According to World Economic Forum, Climate change has become one of top 10 biggest issue in our global[1]. We – human being are already seeing and feeling the impacts of climate change with weather events such as droughts and storms becoming more frequent and intense. However, climate action is not only government’s effort but also all citizen, private equity and public sector. Business organization play an important role in contributing to achieve sustainable development goals. This blog therefore shifts the focus on what business organization is capable of engaging millennial to sustainable development goals regarding communication strategy. Starting a brief introduction on millennial then a closer look on current situation will be presented and finally some certain suggested solutions.
It was indicated by Nielson Global Corporate sustainability 2015 report that 66% of consumers are willing to pay more on the sustainable brand’s products. Millennial remarkably showed an even more impressive response with 73% of surveyed millennial stating the same preference.[2]
In addition, a research conducted by A.T Kearney Analysis has found that millennial in general values sustainability when it comes to automobile, food, personal care products, consumer products purchasing. 84% of surveyed millennials even considered it their duty to make a positive difference environmental impact through their lifestyle [3]
Companies that drive their focus beyond financial gain might increase their impact on millennial. That conclusion once again has been proved by Deloitte 2016 Millennial survey. Unlike another generation, millennial tends to judge company success on sustainable growth and actively seek employers who perceived similar environmental values [4]. The Global Tolerance suggested that 62% of millennials want to work for a company that ” makes positive impact” and 53% are more devoted knowing that their work makes a better place for the world.
Be aware of the circumstances, Big brands are aligning CSR as one of key focus in business strategy. Here are some take-way tips to engage millennials
“Operate Social Media as a tool for transparency”. Not surprisingly, Millennials use social media every day. The booming of Social media and technology era makes it even easier for company to reach their target audiences via online platforms. Social media such as twitter, Facebook, Instagram or even LinkedIn could be a double-edged sword. It might bring back some drawbacks unless companies follow its commitment. Transparency therefore needs to be taken seriously by communicating and executing consistently.
“Build a sustainable corporate culture”. By 2025, Millenials will comprise 75% of global workforce then building a strong corporate culture related to sustainability would take the corporate identity to the next level. The 2015 Deloitte research has displayed that collaborating to millennials could be the best way to engage them. Surveyed millenials feel appreciated being a part of an effort to reduce waste and save resources.
“Use SMART goal to track the record” Building a new sustainability but fail to deliver only makes a small PR bump. Only 2% of companies successfully achieve their sustainable goals found by Bain company survey[5]. Aligning a Suitable, Measurable, Achievable goal in regard closely to environment with clear Time frame are way more compelling to millennial. They represent the most “socially conscious generation”; hence the best way to be a pioneer in sustainability trend is to adopt authentic initiatives and truly invest effort in it.
In term of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, Millennials seem to be well aware of who need to play a significant role in dealing with environmental issues and what need to be done. It would be useless to use sustainability as a PR trick to feed them without any effort.
[1]https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/why-2018-must-be-a-pivotal-year-for-climate-action/
[2] https://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/nielsenglobal/dk/docs/global-sustainability-report-oct-2015.pdf
[3] https://www.atkearney.com/web/america250/article?/a/article-don-t-give-up-on-millennials
[4]https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/gx-millennials-shifting-business-purpose.html#report
[5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/deeppatel/2017/11/17/4-ways-companies-can-reach-millennials-with-a-message-of-sustainability/#3659dc09aff8
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