MAR036-6 Brand Communication and Reputation Management Assignment Sample
MAR036-6 Brand Communication and Reputation Management Assignment Sample
Introduction
Tackling global climate and ecological emergencies requires cutting the greenhouse emissions made by man that can move the earth towards using renewable sources of energy. This requires tackling deforestation by using less energy and becoming highly effective in the energy that is used. The current report includes an analysis of the letter from the activist group of Extinction Rebellion which is a letter to specific advertisers and their agencies urging them to use their powers of persuasion in handling the ecological emergency and global climate changes.
Extinction Rebellion
Extinction rebellion is a group of activists that includes members carrying many years of experience within the industry of advertising. These members also hold senior positions in well known advertising agencies. The specific aim of this group is to drive sustainability by cutting down waste that can destroy the natural world. This can be also considered as a movement that includes people from a wide range of backgrounds and many marketers. The extinction rebellion has been writing a letter to the industrial leaders regarding conserving biodiversity (Rebellion, 2019). The letter also includes a specific reason as the brands are selling products to people that are not required. The letter also includes that there is a requirement of declaring ecological and climate emergency that can include acting accordingly by the clients and consumers along with audiences.
As per the group the changes of climate are highly impactful for which the significant regions include human activities. Global warming is also highly increasing for which there is a requirement of reducing emissions. The changes in climate can further increase intense storms, heat waves and warming of oceans that can directly negatively impact animals and livelihood (DeFries et al. 2019). It can also raise sea levels as glaciers are highly melting. An integral part of conducting business includes dealing with weather changes. However the concerns regarding the recent climate changes are rising rapidly for which organisations are required to adept environmental and regulatory pressures.
Extreme weather conditions include physical risks that can damage infrastructure and other assets of an organisation. This is also related with a disruption throughout the supply chain operations as the increasing intensity of extreme weather events can cause hurricanes, floods or wildfires. Climate changes can impact the performance of a company in invisible and real ways (Nordhaus, 2019). These physical risks are impossible to control for which the companies can take specific strategies to prepare for the changes that can occur in the coming decades. The extinction rebellion has been making three specific demands in which they required the government to declare an emergency regarding the climate changes. Secondly the group wanted to create legally binding policies that can reduce carbon emissions to net zero by the year 2025. The third demand includes building an awareness program for the citizens to see and evaluate the changes.
Approach of UK ad agencies and their clients in their approach to communications
The UK ad agencies stated that the letter from the extinction rebellion group has been creating serious debates among them. As per the agencies they are trying to be highly purposeful that includes making a sustainable environment and also pursuing their clients to conduct the same aspect. The power of an ad agency includes creating and impactful change working with clients in a holistic way. The UK ad agencies stated that businesses can be altered with the help of experts like sustainability consultants help them to develop being much more sustainable (Tunn et al. 2019). This can also help the businesses to gain higher revenues.
UK ad agencies also state that they have been going through a lot of businesses that are already making drastic and real changes throughout their operations and not just implementing specific strategies. The UK advertising agencies are also launching ads regarding net zero carbon emission. During the year 2020 November 18 the advertising association of the UK in a collaborative partnership with IPA has been launching the ad net zero (Zero, 2022). This specific initiative is considered as an industry wide context for helping the UK advertising response towards the crisis of climate cost due to CO2 emissions. This is also for a collective industry action plan that can help to achieve the real net zero carbon emission from the process of production. Companies and individuals trying to support net zero can make a big change in addressing the climate emergency.
The UK as agencies as managing partners along with their client and strategy directors are trying to work internally for raising and awareness regarding the change in the climate. The conversations are further shifted regarding the global climate issues for which actions are being encouraged. There had been various events after the letter by extinction rebellion that included opportunities for people to express their thoughts in healing the earth.
Choosing of two brands
Success of two brands in making changes in their organisation due to global climate changes:
Global warming or climate change includes a wide deviation from the average condition on the earth. The current temperatures are highly increasing for which the levels of sea are rising at a very high rate. This has been creating extreme events of weather for which the organisations are implementing specific strategies for mitigating its negative impact on the earth. The climate change action is highly urgent as such a dangerous event in the weather can be highly severe or frequent. Climate changes have already started to impact health in various ways that have been leading to illness and death from increasingly extreme weather events such as storms, floods and heat waves (Prideaux et al. 2020). Further that has been a disturbance throughout the whole food system increasing in various diseases and mental health issues.
There are many organisations who are taking drastic steps towards climate changes. An organisation for bringing a change in its operation for reducing corporate carbon footprint includes the very first step in calculating the company’s carbon burden. The following steps include the determination of the applicable strategy that can be implemented to reduce carbon footprint. One such organisation includes Pampers. This specific company has been effectively addressing climate change by meeting the stakeholder and customer expectations with its sustainable activities. The organisation has been implementing specific strategies throughout their manufacturing operations in the reduction of carbon footprint. Pampers has been reducing their manufacturing greenhouse emissions across Europe by more than 90% (Pampers, 2023). The organisation is further effectively working with their suppliers in the global context that can help them to reduce carbon emissions.
The company of Pampers provides consumers with innovative products that are highly sustainable. This is to improve their environmental operation that also includes the development of social responsibility programs. Further the organisation of P&G has been keeping their focus in shaping the company’s future by making employees and stakeholders engaged responsible. The consumers are highly becoming aware of the practices that are eco friendly nature (Su et al. 2019). Therefore the innovation technology of Pampers of green products is advancing constantly. This innovative action by the organisation has included pampering to design the premium care with day match technology making the thinnest and driest diapers providing up to 12 hours dryness with ultimate protection and comfort (Pampers, 2023). Additionally the company has been making announcements in the technology system of the internet to make their potential customers feel convenient purchasing online. Along with that they also provide educational and training videos regarding their products that include climate concerns.
Consumers are considered as an important part of stakeholders for most of the business organisations. The parent company of Pampers P&G has been supporting financially for its product innovation highly to maintain customer satisfaction inside the market. As the consumers are concerned about the issues related to the environment, specifically climate change, therefore eco-friendly diapers by pampers attract more consumers and parents. Further a significant factor influence in customer behaviour is the product quality. Making high quality products concerning sustainability can help the organisation to win high support of potential customers by maintaining customer loyalty.
A strategy of stakeholder engagement can help in implementing climate strategy throughout and business organisation. Businesses that communicate and engage efficiently with its potential stakeholders are highly prepared for the change in the climate (Salvioni and Almici, 2020). This can help them to gain a competitive advantage regarding the new opportunities that can arise from climate changes. An important strategy for managing climate risk involves communication and stakeholder engagement. However the evolution of future climate risk or heart to analysis makes it difficult to include them inside the formal strategy and business planning.
The ad agencies and the media outlets have been keeping its continuous focus on what individuals and organisations can do in reducing their personal carbon emissions. Several fossil fuel companies, specifically British Petroleum, have been introducing the personal carbon tracker app in the year 2020 so that the individuals involved with the organisation can also take part in the reduction of carbon emissions (Stuart, 2022). This world includes outcomes determined by freely man made individual decisions that create solutions to the problems. This has been further including the emergence of green consumerism which can be considered as an ultimate new liberal solution towards the climate change policies. It has been promoting the climate crisis by the promotion of pro environmental behaviour in which buying items such as energy efficient appliances and hybrid cars is taking place.
There are many ways by which a business can choose communication engagement of stakeholders and customers in practice. An important way of stakeholder engagement includes awareness raising (Shackleton et al. 2019). This includes awareness of what consequences can take place due to climate change and how it can create a negative impact on business. Such communications regarding awareness rising also includes the specific management of the measures and future initiative regarding maintaining the sustainability of a business. Delivery and filtering news regarding target climate change has been becoming highly useful practice to make sure that the workforce inside and Organisation is aware of any important changes impacting the business. Dedicated online climate change news can be an impactful way for businesses to deliver and capture delivery new stories to employees.
Organisations are required to take adequate steps for tethering the global climate changes as a warmer climate can increase public health challenges by reducing access towards safe water and food. Another important brand Ariel from the P&G group has been making a positive eco-friendly approach towards sustainability (Ariel, 2023). The ingredients that are being used along with the concentration of the product formulas are developed by keeping the sustainability aspect in mind. This is for making highly efficient and outstanding performance in the cycles of energy efficiency starting from its initial phases of production till the manufacturing of any products including packaging.
Failure of organisations in maintaining its sustainable standards:
There has been a severe progress on the strategies regarding climate changes. However, depending on fossil fuels has been creating a huge change in the temperatures of Earth for more than a decade creating a negative impact. The organisations for climate change have been facing severe challenges for adopting sustainable operations most significantly by the reduction of their carbon footprint (Wang et al. 2020). The serious urgency is expressed and analysed by the relevant stakeholders and public towards governments and organisations in introducing various measures to move towards a highly sustainable path.
One such organisation that has failed to implement specific climate change policy includes the shell PLC. The higher authority of the organisation of Shell has been sued for a failure in properly preparing the multinational gas and oil company towards net zero. The court ordered the organisation of Royal Dutch Shell to reduce its GHG emissions by 45% till the year 2013 (Gözlügöl and Ringe, 2022). This was ordered making a comparison to the level of co2 emission by the organisation in the year 2019 based on the human rights and thoughts law protection.
The concept of net zero in a very short span of time has been moving from a topic of scientific discussion towards international corporate efforts for addressing climate changes. But as the targets of net zero are spreading high concerns are rising regarding their credibility (Hale et al. 2022). The specific scientific discussion of net zero has been emerging in the late 20s as the scientist and philosophers have been increasing their attention and focus to the change of global temperature. At the same time there have been many questions regarding the significance and value of net zero carbon targets.
For achieving the net zero targets an organisation is required to reduce its emission of greenhouse gases. This can also include specific activities such as planting of trees that can absorb carbon dioxide. Organisations are also trying to include the implementation of technology that can capture the harmful gases before they can enter the atmosphere. But their technology is not yet fully developed. Certain organisations such as Amazon and BMW are aiming to meet their climate targets that include an alignment with the international agreements for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (Setzer and Higham, 2022). The transparency and integrity of these companies includes a very low level and is not achieved by the companies. Nestle and Unilever own brands like Magnum and are also classified as the companies owning the low integrated greenhouse emissions.
Figure 3: Annual carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions worldwide from 1940 to 2021
(In billion metric tons)
(Source: Statista, 2023)
The world over the last few decades has been witnessing a high shift towards an approach in tackling the climate crisis. There has been an increase of global carbon dioxide emission from industry and burning of fossil fuels by 5.3% in the year 2021 (Statista, 2023). The two largest contributories towards these global emissions in that specific care included the United States and China. The significant reason for rising carbon emission includes economic growth of the countries along with the context of industrialisation throughout the world. One of the important aspects has been the Paris agreement of 2015 that has been creating a global effort in the reduction of carbon emissions with the high goal of making the global average temperature not to increase more than 2 degree Celsius (Bolton et al. 2022). Later the goal of the agreement includes the reduction of global emissions to zero by the year 2015 with a specific objective known as carbon neutrality. This specific objective has been implemented by many organisations including corporate and governments and managers that has been aligning it to net zero portfolios.
Half of the leading British organisations do not carry a target regarding the greenhouse emissions. The UK is considered as the second highest nation of releasing greenhouse and carbon dioxide gases after Germany. One of the biggest sources of carbon emissions in the UK includes burning of fossil fuels to make electricity (Soeder, 2021). Apart from that, domestic burning and good morning in the UK has been considered as the largest source of pollutants for air pollution. The harmful gases of air pollution that include carbon dioxide and methane are ideally responsible for climate change along with ozone depletion. The industrially produced chemicals that contain bromine and chlorine are also damaging the earth’s protective stratosphere which is the ozone layer.
Due to global climate changes, industrial factories have been playing a significant part in increasing the high amount of air pollution. The factories have been releasing the toxic gases inside the air which has been further combined with the gases from the automobiles on the road creating an increased risk of chronic respiratory disease and various changes in the climate (Eguiluz‐Gracia et al. 2020). There has been destruction in the wildlife as the factories and organisations are highly in a hunger for natural resources such as coal and oil. For this reason forests are cut down for Woods that takes away the animals and natural habitat for which animals had to look for somewhere else for their survival.
Another significant renowned organisation that has been feeling to meet its climate changing aspect includes Nestle. Nestle is one of the biggest food companies and has a highly ambitious climate commitment throughout its entire supply chain. The organisation has been making a commitment regarding its plastic packaging for making the packaging either reusable or recyclable by the year 2025. This is to reduce its use of virgin plastics in packaging compared to the year 2018. The latest report of sustainability regarding Nestle forecasts that only 49% of its plastic packaging is reusable or recyclable (Phelan et al. 2022). But, the use of virgin plastic has been reduced by only 8% leaving a wide gap that has to be filled to meet the net zero carbon emission target by 2025.
Another important way by which climate changes are taking place is by oil spills. This has been creating challenges to the offshore and coastal oil and gas infrastructure. British Petroleum is considered another organisation that has been including highly negative impactful accidents which is considered as a safety in environmental disaster (Rahman et al. 2021). However, the organisation has been investing millions of dollars for its rebranding. But British petroleum has been paying millions of dollars in criminal and civil penalties for violating the significant federal environmental loss such as the clean water act and the clean air act for protecting the public and environment and health. The agencies of environmental protection (EPA) also has been fining British petroleum over $700,000 due to a violation made by the organisation in emergency community Right to know act (Payne, 2020). However, for mitigating the environmental wrong doings British petroleum has been making the organisation to conduct activities that can help them to actively engage with the public with its green wash campaign.
Practical and measurable guidelines
| Recommendations | Methods | Impact | Time |
| Implementing strategy of sustainability | The first method of developing a sustainability strategy includes the development of vision, mission and values by an organisation (Wang, 2019). The second step includes identification of the issues that can highly matter. The third step includes giving priorities efficiently. The fourth step of making a sustainability strategy includes identifying targets in the market along with the appropriate KPI s (Hristov and Chirico, 2019). The last step includes implementing the strategy. | The implementation of sustainability strategies can help the organisations to create a sustainable business by improving its brand image with a greater employee satisfaction (Camilleri, 2022). It can also include an enhancement of social responsibility by the organisations in the global context. | 1 month |
| To increase engagement of stakeholders | The group of people that is highly interested inside and initiative at the stakeholders in which the relevant stakeholders can help in assisting the adaptation policies regarding the climate changes. | The group of stakeholders in climate change can create a participating process that can be highly flexible (Mkonda, 2022). It includes capacity development along with transparency that can help in building and implementing a specific strategy regarding climate changes or reduction of carbon emissions inside the organisation. | 2 months |
| To include public awareness programmes for climate change | The first step of implementing and promoting environmental awareness programs by an organisation includes understanding its issues (Saeed et al. 2019). This can include group learning or different seminars and online courses that can provide resources to understand the issues with climate change. Once the employees and Organisation is highly versed regarding the environmental issues the beneficial strategies can be applied. | Public awareness programs by organisations can enhance environmental awareness among the public by further impacting human behaviour regarding the importance of environmental protection. This can also include the involvement of the co-workers along with friends and family along with the local government. | 3 months |
| By reducing carbon footprint of the products | The first step by which an organisation can reduce the carbon footprint of their products is by switching to the products that can be renewed. For instance organisations can implement green theory taken from a specific fact that human beings are an essential part of nature. Therefore they can be a part of creating an implication with the political behaviour. Depending on the organisational size supporting and empowering employees can be also another significant method in reducing carbon footprint for fighting climate change in the global context. | The reduction of carbon footprint by a specific business organisation can clean the environment by stopping extinction of wildlife and by improving local communities. The significance of reduction of carbon emissions can also be included with the fact that it poses a high threat to the economy. There have been several studies that showed that the changes in their climate have had an impact in the countries depending on their land for agriculture and natural resources. For instance the agricultural farms in India have been witnessing a very lower ending of crops (Porichha et al. 2021). Similarly due to the increasing carbon footprint the famous New England lobster industry has been negatively impacted in its economic growth highly. | 2 months |
| By cultivation of a zero waste culture | This includes an Organisation to generate less waste by the employees inside office premises. Employees can be further provided with allowances that are a part of the volunteer work regarding zero waste and climate conscious workplace culture. This can also include providing the employees with appropriate training regarding zero waste. | Creating a culture of zero waste inside an organisation can promote a flow of material that can be used repeatedly reducing harmful waste. By the help of zero waste the number of negative toxins released to the watch and air can be decreased full stop further the products can be examined and analysed to determine the chemicals used in the process of production. | 2 months |
Table 1: Practical guidelines
(Source: Created by author)
Conclusion
Climate changes have been impacting everything whatever a business conducts. This has been an effect of political life playing a high role in the competition of the businesses. Various ad agencies along with social activist groups like extinction rebellion are being a part of this initiative. The current report includes an analysis of specific aspects of climate changes along with greenhouse emission and reduction of carbon footprint. It also includes a specific approach towards climate change that can be aligned with the overall strategy for making an initiative to mitigate its negative impact.
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