Nielsen to release Brand Sustainability Report for comms effectiveness

Nielsen is set to release its independent Brand Sustainability Report, with support from Dentsu, the AANA, and Edge Environment, to give brands and advertisers “the insights they need to ensure their approach to sustainability communication is effective and actively increasing consumer purchase consideration and intent”.

The report, Nielsen said, will deliver an “industry-recognised assessment standard” in evaluating different brand’s efforts in sustainability comms.

The assessment system will weigh consumer sentiment against the brand’s comms, which will then allow marketers and advertisers to “effectively communicate their sustainability intentions with the expectations of their customer base”.

Nielsen is set to release its Brand Sustainability Report

More than half of Australian consumers are making conscious effort to support more sustainably focused brands, according to recent data from Nielsen, yet most are unaware of “how, if, or why their favourite brands are working towards more sustainable products and practices”, which Nielsen said results in its sustainability comms going “unrecognised at the checkout”.

Nielsen Australia’s head of of media analytics, Andrew Palmer said: “Sustainability is now an integral part of a brand’s business strategy. At Nielsen, we want to help the industry to have a deeper understanding of how consumers are perceiving their sustainability communication and the best way to reach and engage with them. We want to help agencies heed those numbers and implement the right media activation strategy to close the sustainability promise gap.”

Nielsen Pacific managing director, Monique Perry said: “We really care about providing long term brand sustainability communication measures that support the media industry. Our research shows that 60% of Australians believe retailers are responsible for their environmental practices and we  want to help brands leverage the power of the media to tell their sustainability progress”.

Outgoing CEO of Dentsu Australia, Angela Tangas added: “Consumer sentiment towards, and expectations of, brands has shifted. People are increasingly wanting to know more about where their products come from and how they’re made, and are choosing brands that can provide this level of transparency. At dentsu, we have committed to helping 1 billion people worldwide make better, more sustainable choices over the next decade. As an agency partner, this means using our influence to help our clients become better corporate citizens and support them in finding meaningful ways to grow their business.

Dentsu has thrown its support behind the research and report

“We’re looking forward to working alongside a diverse group of organisations on a study aimed at measuring the gap between a brand’s sustainability efforts and consumer awareness, and uncover insights that will facilitate change with Australian advertisers.”

The AANA’s CEO, Julie Flynn said: “AANA is very excited to partner with Nielsen on the first-ever Australian brand sustainability report. The research will inform what is one of AANA’s top priorities. AANA was proud to recently join the World Federation of Advertisers’ Planet Pledge, which lays out practical ways CMOs can drive sustainability within their own organisation, and we look forward to working with our members and the industry on this research.”

Edge Environment’s principal consultant for sustainability leadership and communications, Hannah Turner, said: “We know sustainable practices and effective communication of brands’ progress increase consumers purchase intent, however to effect large-scale change we need more brands to understand the value of these messages and how to credibly and authentically communicate their sustainability commitments and goals.”