2021 AMC Relaunch Press Release
COVID-19 crisis demands renewed collaboration between african marketing professionals.
CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY
Consumers want AI to increase pace of company sustainability plans
By our News Team | 2022
Nearly 90% of people believe it’s not enough for businesses to say they’re prioritising sustainability. They want to see proof of action.
Consumers around the world are demanding more progress on sustainability and social efforts and, in consequence, are looking to businesses to step up the pace.
So says a new study by computer technology company Oracle and Pamela Rucker, CIO Advisor and Instructor for Harvard Professional Development, which is part of the famed Harvard University.
The “No Planet B” study surveyed more than 11,000 consumers and business leaders across 15 countries and found that people are fed up with the lack of progress society is making towards sustainability and social initiatives. They want businesses to turn talk into action, and believe technology can help organisations succeed where people have failed until now.
Image by RoadLight from Pixabay
Among the findings:
- 93 percent of people believe sustainability and social factors are more important than ever, while 80 percent said the events over the past two years have caused them to change their actions.
- 94 percent believe society has not made enough progress. Forty-two percent attribute the lack of progress to people being too busy with other priorities, 39 percent believe it is the result of more emphasis on short-term profits over long-term benefits, and 37 percent think people are too lazy or selfish to help save the planet.
- 45 percent of people say businesses can make more meaningful change to sustainability and social factors, than individuals or governments alone.
- 78 percent are frustrated and fed up with the lack of progress by businesses to-date and 89 percent believe it’s not enough for businesses to say they’re prioritising Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). They need to see action and proof.
- 84 percent think businesses would make more progress towards sustainability and social goals with the help of AI, while 61 percent even believe bots will succeed where humans have failed.
- 70 percent of people would be willing to cancel their relationship with a brand that does not take sustainability and social initiatives seriously, and 69 percent would even leave their current company to work for a brand that places a greater focus on these efforts.
- If organisations can clearly demonstrate the progress they are making on environmental and social issues, people would be more willing to pay a premium for their products and services (87 percent); invest in them (83 percent); and work for them (83 percent).
“The results show that people are more likely to do business with, and work for, organisations that act responsibly toward our society and the environment,” says Rucker.
“This is an opportune moment. While thinking has evolved, technology has as well, and it can play a key role in overcoming many of the obstacles that have held progress back.”
Public Relations
PR industry veteran moves from leading the South African operation to taking on a pan-African communications role.
Customer Data
With the increasingly urgent need to find ways to obtain first-party client data, loyalty apps could provide one solution.
E-commerce
Nigerian-based company says consumer demand saw its orders increase by 40 percent year-on-year and revenue rise by 44 percent.
Content Marketing
The challenge is to find content marketing specialists who produce quality content that performs well and delivers on business objectives.
Word-of-Mouth Marketing
A growing emphasis is being placed on the importance of word-of-mouth marketing online as a primary component of e-commerce success.
Marketing Partnerships
Joint strategy will include co-branded product campaigns, limited-edition merchandise giveaways and limited-edition promotions.
Virtual Influencers
With virtual reality seemingly the next big thing in marketing, perhaps it’s not surprising that influencers are going that way too.
Food Marketing
Company says it wants to scale the production of certain fresh food staples, which will reduce the cost to end users.
Marketing Ethics
Online collection of consumer data has created new and growing opportunities for alcohol marketers, global health body warns.
Marketing Campaigns
Global warming means residents of Miami tend to get hot under the collar in summer. Coors Light marketers think they can make a difference.
The Metaverse
But understanding remains low and only 15% of people know what it is and can explain it to someone else.