Brand-building in Brazil: The Guide to Incorporating Sustainability into Advertising
The global climate crisis is increasingly urgent and Brazil is no stranger to its effects. Droughts resulting in low water levels have exacerbated the impact of Amazon rainforest fires this year. In response, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that “we take the need to combat drought, deforestation and fires, very seriously.” while Environment Minister Marina Silva noted that extreme climate events are happening more and more frequently.
Corporations play a major part in the effects of the climate crisis. How can organizations best communicate their environmental commitments to the public? Successfully doing so can enhance public opinion of businesses while at the same time providing consumers with strategies for being more environmentally conscious in their own daily lives.
This is where advertising comes in, specifically ads featuring sustainability messaging. Many companies are unsure on the most authentic and effective ways to showcase their corporate sustainability messaging to encourage real behavior change. That’s why we’ve developed our latest creative effectiveness report, Greenprint Brasil.
Green Hints to Remember
Greenprint Brasil offers a set of insights that advertisers can apply to campaigns featuring sustainability messaging. Below we’ve outlined some of the themes from the report to get you started on your sustainability journey.
1. Prioritize hope, not fear
Campaigns that use scare tactics, like visuals showcasing the destruction of habitats and voiceovers noting the unpleasant effects of climate change, are more likely to generate fear, anger, or sadness in audiences. These tend to perform poorly because these particular emotions tend to alienate viewers.
To promote effective behavioral change, advertising should focus on feelings of optimism and hope, which are more powerful at creating lasting effects. This can be accomplished by highlighting the beauty and diversity of planet Earth and the efforts that help protect it.
2. Tell stories over statistics
The climate crisis is an abstract global issue, and many advertisers attempt to make it feel relevant to consumers by leaning into facts. However, statistics can be overwhelming and lack the strong emotional connection that stories do. Alternatively, narratives with a clear beginning, middle and end featuring characters who interact with one another are more effective at brand building.
3. Focus on action
Want to inspire people to change a behavior to support the planet? Follow the advice ‘seeing is believing.’ Use your advertisement to show consumers how to make an impact with ads that demonstrate specific actions. This may include repurposing leftovers to reduce food waste or using a water-saving setting on an appliance.
4. Meet them 90% of the way
It’s not uncommon for individuals to think that a lifestyle change won’t make a significant impact on the climate crisis. Thus, when proposing alternative solutions, ensure they are convenient and economical so people don’t feel burdened or as if they are losing something. Consider plant-based food – effective communications focus on minimizing the perception of loss of taste rather than just emphasizing the sustainability benefits of reducing or eliminating meat consumption. As for promoting bus and rail transportation – you can focus on the time it provides for reading and rest, as well as the cost savings, as many people may not be motivated by reducing carbon emissions.
5. Choose the right side
The books Lemon and Look out by Orlando Wood introduced the concepts of broad-beam and narrow-beam attention, showing how advertising works by stimulating the right and left sides of our brain. Right-brained elements, like characters, a story unfolding, a recognizable place, nostalgia and melodic music, are more effective at driving brand building. Make your sustainability messaging more memorable by leaning into these features to build mental availability for your brand and encourage positive behavior change from consumers.
To access all of the Green Hints as well as additional examples, be sure to download Greenprint Brasil. And if you’d like to pre-test your advertising to ensure your sustainability messaging is landing well with audiences, contact our team to discuss how Test Your Ad can help you predict the sales and brand-building potential of your ad, as well as pinpoint areas for improvement.