Kantar And Affectiva Reveal How To Get Sustainability Right In Advertising

New analysis from Kantar, the world’s leading evidence-based insights and consulting company and Emotion AI pioneer, Affectiva, reveals how to get sustainability in advertising right.

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Get emotion right: Hope trumps guilt and fear

The top performing ads with sustainability messaging often have a more uplifting tone, eliciting more positive emotions like valence (overall emotional positivity), smiling and joy. Advertisers should therefore prioritise a hopeful and positive tone to avoid consumers feeling berated or rejecting the message altogether. The research finds that ads with social messaging evoke strong emotions in viewers, such as proud (+26), inspired (+21) and affectionate (+19) but that they aren’t always positive; guilty (+18) and sad (+17) feelings also register more often than on average.

Seventh Generation’s “Trees and Bs”, one of the ads tested on Kantar Marketplace for the project, is an example which uses humour to showcase a sustainable choice – using the brand’s recycled toilet paper – through the medium of a comedy song fronted by American actress and comedian Maya Rudolf.

Be uplifting: Make people feel better, even with serious messaging

In tackling such a serious subject matter, the study finds, it might be difficult to avoid evoking strong negative emotions. Indeed, while guilt was a common response to many of the worst performing ads, that was also the case for many of the best performers too. The difference was that the top performing ads were much more likely to leave viewers feeling positive emotions like confident, excited, inspired and proud despite the difficult issues raised. Lurpak’s “Where there are cooks” is one example of an ad which tackles the issue of food waste, while leaving viewers feeling proud and inspired.

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	Top performers	Bottom performers	Difference
Confident	86	31	+55
Excited	82	28	+54
Inspired	91	42	+49
Proud	91	55	+36

 

Be authentic: be true to your brand and don’t overclaim

Kantar experts call out several examples of ads which inspire sustainable behaviour without making green claims, delivering a sustainable message without trying to. Co-op’s “First trip out” spot highlights how shoppers can recycle soft plastics in store, focusing on the small pleasures of nature on the journey to the shop. This taps into our psychological need for a clear plan for how to implement good intentions, while avoiding inducing guilt or overclaiming green credentials.

Commenting on the findings, Vera Sidlova, Global Creative Director, Kantar said: “Sustainability is an issue which brands are increasingly expected to address – 64% of global consumers in a recent study said it is a matter for businesses to tackle, rather than their own responsibility. Brands seem to be rising to the challenge; the percentage of ads containing an environmental or social message has tripled since 2016. But with several recent examples of ads being censured by advertising regulators for featuring misleading claims, getting it right isn’t always straight forward. Our analysis found that the subject will evoke strong feelings in consumers – the key is to harness those emotions in service of your objectives.”

Graham Page, Global Managing Director, Media analytics, Affectiva, added: “Our work also highlighted the importance of understanding where consumers are starting from on sustainability.  Hardcore activists may be most engaged but react most cynically – whereas more mainstream audiences want to act but often find practical barriers get in the way. Ads that show how a brand can help people act sustainably, and so find a way of replacing guilt with action, were more positively received, even by those less engaged with the issue.”

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