How can brands successfully communicate their positive actions around water sustainability?

How can brands successfully communicate their positive actions around water sustainability?
Understanding online consumer interest in water sustainability and its relevance for Diageo and others.
Deb Caldow, Global Marketing, Sustainability Director, Diageo"Water is in every product we make at Diageo, which is why water stewardship is a key pillar within our sustainability strategy. This report proves that water sustainability is a rising online topic amongst consumers, and its valuable insights will allow us to authentically share our progress on water stewardship, through fresh storytelling. We hope that others in the industry find the report as useful as we do."

Challenge

Given the importance of water stewardship to Diageo, they sought to explore the online water sustainability conversation. The objective was to understand how much consumers cared about water and how Diageo and other industries could tailor their communications and lead the charge to take consumers along the journey to drive positive change.

Approach

Using Search & Social Analytics, we analysed online consumer engagement across two years in the US, Mexico, India, UK, Spain, Turkey, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. This approach enabled us to size water interest by country and industry.

The data also helped highlight reveals which topics resonate, when they gain attention, and the channels where they have the most impact, allowing brands to meet consumers where they are.

Insight

Online interest in water sustainability is escalating greatly, with social media conversations nearly tripling in the last year of the study.

Water pollution is a key topic and interest in water sustainability predominantly comes from the US, India and Mexico, with consumers focusing on specific issues relating to their country’s context.

Consumers want to see progress from the industry through innovative practices – identified as the top driver of positivity from social mentions.

Impact

The project has fed directly into both external-facing and internal initiatives:

  1. Report, press release on Diageo.com, webinar, followed by a LinkedIn post to encourage employee and water partners amplification.
  2. Content for future panels, forums and industry events.
  3. Opportunities for Kantar and Diageo to partner on brand sustainability conferences and webinars.