Founder, Leslie Beckman, was recently asked to speak at The Drum B2B WorldFest in London last week. Hosted by Stein IAS‘s Tom Stein, the event partnered with LinkedIn, the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s Group to “shine a light where it deserves to be shined,” as Tom put it. More specifically, it served as an opportunity for B2B marketers across all industries to engage in thought-provoking conversations about marketing’s biggest challenges. Speaking as a firsthand attendee, it was difficult not to come away inspired about the future of the field, especially with such insightful individuals at the helm.
Asked to contribute to their panel entitled “Transparency, Honesty, and Investment. Making Sustainability Real,” Leslie was interviewed by The Drum founder Gordon Young and joined by fellow panelists Mette Munk, Head of Group Branding, Design, and Digital Communication at Danfoss and Anna Harris, Director of Strategy at Stein IAS. Of course, it was hard to resist starting the conversation without a little mention of Leslie’s recent return from COP26 Glasgow (see our previous blog post!). From the diligence of all of the attendees to the intentional decision making she witnessed firsthand, Leslie relayed numerous details before the conversation segwayed to the meat of it: how to live up to one’s sustainable ambitions.
When faced with the challenge, Leslie emphasized it’s important not to become paralyzed by the seemingly loftly task at hand. Instead, state your goals and follow through with them as you work towards the finish line. In three words, the entire experience should consist of “authenticity, action, and accountability,” with each one being just as important as the next. Harris highlighted the need for straightforward data delivery sans the fluffy statements one often sees when attempting to comprehend new facts. A solid data-driven basis is key because without one, everything else accomplished thereafter would rest on unstable ground.
Speaking of data, a key point of discussion proved to be the recent research Leslie noted from our work here at The Eco-Marketing Project, thanks to the Eco-Everybody survey results. With 80% of respondents saying they would not hesitate to pay a premium of 10% or higher for eco-friendly products, it’s become clear the priority at which people are holding sustainability in their own purchasing decisions. Even more significant was the 90% of respondents saying they would pay a premium for an eco-friendly product even if it had no direct benefit to them. This shows the weight that sustainability has on consumers, regardless of where that sustainable effect is being felt. Inspiring, no?
Agreed upon by all panelists was the reality that in today’s market, a premium brand without a platform or agenda for sustainability is behind the curve. Not only is it expected for them to care about sustainability, but it is essential that they are specific and transparent about their goals with everyone else, especially due to consumers’ inclination to identify greenwashing. Leslie noted that today, sustainability doesn’t just sit with products created specifically in this space, such as Method and Honest. Now, companies ranging from fashion houses to shipping and furniture brands are accountable for their sustainability practices.
What is my takeaway from this session? It is that B2B marketers have a voice as changemakers for companies around the world. People don’t tolerate “blah, blah, blah” from our policymakers, nor should they from companies. With the ability to accelerate the change to authenticity, action, and accountability in their very hands, B2B marketers shape what that winding path looks like for all of us. Rather than shy away from the challenge, why not embrace it? After all, it only begins with the little decisions we’re making today. To quote WorldFest’s final statement, “We all have a lot to do now.”
Written by Allison Daniels.