P&G Announces new sustainability vision

In its new "sustainability vision," P&G has set a goal, to be achieved by 2020, including:
• Replacing 25 percent of petroleum-derived raw materials with sustainably sourced, renewable materials;
• Reducing packaging by 20 percent per consumer use;
• Powering company operations with 30 percent renewable energy; and
• Reducing waste from manufacturing to less than 0.5 percent

Read all about it at Greenbiz

NB Does anyone have the detailed data and/or expertise to compare this with Unilever's ten year sustainability vision which says they aim to double the size of the company while reducing its environmental impact compared to today's absolute level?

Sustain at the RCA - feed your mind with fresh ideas

Stunning exhibition of degree show work with sustainability themes is on at the Royal College of Arts (I got a sneak peak this Thursday as I was one of the awards judges). This piece by Noemie Goudal is one of my personal favourites.

Reuse (not Refuse)

Launch of a new scheme to encourage Reuse of perfectly good white goods and furniture in London yesterday outside City Hall by a famous dizzy blond and Joanna Lumley - looks like a great scheme anyway

details here

Mix Your Own Environmental Masters

(via Naomi Martin...)

Bournemouth University have this year launched a range of innovative Masters Degree Short Courses in the Environmental Science field, allowing students to study part time, and choose their units of study. This new range of short courses has been developed to specifically target recent graduates or those working in Environmental or Ecological fields and looking for additional development within their industry. The courses, each specialising in a different field, offer students a contemporary style of learning, including fieldwork where appropriate, to allow students to develop or apply their knowledge in a real setting to provide a robust platform on which to build their skills. The course areas on offer, include; Aquatic Invasive Species, Field Skills, GIS for Environmental Managers, Introduction to Statistics in R, Marine Planning. Each short course requires the person to attend the university for 3-4 days, where there will be a mix of theory and practical sessions. There is pre and post course work and students can take an optional academic assessment to gain 20 academic credits at postgraduate level. Based on the completion of three short courses, the students would gain a recognised Postgraduate qualification. For more information on the short courses visit www.bournemouth.ac.uk/environmental

(For the sake of balance I have to point out that the Environmental Policy MSc at imperial and Bath MSc now moved to Ashridge are also of course excellent, as is the Forum for the Future programme :)

The Truth About Social Media (New Article for Mediacat)

The Truth About Social Media

For the last 4 or 5 years I’ve been getting questions from clients about social media – how to get involved, whether to get involved?

Let me say at the outset that I am a big fan of brands engaging in social media (and all new media) in the right way for the right reasons. I’ve been involved in pioneering internet businesses and digital marketing campaigns and (like sustainability) I simply think it’s the way the world is going. So I am not one of those people telling their clients that Twitter is a fad (and that it's "much safer to stay with TV advertising" therefore). Did you know by the way that David Ogilvy once predicted that all the fuss about TV advertising would blow over and clients would return to print advertising, with all it’s evident strengths in putting a hard selling proposition to the audience? I digress – but anyway I just want to say I'm a fan - I am not being a ‘David Ogilvy’ here.

However I do tell clients that – if they are going to approach it in a conventional way – they have absolutely no place or role within social media. A ‘conventional’ approach would mean things like ‘how do we get messages about our brand out in social media’. If that’s your mindset then stick to your television commercials and your junk mail and (as the saying goes) ‘leave well alone’.

To explain why I say this; consider how misleading the word ‘media’ is within the term social media. It isn’t a broadcast channel, a stadium, a mass medium of any sort. It is a criss-crossing network of individuals chatting to each other, sharing photos from the weekend, interesting stuff they have found, their opinions on the World Cup… In other words social media are a lot like a telephone network. Would you as a brand interrupt my telephone conversation with a friend or relative? No, of course not. So why would it be okay for you to butt in when we chat online?

But it isn’t exactly one-to-one and private. That was just to dramatise my point. Others can overhear these conversations. It’s more like two of us chatting on the bus. And that makes for a good basic guide to how brands and companies (or factually their employees or agencies) should behave. If you would break into a conversation on a bus under the same circumstances, then it is okay to do so in social media too.

An example. One of your customers is complaining to a friend about the TERRIBLE service they got from your company. Should you interrupt? You will be tempted to as basically there could be a LOT more people listening than on a bus. But the answer is: only if you are willing to sort out the problem this person has. If you are personally shocked that they should have such a bad experience, and your motive is to put it right then sure – jump in, given them your business card and say so. I’ve seen that happen and it stops the conversation – because the customer is now happy.

But if you simply want to counteract or somehow “answer” the criticisms, forget it. You tell them that it’s not usually a problem, imply that it’s their fault and so on, you will make things ten times worse. And bystanders will conclude that you are a powerless corporate idiot, who is incapable of fixing this person’s problem, who instead will trot out any meaningless phrases to try to make it sound okay… I’ve seen that happen too. And when it happens repeatedly both the individual and the company develop a bad reputation – with others on the bus (or forum) chipping in that ‘this always happens’.

Another common situation is the whole question of talking to people about your brand. Once again it’s all about imagining the situation on the bus. You are sat there in your office worker clothes with a bunch of (let’s say) teenagers, or parents bringing their young children from school. How are you going to break into their conversation? Obviously you are going to make a complete fool of yourself so forget it. For instance very few digital agency “virals” ever take off in a big way, because they just aren’t as funny or relevant (to teens) as the ones made by teens themselves.

What if you get someone who does fit the profile to do the talking for you? There are successes of this sort. For instance LEGO reached out to Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs) to recruit “Ambassadors”, a hit programme. However you do need to tread carefully. Some “guerrilla” marketing outfits in the USA hire actors to go into social situations to talk about their new product or brand. Literally they will hire actors to stand in bars shouting orders for that new drink, and chatting to people around them – or hire (using incentives) teenagers to talk to friends about new products. P&G owns one of these buzz networks (Tremor) and has had some success they claim in getting teenage boys to talk dandruff as part of the sell for Head & Shoulders shampoo. My problem with this approach is it is unethical, even for marketing - and a CRISIS waiting to happen. If it’s authentic and not manipulative (like the LEGO example) then fine. But tread carefully.

The other thing that works ok in social media for old style marketers is called brand utility. This is the equivalent (on the bus) to handing out sweets or goodies. The movie “300” gave away big storage space for photos to users of MySpace (back in the days where storage was limited). It happened to come pre-loaded with images from the movie “300”. Lots of the grateful recipients thought the movie looked cool too. So they checked it out. And a hit was born. Nothing too wrong with that you could argue, and it has become one of the mainstays of digital agencies’ marketing strategy toolkit.

My own view? All of this is a tragedy. It’s like discovering a whole new continent, full of lush resources and possibilities… and building a McDonalds on the beach. The real potential of social media in my view is its plasticity – it’s potential for building whole new forms of media, which happen to be authored by a brand. Just as Disney make movies, cruises, theme parks… Disney can also make great social media experiences (for instance a family treasure hunt might be a nice idea – or a programme of free online piano lessons to celebrate a music themed movie?)

Ah yes you will say but we aren’t Disney we make furniture, or electronics, or jeans, or even headache tablets. But round any product there is always something humanly fascinating. Even headache tablets are part of a broader field of topics which magazines pour words about (exam stress, period pain, ageing…). Find the fascination in the market and engage people in a new way. Be a media owner, not a media buyer. That’s my advice. It’s not the easiest way – but I believe it’s the only way to really belong.

Save the Beach

Corona have created a ‘Save the Beach’ campaign which aims to promote the preservation of European beaches. They’ve been working with German action artist HA Schult, and have created a pop-up hotel in the centre of Rome made entirely from rubbish collected from European beaches. The first guest at the hotel was Helena Christensen. HA Schult is world famous for his work ‘Trash Men’, in which thousands of life-sized human figures were made entirely of non-organic waste. These sculptures have “lined up” in emblematic places such as the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian Pyramids, and Moscow’s Red Square.

(another) Ethical Fast Food Joint

I think Max in Sweden were actually the first to carbon footprint their menu AND they got 20% of their customers to switch to more climate friendly options. But Otarian looks lovely too (and great name/concept). Via (and full story at) ecorazzi

'Corporate Ethics' - Bananas!

Film gets a first screening at the ICA this Friday
http://www.ica.org.uk/?lid=24240#booktickets

Well worth reminding ourselves from time to time how the other half of our supermarket convenient global supply chain live and what is done in the name of our demands for cheaper & cheaper produce?

Welcome to the Commons

Please tweet, blog, embed and generally spread the word! :J

Thought for the day

(via Martin at Eden project)

Interview on Planet Green

With thanks to Leonora planetgreen link

Priceless (a great week for virals)

Calling the Tobin Tax a Robin Hood Tax is pretty clever too.

New Frontiers

The divine Melissa Sterry of Societas fame just sent me some info on her and Matt Prescott's new sustainable design project. It looks like a cracker to me. Do check it out...

(DETAILS BELOW FROM MELISSA)

Led from Manchester NEW FRONTIERS is a new initiative to stimulate and support the rapid development of exciting and truly sustainable design ideas, from architecture to urban design to materials engineering.

The brainchild of futurologist and design scientist Melissa Sterry and developed in partnership environmental scientist Matt Prescott, NEW FRONTIERS is working with partner organisations, including leading universities, professional bodies, NGOs, government agencies and pioneering global brands to help evolve and embed a strong understanding of sustainability issues; form new collaborations and networks; and promote the best ideas and innovations. Through these new partnerships, NEW FRONTIERS will provide the highest quality seminars, academic programmes, networks, information and resources.

NEW FRONTIERS is designed to catalyse action through interdisciplinary knowledge sharing, capacity building and public discourse. It is designed as a programme comprising seminars, scholarships, a participative digital platform and other planned elements, culminating in a prestigious biennial national prize.

Judged by leading experts, the NEW FRONTIERS Prize will support new economic goals, raise the profile of many crucial disciplines and ensure the progress of ideas and projects of true quality and value.


NEW FRONTIERS PANEL
Zac Goldsmith, Professor Lorna Walker, Michael Pawlyn, Dr. Rachel Armstrong, Professor Neil Spiller, Lynda Relph-Knight, Dr. Tim Fox, Professor Rachel Cooper, Professor Erik Bichard, Dr. Beth Perry, Dr. Richard Miller, Leonora Oppenheim, John Thackara, Dr. Tuba Kocaturk, Mike Reardon, Dr. Vicky Lofthouse, Dr. Mike Pitts, Angharad Thomas, Matt Prescott, Dr. Angela Lee, Melissa Sterry, Sophie Thomas.

NEW FRONTIERS PARTNERS
University of Salford – primary academic partner, Royal Society of Chemistry, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, University of Manchester, Loughborough University, Chemistry Innovation, Centre for Construction Innovation, Centre for the Built and Urban Environment, Eco Connect, Mickey & Mallory, CURB 100% natural media, Societás, What Women Make.

http://www.newfrontiers.uk.com

New Article for Mediacat

The 4 I’s of New Marketing

I have a new book out. It's number five. And I find myself at a 'taking stock' moment, searching for consistencies and threads running through these publications, my scattered writings, my many projects. One thing I realise is that I have a different (and perhaps dissident) idea of what the 'pillars' are within marketing strategy, compared to what I was taught all those years ago as an ad agency graduate trainee.

Most readers will be familiar with the 4P’s of the classic marketing mix; product, place, price and promotion. It’s a practical framework that grew out of the systematic management of marketing in large corporations like Coke, Proctor & Gamble and IBM. The dominant metaphor is society being 'like a machine'. Brands would be engineered to fit optimally within factory-like supermarkets of consumption.

I wrote the New Marketing Manifesto in 1998 to reflect the growth of an alternative, creative and spirited movement in marketing – one that mirrored the growth of new media, the new economy, shifts in culture (postmodernism) and so on. It is a more creative, entrepreneurial mindset. This grew up with companies like Apple, Virgin and eBay who ‘broke all the rules’ (but had their own rulebook). The dominant metaphor here is society as cult; led by word of mouth movements of fascination, enthusiasm and cultural meaning.

New Marketing has perhaps become the norm or at least much more commonplace. It is normal for companies like Pepsi to launch initiatives like Refresh – a US microfunding engagement platform where consumers choose and vote on charities and causes to receive funding. In many ways this is an echo of the MyObama (election) campaign? Exciting stuff. But how to think about strategy in this context?

I was sitting yesterday with a cultural entrepreneur and sketching out a strategy for her as a brand and her projects. And the headings we used – the 4 I’s - are similar to those I might apply not just to a friend's life planning; but to innovation, policy initiatives, start-ups, writing books – and above all to marketing programmes. They allow schemes like Pepsi Refresh to be planned, researched, given a business case and structure (rather than just being a purely creative question of ‘thinking up something a bit different’):

INTENT

Anything fascinating in culture – a person, company, campaign – always has an interesting purpose. It wants to ‘change the world’. This is partly to do with the way our minds work. We are fundamentally inclined to look for human motivations – it's what makes the world seem alive to us and intelligible rather than soulless. IKEA’s founding intent was (and is) ‘to improve the everyday life of the majority of people’. The café I just had breakfast in (J+A) believes in replacing typical catering with ‘healthy and wholesome home cooking’. Lacking intent, we are left with alienating bureaucracies ‘just doing our job’, or communities with nothing in common but neighbour conflicts. Although it is questionable whether we ever receive a human artefact or institution as lacking intent – we will always impute motives like “all they care about is making money”.

IDEAS

Subjectively, creativity is (to misapply a quote from Winston Churchill) “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”. The experience of having a new idea is always as alien and shocking as suddenly thinking of the answer to a tricky crossword clue. Objectively though ideas are very simple. Something I explored in my second book After Image - picking up on findings from cognitive linguistics. They are a surprising but coherent combination of two previously unconnected domains. And their fascination comes from these domains 'sparking off each other'. Most fascinating brands, people, companies have this hybried quality of fusion. They live, like San Francisco, on a fault line. Apple is fashion + technology. IKEA is democracy + design. Finding new ways to release energy on this fault line is where all 'our' really good ideas come from – ie not from us, our craft skills or good taste - but a kind of archetypal rediscovery.

INNOVATION

My third book The Brand Innovation Manifesto put forward the idea that marketing and innovation today are so close as almost to be the same thing. What would Apple be without the iPod/iPhone/iPad...? That is different though from the mechanistic world of ‘NPD’ (new product development) in the old marketing mix. Resulting in tens of thousands of pointlessly tweaked product formulations per year, all just so the “New Improved” flash could be added to the pack! Real innovation is about developing radically new business concepts, with a breakthrough new resolution between the needs of people, planet and profit. It’s about expanding the space, developing new markets. Without true innovation marketing is reduced to rhetoric, it is basically a sham. This in sustainability is the truth about greenwash; claiming too much, doing too little. My fourth book the Green Marketing Manifesto countered this with a call for innovation and market development.

INTERACTION

We live in an age of social media which are fundamentally reconfiguring social relationships and which create a thrilling range of possibilities which many working in the internet field believe we have only just started to tap. It’s not just a new channel or medium. It creates new ways for organisations and people to create value together. I am generally suspicious of any marketing which seems premised on the old assumption that we need to show or tell people something to make them do something. People are too savvy, fickle and connected to be herded. And in media potential terms it's like making wooden toys in the age of the Nintendo Wii. And this is far from a digital-limited insight; new forms of retailing, event, participation and even ownership are rife. This new world of social innovation and possibility is the subject of my new book Co-opportunity.

The 4 I's could read like an ingredient list. But beware putting fluid categories in the old fixed processes. It’s certainly not quite a recipe. Most of what I have ever written is a challenge to the idea of ‘strategy’ as a separate department or discipline. It calls for a collaborative process of development; an extreme form of which is the popular ‘open innovation’ format where a company makes a public call for ideas. What the 4I's call for instead is imaginative chefs who are sensitive to the restraints (for instance of local, seasonal ingredients), delight in experimentation and who have a straightforward love of cooking. And for all of these endless writings, I suspect that the simple truth may be that I believe above all in creative conversations?

Early Valentines Message from Greenpeace

And there's a whole spoof dating site Polluter Harmony
Via current green blog