Singapore – Creative agency Superson has teamed up with sustainability consultant and author John Grant to launch a new sustainability marketing capability in Singapore. The agency said the new capability comes at the back of studying the success factors of companies that have made sustainability the heart of their brand.
Grant is the author of the 2007-published book, The Green Marketing Manifesto, and its sequel, Greener Marketing, which was just launched in 2020. His books teach marketers how to employ ‘green marketing’ which is unlearning unsustainable commercial practices in marketing to make way for more sustainable methods.
In partnership with Grant, the new sustainability marketing practice is dubbed as the ‘CUSP’ framework, which stands for Compelling Unique Sustainability Proposition. CUSP is defined as a systematic approach that brings sustainability and branding together, and Superson expects it to work for companies that have an innovation agenda or companies looking to integrate sustainability and responsibility into their brand story.
The agency said that while companies have tried to communicate their sustainability efforts more in recent years, it still tends to be a standalone effort separated from their overall brand communications. Superson attributes this to the lack of a comprehensive framework to start thinking about sustainability as part of the brand.
“The key to successful sustainability positioning is having a strong sustainability program, that’s a must. However, even when foundations are in place, positioning a company’s sustainability efforts as something that makes a difference in your consumers’ lives can be difficult,” said Antti Toivonen, managing partner of Superson Singapore.
Toivonen added, “After working together on a number of projects on sustainability communications, we decided to formalize the CUSP framework we have developed with John and provide this solution more widely to the region.”
With the new framework, Superson said that clients can expect to discover a compelling proposition and a well-communicated brand story deeply rooted in their own sustainability program.
The agency said that Grant has been the perfect partner to team up with as aside from being a leading author on the subject, his extensive track record on the subject boasts an in-depth study of more than 400 case studies and working relationships with MNCs and start-up clients.
“After working with Superson for nearly a decade, developing the CUSP framework was a natural next step in our working relationship. I look forward to working more closely with clients in Southeast Asia who take sustainability seriously and want to take their communications to the next level,” said Grant.
To mark the launch, an e-book outlining their new sustainability framework, CUSP, has been made available for download on Superson’s website.