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1IN PARTNERSHIP WITHgyros mission, as the first full-service global creative business-to-business powerhouse, is to create ideas that are humanly relevant. In our minds, nothing is more humanly relevant than sustainability. Now is the time for business to drive positive and necessary change, because sustainability isnt just about business, it is about the future of life itself.CEOs no longer look at sustainability as a way of looking like they are doing good things. Companies must show a clear commitment to investing in sustainability for the long term. Theres no faking it anymore.At gyro, we know we are living in an age where feeling is driving business decisions. The only way to connect businesses to people is by leveraging the pure and authentic connection between a brand and its higher purpose. Only then will people feel something. Rather than focusing on reputation alone, brands must make significant changes in order to survive - long-term, strategic solutions that can be felt across the organisation.B2B customers are only drawn to brands that reflect their deeply-held personal values, especially among millennials. These rising leaders absolutely expect businesses to be responsible, innovative and purpose-driven. And it is up to brands to communicate these values clearly and effectively.The companies that are leading the way as shown in this study are making significant strides to reduce waste, become more efficient, look after stakeholders and protect the environment in which they operate. All of this leads to a stronger, more competitive enterprise.Dialling up the soul of a business has never been more powerful and relevant when it comes to sustainability. So much so, that a majority of the respondents in this survey say there is an ethical/moral imperative to incorporate sustainability into their everyday practices. Its now or never.At the end of the day, we must always remember that businesses dont make decisions.people do. What a time to be alive!Christoph BeckerGlobal ceo+cco, gyroTHE DRUM MARKET INSIGHTMIND THE GAP: HOW MARKETERS FEEL ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY2THE DRUM MARKET INSIGHTMIND THE GAP: HOW MARKETERS FEEL ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY INTRODUCTIONMarketers feel strongly about sustainability issues and want to make a positive environmental impact. Sustainability initiatives provide brands with an enhanced reputation, a basis for creating innovative products, and a greater connection to the community. But while feelings can be powerful, measuring and proving the real returns of sustainability can be challenging, as the full impact of sustainability initiatives can take a bit longer to be felt across the organisation. Other challenges remain. Marketers cannot strive forward in their sustainability efforts without the strong support of leadership. Our survey finds a big gap between marketers and leadership in how sustainability is perceived within the organisation. The responses suggest that marketers feel a strong moral imperative in comparison to their organisation to incorporate sustainability within processes. So what is causing this gap? Our survey reveals three main barriers for marketers: an absence of management urgency, cost of initial investments, and a lack of management buy-in. Marketers are looking to their leaders to push the sustainability agenda and drive it to new heights. This market insight report explores some of these barriers and offers some solutions. The Drum partnered with leading global B2B marketing agency gyro to survey over 200 brands and agencies to gain a more detailed understanding of how marketers perceive their organisations impact on the environment, the barriers they encounter, and how they view their role in driving sustainability alongside the c-suite. The survey findings are supplemented by contributions from gyro, included in the report.3IN PARTNERSHIP WITHOur headline findings included:Employees feel more strongly about sustainability than their employers. 83% of marketers feel a stronger moral imperative to incorporate sustainability into processes compared to 68% of the organisation they work for. The marketing department is a key organisational driver of sustainability. 32% of respondents see marketing and sales as a driving force along with operations (32%). The board of directors/c-suite come out on top with 51%. Marketers want to proactively invest in sustainability. 42% of respondents believe it will lead to long-term financial gains. Collaboration with competitors is viewed positively. Just over half of respondents (53%) are happy to engage with companies within their respective industries to tackle sustainability. Moreover, 52% of marketers believe that investing in sustainability will result in an overall better perception of their brand.Sustainability is viewed as a competitive advantage. 41% of marketers think investing in sustainability will put them in a strong position in the market over the next five years. WHATDID WEDISCOVER?4THE DRUM MARKET INSIGHTMIND THE GAP: HOW MARKETERS FEEL ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY The word “sustainability” has no single definition and different methodologies have been developed to try and explain it. Corporate Knights, a Canadian corporate sustainability magazine, defines its own global sustainabilityindex with four screening stages: disclosure (sustainability reporting + KPIs), financial performance, whether the products are ethical, and sanctions for negative environmental practices. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index views corporate sustainability as a “business approach that creates long-term shareholder value by embracing opportunities and managing risks deriving from economic, environmentaland social developments.”PricewaterhouseCoopers has its own guiding principles which include: “upholding high professional standards, being transparent, trusted and fair, fostering aculture of partnership and collaboration, valuing thelonger-term consequences of our decisions, and leadingby example to create a more sustainable future.” While there may not be a single definition, similar themes reside in all of them. Namely, in order to be environmentally responsible, companies need to foster a culture of transparency with strong ethical values and have a forward-looking view to create a sustainable future. 5IN PARTNERSHIP WITHHow issustainability perceived?Sustainability commitment enhanced reputation, innovations, and financial gainsWe began our research by finding out how respondents feel sustainability is perceived within their organisation. Overall, we find the tone is quite positive, with 61% of respondents noting it as such. In a McKinsey & Company report, the authors say “sustainability offers an interesting way to scope out product innovations that use fewer resources or that meet specific social needs”. About a third of our respondents share the same view as the graph above shows. How do you perceive the tone of sustainability communications in your organisation?6% Negative - sustainability is often expressed as a barrier or impediment to success61% Positive - sustainability communications have an optimistic, aspirational tone33% Neutral - sustainability is reported in a neutral tone, focused on hard facts and targetsHave you seen any of the following benefits from a sustainability focus in your firm?0510152025303540PercentLegal complianceprior to ourcompetitorsMost efficient operations / service deliveryAppear more innovative / creative than our competitorsAble to engage with sustainability conscious audiencesMore efficient supply chainsMeasurably more sustainable products / servicesReduced costmaterials / service provisionMore engaged employees (improved recruitment, retention, general engagement)6THE DRUM MARKET INSIGHTMIND THE GAP: HOW MARKETERS FEEL ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY 14% Disagree21% Disagree54% Agree43% Agree32% Neutral36% NeutralMarketers also feel investing in sustainability leads to long-term financial gains and improves the perception of their brands, as the graphs below show.This supports Nielsens 2015 global survey, which found that brands which display a commitment to sustainability experience a 4% uptake in their sales of consumer goods, compared to brands that did not, who only experience 1% growth. Sometimes, it requires a significant change in the business model to embed sustainability processes and make a lasting change. Veolia, a leading provider of environmental solutions, transformed its business model from being a waste management company to providing sustainable services. It has embraced the circular economy, which now represents 20% of its turnover. In MIT Sloan Management Reviews 2016 report, research found that the organisations that specifically made a business model change related to sustainability saw their profits jump 60%. Proactively investing in sustainability will positively influence the overall perception of our brand / organisationProactively investing in sustainability will lead to long- term financial returns for my organisationPositive corporate image vs tangible results7IN PARTNERSHIP WITHSome survey responses express concerns around “getting management buy-in” and a “lack of urgency to act” when it comes to implementing sustainable practices within the organisation. But the barriers appear evenly spread out across the categories. 38% of respondents feel that issues linked to sustainability have encouraged new ways of working. A small percentage (8%) strongly disagree. In a study for Harvard Business School, the authors drew similar conclusions, saying: “developing a corporate culture of sustainability may be a source of competitive advantage in the long run.”The brand-employeevalue disconnect36% 33% 30%29% Disagree38% Agreecost of initiative/initial investmentslack of urgency to actgaining managementbuy-in33% NeutralIssues linked to sustainability have caused us to find new ways of workingThe top three barriers that create the gapHARD VS. SOFT: GYROS VIEWWhile marketers already feel the soft benefits of sustainability, they are also starting to see hard returns. Sustainability and its impact on company operationsPatrick OHara, Global Chief Strategy Officer, gyro8THE DRUM MARKET INSIGHTMIND THE GAP: HOW MARKETERS FEEL ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY 9% Not sure22% Not sure8% No10% No83% Yes68% YesThis “lack of urgency to act” might be further amplified by the disconnect in ethical values between the employer and the rest of the workforce. In a Stanford Social Innovation Review article, the authors admit that it can be tough for organisations to “operationalise sustainability goals”. But even when their employees and leaders care about sustainability issues, the real issue goes a bit further. For the authors, the problem lies in the gap that exists between employees values and those of their employers: “Its not in the why but in the how of embedding sustainability where the gap lies,” the authors say. Our own survey results indicate employees caring more about sustainability than the organisations they work for as the graphs below show.Do you personally believe in an ethical/moral imperative to incorporate sustainability into processes?Does your business believe that there is an ethical/moral imperative to incorporate sustainability into its processes?GREAT B2BLEADERS: GYROS VIEWGreat B2B leaders like Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and General Electric (GE) understand that company values are important organisational drivers, but other companies are still struggling to articulate their values and link them to operations.Positive corporate image vs. tangiblereturnsThe Gap
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