Influencer Marketing for Sustainability: Impact on ESG and CSR

The contemporary world of marketing is undergoing a paradigm shift where value-based strategies are given priority.  These strategies are aligned on a principle called ESG (Environmental, social, and Governance). For Instance, #SustainableAttainable campaign. Many companies showcased their green activities, CSR responsibilities, sustainable fashion, products, etc., and posted it with a particular hashtag. Companies like Tata, TP Northern Odisha Distribution Limited, LA County Public Works, Holistic Operations, etc. posted with the hashtag and embarked on the ESG journey. The ESG is basically classified into 3 pillars.

Starbucks, a world-renowned coffee house, takes ESG principles very seriously. It promotes sustainability through its Instagram platform very regularly. Very recently, on International Day of the Girl Child, they posted about their “It Starts With A Cup” campaign. They talked about their Empowering Girls and Women programs and made a very positive contribution towards social empowerment. 

The benefits are far and wide. As we are transgressing into our future, our planet requires sound investment in sustainable practices today so that we have a green future tomorrow.

According to Deloitte, “ESG stands for environmental, social and governance. These are called pillars in ESG frameworks and represent the 3 main topic areas that companies are expected to report on. The goal of ESG is to capture all the non-financial risks and opportunities inherent to a company's day-to-day activities.” Deloitte in 2023 initiated 2 initiatives in the ESG arena, viz.  GreenLight Solution and GreenSpace Tech. 

The awareness of ESG criteria’s importance in creating value for both companies and society has led firms to strengthen their efforts regarding the integration of ESG criteria in their activities and in providing the necessary data (extra-financial data) required by socially responsible investors.

Brands, business houses, corporates, and everyone out there are pushing to integrate it. For instance, take KPMG, it has promised in 2021 for an investment of $1.5 billion in the next 3 years for ESG activities. 

Most brands have chief sustainability officers and a completely dedicated department for ESG activities. To name a few, Paulette Frank (Jhonson and Jhonson), Micheal Kobori (Starbucks), Vien Truong (Nike), etc. They are industry experts and thought leaders on LinkedIn. They educate, aware, and inform about all the latest principles and practices. 

What we are seeing here is the power of influence. With knowledge and expertise, they are able to persuade their employees, competitors, audience, and planet in toto to bring out the best in them. 

This trend has extended to influencer marketing, where brands are increasingly collaborating with influencers who advocate for sustainability and social responsibility. 

Let’s understand it more by segmented study of ESG pillars.   

Green, Social, Govern: The Unseen Forces Transforming Influencer Collaborations:

1. Influencer Marketing for Environmental Responsibility:

Businesses can showcase good practices through which they can promote their positive outlook of the company. In addition, they can induce behavioral changes, reward businesses/employees for acting responsibly, etc. 

Shivya Nath, a well-known sustainable travel and tour influencer, teaches sustainable traveling principles. Through her posts and content, she empowers the audience to make sound, intelligent, and conscious decisions towards the environment. Brands collaborating with her can pridefully showcase a positive attitude towards the environment and can increase their social and environmental investments. 

Example: Shivya collaborated with Planet India to raise awareness about carbon footprints, diversity, and environmentally beneficial and sound practices. She pushed and raised awareness about the Open Planet India application. 

1.  Influencer Marketing for Social Impact:

Brands collaborating with influencers can tap into a wider audience and can get dual benefits from sustainability campaigns. 

How? 

First, they can induce internal behavioral, psychological, compassionate, and ethical changes in their employees. 

Second, they can influence their customers, audience, and society at large to create a progressive and positive outlook. 

Influencers can prepare content around how a brand functions, its activities, and its core values. These discussions can infuse momentum for change.

For Instance, The National Geographic Society collaborated with Aditi Mayer, a climate activist, to invite youth, ages 13-18, to the Slingshot Challenge. To enter and create a one-minute video outlining a solution to an environmental issue, the audience is passionate about.

Nat Geo’s Collaborations with influencers directly contributed to charitable causes, addressing social issues, and huge contributions to community initiatives.

1. Influencer Marketing for Governance and Ethical Practices:

Governance and ethical practices encompass direct factors like how a company is directed, managed, controlled, and operated. It directly taps into board structure, decision percolation structure, risk management, compliance, etc. Brands can integrate influencers to infuse a sense of awareness among the stakeholders which comprises customers, audience, employees, and key decision makers. 

Sunfeast Yippee, an FMCG brand, collaborated with Nayana Premnath to integrate audiences in a recent activity. In Bengaluru, its audience turns to vote for their favorite parks. Yippee! Noodles are transforming city parks by converting plastic waste into fun park equipment as part of their CSR activity. Through an awareness campaign, they included the opinion of the stakeholders and weighed in the opinion in their governance practices, moreover, they heavily contributed towards creating a green space for the society. 

Beyond Profit: Exploring the Transformative Power of ESG for a Sustainable Future:

1. How Brands are Leveraging ESG and Influencer Marketing for Authenticity and Trust:

Companies that provide transparency in ESG reporting, for instance, KPMG, Deloitte, Tata, Starbucks, etc. enjoy a higher authenticity and trust from customers, audiences, stakeholders, and government. These factors are directly represented in the long-term growth of the company and its practices. 

ESG-aligned influencers showcase the brand’s case studies functioning and bring authenticity to brand partnerships, enhancing trust and credibility among their audience.

Rewild, an Environmental conservation organization partnered with Aditi Mayer to promote honest gardening tips, zero waste, sustainable agriculture, etc. 

1.  How Brands are Utilising Influencers for Amplifying Brand Advocates:

Influencers are change advocates. They directly amplify a brand's commitment to social responsibility and encourage the brands as well as their followers to make conscious choices.

Aakash Ranison is one of the top sustainability influencers in India. He collaborated with Mahindra to promote Electric XUV400, the first eSUV from Mahindra. On World EV Day, he created a post where he can be seen driving the automobile and talked in detail about it. It generated huge awareness and with swift message delivery it sparked the essence of social responsibility among the audience. 

1. How Brands can Expand Their Reach for Noble Cause Through ESG Influencer Marketing:

ESG-focused content tends to resonate with a broader audience, allowing brands to reach new markets and demographics. For instance, Vani Murthy, popularly known as Worm Rani. She collaborated with Udhyam Learning Foundation, a Non-governmental organisation. Where she created huge awareness about The Istri Project to reduce carbon consumption and reduce carbon emission.

Another influencer, Saniya Malhotra, AKA @didyousaykabaad. She collaborated with CoolAnt, a Environmental service provider and Passionate about reducing energy consumption and increasing natural cooling. They help buildings beat the heat without air conditioning. Through one campaign, Saniya gathered huge awareness about the project as well as the company. 

Challenges and Concerns: 

1. Greenwashing Concerns:

Greenwashing in simpler words is the use of misleading and deceptive branding and marketing approaches to showcase a company and its products appear more environmentally friendly or sustainable than they actually are. 

Creating a balance between authentic and compassionate commitment to ESG values and working towards avoiding "greenwashing" is of prime importance to build and maintain a positive credibility. crucial for maintaining credibility.

2. Consistency Across Platforms:

Social media platforms and websites are fundamental awareness and recognition-creating platforms. Companies involved in relaying fruitful messaging and information must create a consistent and sound approach to it. They should also focus on the harmonization of influencers’ messages and tone. 

Conclusion:

We are in an era of conscious consumerism. We can leverage influencer marketing and ESG principles to impart positive changes in all the stakeholders and ultimately benefit our society and our planet. 

Through influencer partnerships, companies can not only enhance their reputations but can also contribute to a socially responsible and more sustainable future. 

As businesses navigate the new dimension of sustainable consumption, eco-friendly packages, sustainable transportation, etc. they must understand the relationship of influencer, influencer marketing, and ESG, which can create a pivot to curate impactful, ethical, and resonant campaigns. 

Grynow, an experienced influencer marketing agency can create highly valuable content.

An article by: Nisha P. and Ashish Mishra