Climate change is certainly a topic that’s difficult to ignore.
Data from Getty Images suggests media outlets, advertising agencies and other corporate customers are discussing the issue more now than in the past. Searches for images depicting electric vehicles and extreme heat, for example, increased in 2022 compared to 2021.
At the same time, Getty’s research finds sustainability-related images that educate or illustrate solutions are more persuasive than those presenting a world on fire.
Likewise, MB noted Landor & Fitch is advising clients to avoid doom-and-gloom messaging. Instead, she said, brands should focus on envisioning a positive future where people come together to solve their problems.
“Climate anxiety is real,” said MB. “If you paralyze people with fearmongering, that’s not going to help anybody.”
On the consumer side, shoppers are backing up their concerns about climate change with action.
Last year, consumer-packaged goods marketed as sustainable accounted for 17.3% of all in-store U.S. purchases across the category, excluding alcohol and tobacco, according to research from Randi Kronthal-Sacco, a senior scholar at New York University’s Stern Center for Sustainable Business.
That figure isn’t huge, but it has grown throughout the Covid-19 pandemic—a time when people had plenty of things to worry about other than looking for eco-friendly laundry detergent, which tends to cost more than its conventional counterparts.
The big picture: If companies want to win over more members of the public, they’ll need to find a way to meet the current mood. And they’ll need to make it believable, too, as more than 9 in 10 business executives agree the ability to build and maintain trust improves their organization’s bottom line, according to a recent survey from professional services company PwC.
“Consumers truly want brands that align with their values,” said MB.
At present, less than half of America is satisfied with the nation’s efforts to preserve the environment.
This hasn’t always been the case. A decade ago, 60% of U.S. adults expressed satisfaction on the issue. Perhaps the drop in contentment will lead to more change.