Study Confirms Consumer Buying Power Influenced by Environmental and Social Considerations

October 05, 2005 — By Ethical Corporation

London — Ethical Corporation will hold a 2-day conference on November 22-23, 2005, in London focussing on corporate communication of values to consumers.

A recent study has shown that over the past 3 months, 51 percent of UK consumers have made a purchase based on environmental or social considerations. The study found that simply receiving a convincing piece of information from a pressure group is enough to make almost two thirds of consumers stop buying a brand.

Consumers care, and it is time to get marketing people involved in corporate responsibility communications.

Traditionally, corporate marketing/communication and corporate responsibility departments have lived separate lives. Corporate Responsibility departments often have great stories to tell but are not good at communicating them to consumers.

When it comes to corporate responsibility, marketers seem to run scared. Why? Ask any consumer-oriented company why they are not promoting sustainability in their products and the answer is usually that consumers aren’t sufficiently interested. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

For the first time, a unique 2-day Conference London on November 22-23, organised by specialist CSR conference organisers - Ethical Corporation - will bring together Corporate Marketing/ Communications experts and Corporate Responsibility leaders under one roof.

Dave Welch, BP’s Marketing Communication Director, will share his insights about how to develop a clear message and how to translate that message to consumers. BP’s successful campaign - “That’s a Start” - will provide a framework for his speech.

Charles Middleton, managing director of Triodos Bank, will talk about the practical application of values and ethics in the day to day running of the business. He will also highlight what sort of conflicts they create and discuss to what extent ethical brands generate value.

BT and Starbucks will discuss why employee identification with their values is vital for their long-term business success. They'll also highlight how a strong, values-led corporate identity should involve employees and can increase staff retention rates, productivity and reputation.

Some of the expert Conference speakers on November 22-23 will include: Ben&Jerry’s * Green & Black’s * Philips * Virgin * BP * Starbucks * the Co-operative Bank * BT * Interface * Triodos Bank * the Fairtrade Foundation * Greenpeace * Marine Stewardship Council * the Soil Association * PR Week * Ethical Consumer * and many more…

Please vist www.ethicalcorp.com/consumer/speakers.shtml for the full list of speakers.

To download the FREE PDF brochure of the conference visit www.ethicalcorp.com/consumer.

Please note that press passes for the mainstream media and some niche publications are available but limited.

For further information please contact
Anyes Estay
Conference Director
Ethical Corporation
a.estay@ethicalcorp.com