How content marketing lends itself perfectly to communicating about sustainable business. This is what Michel Libens, CEO of Propaganda, told Lisbeth Imbo in Sustainable Stories, a talk show organized by the students of AP University College. Taking valuable steps in sustainable business practices is something all companies are now considering or already successfully implementing.
In the talk show, four companies explain how they do sustainable business and how they tell this story through content marking: Ecover with its ecological cleaning products, the leftover app Too Good To Go against food waste, the `Go Green, Go Clean’ approach of clothing chain JBC and Komrads, the most sustainable sneakers in the world. Michel Libens explains why content marketing is highly relevant in telling this story and helps people make better choices.
Michel Libens: “These Belgian companies are examples and leaders in the smart use of content. This illustrates the change that we believe is underway in the world of communication. Where brands used to shout "I wash the brightest, buy me!" all the time, they are now putting more effort into telling their story and being authentic. They want to give people something that can help them move forward. Instead of sell, sell, sell, it is now tell, tell, tell. That is all the more relevant when it comes to sustainability.”
Q: Brands are increasingly using their own channels: they communicate via their store, via newsletters, their app ... Have traditional media become obsolete?
Michel Libens: “Not quite, it is true that content is on the rise. Brands have stopped just talking about how good their product is. That's the old model through traditional media. When we work with content, we put ourselves in the shoes of the consumer. What feelings, problems, aspirations do they have? What can we appeal to? In the content marketing world, we're moving away from pretending the world is perfect. Because we want to be honest, authentic and transparent and say how things are, the way is open to communicate about sustainability. Then you quickly end up telling your story and that is done better and easier on your own media.”
Because we want to be honest, authentic and transparent and say how things are, the way is open to communicate about sustainability.
Q: Storytelling, how true is that?
Michel Libens: “Just like you and me, consumers are tired of advertising. We have developed a mechanism that simply skips traditional advertising. If the storytelling doesn't go beyond just being a nice little story, then consumers are likely to just lose interest. We're seeing an evolution from storytelling to truth telling: companies are making an effort to tell you who they want to be, how they're doing right now, and how they can help you. From the heart, from the gut, with no filter.”
Q: Are companies increasingly turning to content marketing?
Michel Libens: “Content marketing is on the rise. Recently, we've noticed that Covid has made it even more important for brands to tell their authentic story and help (future) customers rather than just quickly sell something. They start thinking: what are people doing? You and I want to make conscious choices. Brands that understand this well, manage to tell their story in a way that helps us make the best choices. Which they then offer.”
Read more on how Carrefour, Cartemundi, MyTrustO and JBC are committed to sustainability.
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