Making sustainability a part of the event A study on how sustainable marketing communication is applied in the event industry Master’s degree Project MSc Marketing and Consumption Graduate School Authors Emma Jansson Udani Pettersson Supervisor John Armbrecht Date June 2020 Abstract Purpose This study aspires to add theoretical understanding of how sustainable marketing communication is applied in the event industry’s digital media channels. By assessing how events transform their organisational sustainability goals into messages in their digital media channels we aim to understand how different ways of communicating can engage consumers. Thereby, the aspiration is to add to the practical understanding on how to make sustainability a natural part of the consumption of events. Design/Method/Approach To achieve the purpose of understanding sustainable marketing communication in digital media channels, a netnographic method was applied. Data was gathered from the digital media channels of four events taking place in the Swedish city of Gothenburg: Gothia Cup, Gothenburg Horse Show, Summerburst and Way Out West. Findings The results indicate that event organisations utilise five different approaches to communicate their sustainability objectives namely Increase Awareness, Empowerment, Sustainable Choice, Convince and CSR. The former four were suggested by Emery (2012) whereas the latter emerged in the study based on theoretical understanding of CSR (Belz & Peattie, 2009). Event organisers include stakeholders to add credibility to the message. Kilgour, Sasser, and Larke (2015) suggest incorporating influencers which were found alongside Partners, Participants and Celebrity Endorsers. Sustainable Marketing Communication in this context results in similar levels of consumer engagement as regular content in terms of likes, mentions, comments and shares. A less engaged consumer solely likes whereas the more engaged consumers engage in sharing and commenting which is desirable to create sustainable change outside of digital media channels. Originality The study adds value to existing literature of sustainable marketing communication by providing insights in how it is applied in the events industry. Keywords Sustainable Marketing Communication, Consumer Engagement, Event, Digital Media Channels Introduction 2015). On a global scale, events impact the Concerts, football games and competitions environment by food imports and provide an arena for new encounters, merchandise for consumption during events new experiences, and entertainment. The as well as transportation of participants whilst event industry is constantly reporting also impacting the societies from which growing numbers in terms of attendants and goods are imported (Ottosson & Parment, revenue and in Sweden it calculated for 9 2016). Given the growing size of the industry, billion SEK in 2016 (Effect, 2017; Nordevik, this poses societal concerns and a demand for 2019). However, there is a flip side to this, these events and its organisers to act and both on a local and global level. On a local engage in creating a sustainable level, reports show negative environmental society (Kotler, 2011; Ottosson & Parment, impacts as well as reports on social issues 2016). However, as argued by Arcodia, such as harassment at the event Cohen, and Dickson (2012) events, defined site (Cavagnaro, Postma, & Neese, 2012; by Getz (2008, p. 404) as being a “spatial- Ferdinand & Kitchin, 2012; Rodriguez, temporal phenomenon, and each is unique 1 because of interactions among the setting, Way Out West, a yearly music festival in the people, and management systems—including city of Gothenburg, managed to make the design elements and the program”, provide a festival completely vegetarian which was great opportunity to encourage a large communicated through their Facebook- number of consumers to participate in page (Andersson, Jutbring, & Lundberg, sustainable development. The Brundtland 2013). The festival also utilises sustainability commission (1987) defined sustainable causes to promote itself in their digital media development as the “development that meets channels. Way Out West and three other the needs of the present without events taking place yearly in Gothenburg will compromising the ability of future be analysed in this study. Gothenburg was generations to meet their own needs” (World named the world’s most sustainable Commission on Environment and destination 2019 by the Global Destination Development, 1987). Sustainability index (Global Destination Sustainability Index, 2019; Göteborg & co, Given modern technology, the role of the 2020). Events in this context are therefore consumer changes as events no longer solely interesting study objects. Hence, the events take place in the event setting but also in a possibly work with SMC in a successful digital context, referred to as “virtual events” matter, thus analysing these events could by Getz (2008, p. 404). The consumer is teach us about how to perform SMC to therefore not only consuming by visiting the generate consumer engagement. physical event but also the content provided by the event in a virtual setting (ibid). Event Problem discussion organisers are thus provided a new arena to People are constantly looking for new engage their consumers in sustainability experiences to make memories and thus through their marketing efforts, i.e. improve the quality of their lives. These Sustainable Marketing Communication, experiences oftentimes mean impacting the SMC (Martin & Schouten, 2012). SMC environment negatively. Events and the addresses how organisations, through their organisers can work to improve their marketing efforts, strive to achieve their sustainability and ensure that the production sustainability goals whilst engaging the of the event is sustainable. However, that is consumers in the issues and possible not sufficient to ensure the event experience solutions (ibid). To achieve the goals of SMC, is sustainably consumed. Involving the the organisations thus need to create consumers in creating a sustainable consumer engagement, defined by Hollebeek experience with lasting impact will increase (2018, p. 43) as “consumer’s cognitive, the efficiency of the event experience and emotional, behavioural, and social make sustainability a part of it. Thus, the investments into specific brand interactions”. research question is: Consumer engagement in a digital setting is made evident through e.g. likes, shares and How do event organisations incorporate comments (Dessart, Veloutsou, & Morgan- sustainability into digital media channels to Thomas, 2015; Syrdal & Briggs, create consumer engagement? 2018). Kilgour et al. (2015) argue that consumers need to understand the message to Limited research has focused on Sustainable have the capability to relate to it thus, to Marketing Communication in a digital event establish a relationship between the context, even though it provides great organisation and the consumer. opportunities to reach large groups of consumers (Arcodia et al., 2012). Thus, 2 studying the event context allows us to learn organization’s stakeholders for the purpose how sustainable marketing communication of achieving the organization’s marketing can be applied to event organisations’ digital and sustainability objectives” (p. 185). SMC media channels to create consumer is distinguished from traditional marketing engagement around sustainability. The study communication through two additional thereby aims at addressing the twelfth objectives: establishing credibility to the sustainable development goal presented by entire organisation including the brand, the UN, “Responsible consumption and products, and services and through educating production” (United Nations, 2015). This is the stakeholders about sustainability related addressed by the events engaging in issues (Martin & Schouten, 2012). To achieve responsible production of the event and how successful SMC, where the goal is to impact this is communicated to the consumers of the consumers, Martin and Schouten (2012) event, both visitors of the physical events as describe three key features: integration, well as everyone consuming their content in leverage and brand community. digital media channels, to engage them in Sustainability needs to be integrated into all responsible consumption. Therefore, the entities of the organisation, the SMC efforts purpose of the study is to add to the need to be thoroughly performed to affect theoretical understanding of sustainable people and the organisation needs to build marketing communication within the event strong relationships with the consumers industry. By addressing how events transform (ibid). Without these components, the SMC their corporate sustainability goals into might not be perceived as credible, thus the messages found in their digital media organisation will not have an impact on the channels, an understanding can be formed on consumers since credibility is “the stock in what engages consumers. The aim is thereby trade” of SMC (Martin & Schouten, 2012, p. to provide practical implications on how this 190). Credibility can thus facilitate the transformation of the message is performed to process of an organisation's sustainability engage consumers in sustainability issues. objectives as the SMC messages likely will be Hence, understanding how sustainability interpreted by the consumers as truthful, thus becomes a part of the event to improve the engage them in the sustainability issues sustainable development