OUGD601 / COP3 - Practical ideas.

OUGD601.
CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 3.
PRACTICAL IDEAS.


The question I am aiming to discuss and attempt to resolve is ' How can sustainability be made more attractive to the 21st century consumer?' In relation to the question I have brainstormed 3 different ideas. 

Idea 1:

My first idea is inspired by a brief that was recently set by visiting studio 'Something more.' in which we were each assigned something that one would normally assume a boring service to brand. However as the name of the studio suggests we were asked to 'do something more' with the brief and try to turn something really boring to something fun, interesting and creative. Which is almost what I am trying to do with sustainable products. I was given a train company, I have to brand a train company to be something extra special and attractive. Train travel has the ability to have a massive environmental, economical and social impact, and it is a necessity that train travel improves in the future. By travelling via train people have the ability to have a smaller carbon footprint, reduced cost for travel via car, there would also be social benefits such as less cars in city centres and a stronger sense of place as they return back to pedestrian places. 

The worries I have with this project are that in order to attract people to train travel I will not only have to think about branding, but new business initiatives train companies should implement to attract customers. Therefore It would be not only a branding project but a business project. I would also worry that via implementing such new systems (for example, seat screens alike to airlines) I would be contributing towards consumerism, in the idea that I would effectively be making people want more and be going against the idea that people need to be more utilarian and be happier with less. The third worry is the concept of competition, what if other train companies try to compete and it turns into a battle of who can be the most capitalist to attract the most customers? 
These are worries I need to discuss at my upcoming tutorial. 


Idea 2:

My second idea was born out of one of my own interests within sustainable development. On a summer trip to Chester zoo I learnt a lot about the harvesting of unsustainable palm oil and its detrimental effects on south asian rain forests, endangered species and local villagers. I also learnt that using this ingredient in chocolate is one of the biggest contributers to the issue. My second idea uses the power of the consumers investment in identity and the power of a large successful brand to sell green chocolate to consumers, but also make it a standard across the chocolate industry.
This would be a theoretical campaign. Take Cadbury's chocolate, and begin a marketing campaign that communicates Cadbury are now a SPO harvester, by marketing the chocolate with a positive message about its development, a sense of social value is given to the chocolate, which will have great positive implacations on a consumers identity, by seeing the positive change (where positivity shines, positivity goes) consumers will feel more inclined to by this type of chocolate over other brands such as Nestle or Lindt. Cadburys would therefore become the market leader and the loss in profit from choosing more sustainable palm oil, would be made back from customers switching to Cadbury. Other brands in order to compete would have no choice but to make the same switch. 

Worry: How to get green brands to switch not how to attract customers to green products. 



Idea 3: 

Idea 3 feeds from the same concepts as idea 2. Brand a standard to be put in place across SPO harvested chocolate. Label SPO chocolate with a recognisable logo - and great a campaign based upon this standard that references SPO chocolate in a positive life. Talk about the positive impacts, th effect that such positive descisions can have on ones identity - create a social pressure to purchase these products. Do this through a range of marketing - Billboards, Bus shelter posters, magazine/newspaper, that communicates / sells this type of product to consumers. Have an online platform where people can learn about SPO and the great improvements/ developments that are being made. See what else people can do to help. 
THINK OF EXAMPLES BEFORE NEXT TUTORIAL. 



Idea 4: 

Chocolate brand.