Company-Related or Product-Related Environmental Market - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Company-Related

• r

Product-Related

Environmental Market Communication?

Emma Rex Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, emma.rex@chalmers.se

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Communicating with the Market

”The company” Talk L i s t e n Act

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The customer’s

• env. interest

An Interpretative Approach

Talk L i s t e n Act

The chosen representation and resulting perception of the customer’s environmental interest influence what actions are taken by the company

(cf. e.g. Business barometer 1997; 2003, Heiskanen et al. 2005, Rex 2002).

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Study Design

Case study of Volvo Trucks

– Part of AB Volvo – October 2006 – January 2007

Data collection

– Interviews (15 employees: about 500 pages of interview transcrips) – Observations (meetings, road show, ’shadowing’) – Document analysis (reports, brochures, status documents, sales support, training material, media coverage…)

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Aim and Scope

What perception of the customer’s environmental interest exists in the company and how does it influence external communication?

The customer’s

• env. interest

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External Communicaiton

The customer’s

• env. interest

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Communciation Strategies

Company related communication

– Focus on brand or company – Policies, visions, environmental reports etc. – Processes and procedures e.g. ISO 14 0001 – Public affairs, brand management

Product related communication

– Focus on product features and information in the purchasing situation – Brochyres, ads, labels, declarations – Product offers and promotion – Market communicaiton, sales support

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External Communication

The customer’s

• env. interest

”Public” ”Customer”

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Two ’Arenas’

Market/ product Company

Market Communication

Little env. communication Low priority

Corporate Communication

Vital and increasing env. communication High priority

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Result

Environmental challenges and achievements were… … mainly communicated by corporate communicaitons and in relation to the company as such or its products in general …and less so by market communications and in relation to specific product offers

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Market Communication

The customer: Driver, purchaser Interest: money, prestige, image Environmental matters generally not important per se for most customers No willingness to pay

Corporate Communication

The customer: Society, general public Increasingly interested in env. Environmental matters are important for the survival of industry and society

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Corporate Communication

People indeed listen: We have a common problem We are part of the solution Interest all ’citizens’ We have the power to change the market (e.g. lobbying, standards, regulative frameworks)

Market Communication

We have nothing to say:

• Trucks in general have a negative

impact on the environment

• No unique sales points: All having

the same standards Other areas have higher priority We sell what is already developed

’ D i f f i c u l t a n d f r u i t l e s s ’ ’ I n t e r e s t i n g a n d p r

• f

i t a b l e ! ’

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Focus: Company-Related Env. Comm.

The customer’s

• env. interest

”Public” ”Customer”

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A Common Phenomena?

Is there generally a preference for communicating environmental matters in relation to company/brand instead of product?

• Similar examples in other industries, e.g. Erlandsson (2007)
• ”Brand imprint” (Unilever)
• Consumers beeing addressed as citizens rather than customers

(Burningaham et al. )

• ”We do LCA” instead of product specific information (e.g. SCA)
• The success of EMS vs. LCA

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Implications for LCT?

Any implications for the advance of life cycle thinking in industry?

• Less focus on specific products
• Less interest in specific environmental information?
• Less interest in promoting and labelling specific ’green’ products?
• Focus being shifted from the impact from production and consumption of

goods to being responsible citizens?

• Less focus on a life cycle perspective?
• Need for another approach to life cycle thinking?