08 Jul I’m revealing our sustainability sweet spot
Sweet spot (plural sweet spots): Any place that is optimal for obtaining a certain desirable effect or result.
A sweet spot is not easy to find. It often takes a high level of understanding, coupled with years of practice, and trial and error, to be able to hit that “spot” where it all comes together. For us at Mind Over Markets, it took over a decade to determine our sweet spot in sustainable branding. And even after we did, it takes dedication and determination to stay with it as it shifts with the ever-changing social, political or environmental climate – literally.
For instance, back in 2008 when the financial market came crashing down, that had an overall negative ripple effect for green or sustainable brands and initiatives. There was a great shakedown in the marketplace. Business sectors that Advertising Age said were immune weren’t. We saw brands born out of corporate boardrooms, like Clorox Green Works, take a nose dive. Yet others like Patagonia, where sustainability is in their DNA, grew their sales steadily, even amidst the financial crisis.
I must say, for us at Mind Over Markets, it was a shaky time in the shakedown. The green universe shrunk so dramatically that sometimes it felt like it would have been easier to throw in the towel. Brands were dropping left and right, and we wondered if green would survive beyond the super-niched.
But since sustainability is way more than a “market opportunity” for us, since it’s deeply part of our values and culture, we stayed the course and prospered.
I’m sure glad we did.
Today, sustainability is truly becoming mainstream. There are numerous factors in the “why” of that. The onset of widespread climate change awareness. The Millennials who are scared about that (in a recent study, over 75% said they were). And a new level of corporate sustainability emerging because that demographic is 92 million strong, representing 1.4 trillion dollars in disposable income. And if you think Millennials are into it, just wait till you see what the Gen Z generation behind them has in store for us. Greta Thunberg, the 17-year old climate activist, has kindly given us a preview in her Ted talk.
So, what we’ve learned in the 15+ years navigating this sustainability thing is that it is both an art and a science. Over the next several weeks, I will share with you the “sustainability sweet spot” we discovered, practice and share with our clients with tremendous success.
I am excited to do it because as Greta says, “Imagine what we can all do together if we wanted to.”