An ESG score is a measure of a company's performance in three key areas: environmental, social, and governance. The score is used to evaluate a company's sustainability, ethical and social responsibility, and overall risk profile. Not only do they help evaluate a company’s responsibility, they pave the way for incremental change, and help move companies closer to being truly value-led.ESG campaigns play a key role in driving this shift, by promoting positive change, addressing industry-wide issues and communicating achievements and progress. In this blog, we will explore the benefits of ESG campaigns and how to do ESG marketing well, looking at some of the key issues and trends, plus examining the impact that ESG campaigns are having on businesses and society as a whole.

ESG marketing essentially means showcasing your business’ ESG story and the steps you are making towards addressing key issues. It’s important to spotlight these achievements in your marketing for many reasons. Here are some the key benefits of ESG advertising:

1. Improved reputation and brand value: Companies that prioritise ESG issues and engage in responsible business practices can enhance their reputation and build a stronger brand, which can translate into increased customer loyalty, market share, and employee retention.
2. Attracting customers: Many customers today are concerned about environmental and social issues and want to support businesses that share their values. By highlighting their ESG initiatives, businesses can attract these customers and differentiate themselves from competitors who do not.
3. Improving employee morale: Employees want to work for companies that align with their values. By prioritising ESG, a business can improve employee morale and attract and retain top talent.

If you’re ready to put ESG at the forefront of your marketing and communications efforts, you’ll want to start by creating a strategy for sharing your story and the different initiatives you are working towards. Telling the story effectively is just as important as the efforts themselves. That’s why we’ve put together our top tips to ensure your business doesn't end up producing the next “woke-washing” social media frenzy.So, here are our big dos and don’ts:

ESG covers a vast area of issues, and depending on the size of your business, you may be involved in multiple initiatives across the different sectors. With this in mind, it’s important to forward plan your ESG marketing schedule and plot out each campaign and when you’ll launch it. A good starting point is to look at a content calendar and see if you can tie any of your initiatives to national or international days of significance e.g COP28 or World Health Day.

If your business isn't working on any ESG initiatives just yet, but would like to, a good place to start is by establishing which part of your business is having the most detrimental impact and focus on that first. So, if your business is actively contributing to the climate crisis, then that’s where you need to aim to improve. Don’t just take the easy route.

Take Levi’s, for example - Levi’s recognise that they use a lot of water in their denim production process, so this is where they have focussed their efforts. The company has developed their own innovative finishing technique, ‘Water<Less’, which saves up to 96% of the water used in the denim finishing process. This process is publicly available to other companies, encouraging industry-wide change.The company also encourages its consumers to wash their jeans as little as possible, with CEO, Chip Bergh, famously claiming to have not machine washed his jeans for over ten years (don’t worry, he has hand-washed them).

It can be tempting to go ‘all in’ with social purpose, rehauling your existing brand by making purpose the centre of your comms. However, without a lead-in or trial initiatives, this purpose can seem to your audience to have come out of nowhere.

Partner with a nonprofit with the relevant experience if purpose isn’t inherent to your product or service. This will provide credibility, while ensuring you are supporting existing initiatives from the bottom-up, and providing a platform for the nonprofit to gain support themselves.

For example, B&Q partnered with homelessness charity Shelter to improve the lives of people through practical DIY and home improvement. Connected by the belief that everyone has the right to a safe home, B&Q fund Shelter’s DIY Skills Advice service. A network of DIY Skills Advisers provide practical support to Shelter’s clients, helping them feel happier and safer in their homes. They also run skills workshops across the country to bring communities together.

Know your place and don’t over-claim; your ESG initiatives might be helping to reduce plastic waste for example, but it’s not single-handedly changing the world. Recognise that there’s larger issues at hand that collectively, businesses should all be working towards solving

Be transparent by saying, “We are not perfect, but here’s how we are planning to improve.” This is disarming, leaves critics with little ammunition and provides you with a roadmap for internal and external orientation.

Don’t be too worthy; there are plenty of sad ads out there using language around ‘togetherness'. It’s better to entertain, say something different and be memorable.

Don’t turn back! Protect budgets and ensure you’re committed to longer-term change, rather than a one-off sustainability campaign. Sadly, a few quarters of do-gooding isn’t going to make a genuine difference, commitment needs to be life-long.

So, if you can’t wait to put these top tips into action, but you need help articulating your purpose, then contact us at hello@dontpaniclondon.com and we’ll help you bring your ESG campaign to life.