to take action.

The World Wildlife Fund in particular has a long history of successful campaigns, using powerful imagery to show the public where support is needed, what the results of inaction will be and how we can help. Some might now regard it as clichéd, but a photograph of a polar bear suffering in the Arctic can still prove an effective way of highlighting the very real consequences of climate change.

Historically, the most successful behavioural change campaigns have been the ones that move us the most. The government’s campaign to tackle Aids in the 1980s and drink driving in the 1990s are notable examples of this. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from this approach for businesses. If you are serious about changing behaviour you have to affect your audiences emotionally.

A BT survey showed its employees trust the company on environmental issues more than the government, pressure groups and NGOs. This statistic clearly demonstrates the powerful role that businesses can play in influencing the attitudes and actions of ordinary members of the public.

Clearly, companies can wield tremendous power in reaching people and influencing their behaviour. And they should not be afraid to use emotional drivers to inspire the changes that are needed.

Paul Thomas is a senior consultant in the CSR division of PR consultancy Trimedia