Companies that get the vision thing and embed sustainability into their strategy often fall down on stage three: engaging and communicating with stakeholders. Without engaging effectively with stakeholders there is no way to improve their approach to defining and refining the issues that matter most (materiality).

For all the inroads companies are making into (and obsessing over) social media etc, I’m yet to come across any examples of really creative ways of inspiring and motivating stakeholders and grasping big issues. Lots being spent but same problems persist.

I don't want to be your friend

Futuregazing is being used by a few out there to align their services and approach to sustainability with a hotter, more populated (and altogether scarier)  planet. The problem is that the corporate shackles remain firmly locked and content is sahelian in its dryness. The above video is thought provoking and creative, not shiny, expensive and out of touch.

Another lesson companies churning out sustainability comms  could learn from above clip is that you dont need to try and be the global solution to famine, drought and deforestation. In fact, you aren’t - so be honest about it.

So, if you have a sustainability comms budget and you want to tackle big future challenges and get your stakeholders to engage, inspire people to go change something by making a memorable (inexpensive) social object.

Why should content like this from Do The Green Thing not be part of what you are doing to make the case for less business flights?

Nike seem to have figured this out with the Greenxchange intro video for their site (which admittedly does suffer from voiceover-leadership anxiety):

That video is not too far from this music video made by a company called Synn Labs who followed this brief:

The requirements were that it had to be interesting, not “overbuilt” or too technology-heavy, and easy to follow.  The machine also had to be built on a shoestring budget, synchronize with beats and lyrics in the music and end on time over a 3.5 minute song, play a part of the song, and be filmed in one shot.

Spend some time on vimeo or youtube, find a designer you like and contact  them. Quite easy really. 

Your board members, proud of having embedded sustainability into the vision thing but unsure as to why they still seem to be heading to the wall, will thank you for it.

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