Did you know that April is Earth Month? And what better way to celebrate our planet than to shine a spotlight on some of the top brand campaigns that are bringing awareness to the importance of environmental conservation. 

Green marketing continues to rise in prevalence, especially as brands are now expected to be socially conscious. In fact, 80% of consumers are engaged by green marketing at some level, according to the National Marketing Institute. 

With this in mind, how can brands create campaigns that are environmentally aware, genuine and resonate with their audience? Take a look at these three examples for inspiration.

Let's go green: 

1. Renault Captur  — 'Don't drive me'

One would think that an automobile brand running a marketing campaign to promote its most recent hybrid model would try and convince you why you should use it … right? Wrong! 



In its latest ad for the Captur E-Tech model, Renault takes a rather unorthodox approach, encouraging consumers to rather walk or cycle than to drive. The brand summarised this message with the tagline, 'Even if it's a hybrid, it's good not to use it all the time'.

This message took many off-guard as most brands tackle marketing with more or less the same 'you really need this' approach. So, Renault encouraging its audience to use other modes of transport in support of environmental conservation was surprisingly refreshing. 

"I wanted a bold approach in line with the times. For the first time, we are proactively suggesting to our customers not to use their car all the time — an unprecedented choice in the automotive industry," says Renault's global chief marketing officer Arnaud Belloni.

So, dear marketer, what can you learn from Renault's approach to green marketing? That sometimes creating content with a strong message is more important than making a sale. 

With this effort, the brand won major points for authenticity, as it championed conservation over pushing product. 

2. Coca-Cola and (recycled) Bill Nye

If you're a 1990s kid, you're probably familiar with the popular children's show Bill Nye the Science Guy, which aimed to make science interesting for children. 

Well, the legendary science guy has teamed up with Coca-Cola (in recycled form) to promote the brand's latest conservation efforts in a short film titled, Creating a World Without Waste.

 

The campaign uses Nye, a popular figure in pop culture, to explain the importance of recycling plastic and how Coca-Cola aims to:
  • 'close the loop'
  • use more recycled materials, and 
  • reduce its carbon footprint. 
By creating a video that is short, informative, creative and features a notable figure, Coca-Cola has struck a goldmine in marketing excellence. 

Not only does the ad highlight how recycling works and how it benefits the environment, but it also sees the brand take accountability for its role in creating large volumes of plastic waste. 

This helps the brand present itself as more transparent and trustworthy to the consumer — all while spotlighting sustainability. 

Being environmentally conscious will also help Coca-Cola win over customers (especially Gen Zers) as this generation is all about going green.  

Commenting on this Christine Yeager, director at PMO Sustainability, says, "The eco-conscious consumer is growing. The Gen-Z consumer tends to make more purchasing choices based on the sustainability of the product." 

3. McDonald's 'Take away your takeaway' 

Most of us can relate to seeing the classic brown paper McDonald's bag crumpled up on the sidewalk or floating through the air. In its campaign 'Take Away Your Takeaway', we see just that. 



The campaign for McDonald's Norway features a series of images of litter; it even went as far as to include a video that depicts all of McDonald's Instagram posts being removed and replaced with photos of trash. 




*Image courtesy of AdAge.

'Take Away Your Takeaway' aims to raise awareness against "unconscious littering". 

Mari Husby, McDonald's Norway senior marketing manager, says, "With our size and influence, we can do a lot better than we do today. As a major player, we have both a great responsibility and an enormous power to contribute to change. Together, we hope to make a difference."

This is another example of a major brand taking accountability for the role it plays in generating litter and waste. 

This helps McDonald's present itself as a brand with integrity, which strengthens its image and can inspire customer loyalty in the long run. 

Which green marketing campaigns have stood out to you lately? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.

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If you want to learn more about green marketing, then be sure to read up on the Three ways Checkers is keeping its marketing green.
*Image courtesy of Unsplash