According to TrendWatching’s fresh report, sustainability will be a hot topic in 2023. As a community we have pushed certain initiatives towards a more sustainable future. Harmful impact of fast fashion has been widely acknowledged and the whole industry is undergoing changes. Single-use plastic products have got cancelled. Local labor is actively becoming a preferable choice to more and more.
Yet, when it comes to marketing, the word sustainability is often brought up either withing a context of greenwashing or a single, one-of-a-kind brand campaign.
Soon enough responsible brands as well as their loyal communities will turn heads in search for partnerships based on shared sustainability (and other) values. I would like to concentrate on the positive side of the matter and think about solutions that marketing and advertising community could already incorporate on a daily basis. As we know, small regular efforts lead to better results than grander but one-time only ones.
Good quality design will last, stay relevant and build brand value over time.
Luckily design has something to offer. In many fields of design, creatives have been considered pioneers of sustainable solutions. Think about Artek furniture pieces lasting for generations or timeless Marimekko designs, which look trendy even half a century later. The point is that good quality design will last, stay relevant and build brand value over time, regardless of its field of application.
It would be great to see more of long-lasting, sustainable solutions in marketing design, too. A solid base for heading towards that direction can be designing visual wireframes for recurring campaigns. I am talking about systems of visuals, where key elements and ways of using them are created once, while secondary elements get to vary in shape, color, etc. One visual wireframe like that can cover type-specific marketing campaigns and last for years, decades even.
Such systematic approach allows for better quality design in the first place. Secondly, it frees up creative and time resources. Moreover, data analysis of campaign performance becomes easier as singular elements’ success can be tracked.
Designed wireframes for marketing are sustainable for everyone involved, meaning brands, possible advertising/creative collaborators and end consumers, people. Brands’ biggest win in this case is consistent background imago building. This aspect is especially important in turbulent times, like the ones we are living through right now.
In case advertising is outsourced, creative collaborators get to use their resources more efficiently. While keeping daily marketing active, they get to concentrate the creative potential on bigger launches and other tasks, which push the brand forward. Finally, marketing consumers grow brand loyalty, trust and simply save time as purchasing process navigation becomes familiar.
By providing comfortable, well-designed marketing a brand potentially reduces visual noise and frustration.
Another thing that does not often get said is that by providing comfortable, well-designed marketing a brand potentially reduces visual noise and frustration, which comes from message bombarding and overload of information. This is a growing pain point and tackling the issue wisely will ensure customer loyalty.
It goes without saying that design wireframes are not a panacea. However, they can cover the majority of top-of-mind and other repetitive marketing needs. Some brands have already adopted such sustainable approach to marketing, but the decision-making factors often seem to be time, budget or media-plan limitations, not sustainability. Yet, future thinking will require value-based choices as consumers become pickier and demand more curatorial work done by brands they will choose to stick with.
It is every company’s responsibility to produce or purchase efficient marketing with least impact. And it is designers’ responsibility to provide creative solutions that last. In order to have a great campaign we do not necessarily need to disrupt and shock each single time. In the end, tastefully crafted items (marketing materials included) with genuine care for the end customer will provide results as they have the right values at core.
Daria Ivanova
Junior Designer, IVALO Creative Agency
Uutiskirjeen tilaajana saat markkinoinnin ja viestinnän uutiset sekä uusimman MRKTNG-lehden ensimmäisten joukossa. Saat myös viikottain koulutuksistamme kerättyjä vinkkejä käyttöösi sekä tietoa järjestämistämme koulutuksista.