ABSTRACT
Sustainable marketing and advertising needs to become state-of-the-art marketing; it needs to become the pinnacle of creative advertising and communication. The power of marketing needs to be unleashed in the sustainability arena, and that implies that product- and brand-related corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability communication need to be emotionally appealing, attractive and not just informative. Sustainability and CSR are then located in the marketing or PR departments and are downgraded as topics on the communications agenda. The Coop case also shows how a corporate campaign can drive awareness of sustainability if the brand enjoys high trust and credibility. Coop Switzerland also ensured that its employees were able to act as ambassadors, introducing various training programmes, and at one stage even hosted a conference for 1,800 staff. Swiss retailer Coop, regarded as a global leader in sustainable retailing, shows that sustainable product brands drive business, create differentiation and build the reputation of the retail and corporate brand.
