Those of us who are regularly engaged with the climate crisis debate might be quick to assume hat it is now an issue that is on most people’s radars. Because of the echo chambers that we exist in, particularly in the digital world, we tend to follow and interact with people whose views affirm our own, and we therefore unknowingly block out those who do not share our perspectives. It is often also assumed that those who do not share our perspectives, particularly in the context of the climate crisis, are those who do not believe in it, or actively look for scientific studies that debunk the ‘theory’ of climate change. However, this misses out a crucial, and large, third group of people: the apathetic.

Those who are apathetic when it comes to the climate crisis do not have strong views one way or another. It is not always because they do not care, but largely because they do not have the capacity to care. Thinking about climate change, and making changes to consume more sustainably, takes cognitive effort that, in and of itself, is a privilege. Not only do some families abide by strict budgets that might prohibit investment into sustainable consumption, but some are also time-poor. Time-poverty is a phenomenon whereby those flitting in between personal and professional commitments do not have the mental ‘space’ to be able to think about change, or something outside of the ordinary, which sustainable consumption is.

Those who are time-poor and lack the financial means of making sustainable choices therefore automatically choose the default option, which, in the contemporary, globalised marketplace, are largely unsustainable consumption choices. This is where behavioural economics comes into the mix: by providing salient options for easier and more efficient decision-making, behavioural economics is increasingly becoming a tool by which governments and institutions alike drive behaviour change amongst citizens and consumers. Behavioural economics tap into the subconscious of decision-making processes, thereby reducing the mental effort it takes for people to make sustainable choices - the modern marketer should increasingly be aware of the power of behavioural economics in communications, change and choice.

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Each year, the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business partners with the Lancaster University Management School to set a sustainable marketing challenge to first-year Marketing and Advertising students, as part of the annual Marketing Me Challenge. Armed with knowledge of key behavioural economics theories and a mission to convert apathetic consumers towards making more sustainable consumption choices, this year, students chose one brand and one target consumer to convert; the options were a university student, a working mother, or a retired pensioner living in rural England. Students began by filling in a Brand Key Model, which highlights the essence of a particular brand. They then were tasked with ‘extending’ the brand to align to principles of environmental sustainability, still saying true to the core purpose of the brand, the business and the consumers’ needs. In order to do so, they had to come up with a creative campaign that would adequately encourage sustainable consumption choices amidst those who might not actively look for them otherwise.

In third place was Tom Saunders, who chose to extend the Airbnb brand and help the cash-strapped university student make more sustainable consumption choices in the realm of travel and transportation. Tom created a rewards scheme that would financially incentivise holiday-makers to choose the sustainable option while they were away. Consumers would get rewarded for minimising energy and water consumption, which is of interest to Airbnb hosts as well as their monthly bills would be lowered. Depending on how much energy / water is saved, Airbnb guests could redeem subsidised breakfasts or money off subsequent Airbnb stays. In second place was Izzy Nuttall, who chose to extend the ASOS brand and again help the younger consumer reduce their dependence on fast fashion. Recent news events, both within the UK and outside, have proven the extent to which the fast fashion industry is complicit in exploitation and mistreatment of garment workers, which goes hand-in-hand with exploitation of natural resources. Izzy’s idea, therefore, was to capitalise on ASOS’ Marketplace functionality to create a clothes swapping or ‘swishing’ community. Users would be able to choose from a multi-tiered membership scheme, collecting credits for sales of unwanted clothing and reworked garments. Izzy created a fantastic video to accompany the idea, which acted as a ‘how-to’ for those interested in participating, by providing a simple, easy-to-follow set of instructions.

The winner of this year’s Marketing Me Challenge was Olivia Urbanowicz, who chose to extend the Airbnb brand to the working mother persona. Olivia’s idea, Airbnb Eco, is a functionality that fits seamlessly into the existing Airbnb dashboard. Eco homes or rooms would be verified ahead of time, and consumers would also be incentivised to take domestic holidays through strategic communications initiatives. Olivia’s entry stood out to the judges because of her awareness and integration of behavioural economics - recognising that the working mother persona has very little time to research sustainable options, and yet wants to make those choices for herself and her children, the integration of the Airbnb Eco option into the standard Airbnb interface could be incredibly powerful in driving more clicks towards the more environmentally-friendly options.

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While Tom, Izzy and Olivia’s entries stood out to the judges, the standard of the competition entries this year was incredibly high. Especially considering the circumstances with COVID, it is particularly commendable that a number of students took the initiative to participate in the challenge. The judges were particularly impressed by shortlisted entries from Goda Gikaite, Ilyanoor Creer, India Harrison, Ashley Pearson, Isabella Ashdown, Laura Calgani, Lauren Forbes, Nikita Nielsen and Valerie Doeringer.

The winners, Tom Saunders, Izzy Nuttall and Olivia Urbanowicz, win an exclusive mentoring session with Stefan Dimov, LUMS Marketing alum who runs Project Caritas , a fantastic YouTube project showcasing sustainable products and businesses. They will also be receiving two issues of It’s Freezing in LA! magazine, an independent climate change publication. Alongside Stefan, the competition was judged by Helen Chaffey, Careers Coach in the Marketing Department, and three of the Pentland Centre’s champions, Freya Oxton-Grant, Lisbeth Gärtner, and myself, Sharlene Gandhi. A special thank you, as always, to Victoria Metcalf and James Perry for their wonderful and passionate organisation of the competition, and for persevering through difficult, digital times!

*Disclaimer: The brands mentioned were not involved in the competition, but rather used as case studies for educational purposes.

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