A New Era of Marketing: Sustainability and Longevity in Focus

An authentic connection between sustainability and marketing

Sustainability has long been a cornerstone of strategic marketing. As a marketer, your role is to embrace environmental, social and economic responsibility, visibly embedding these values into your brand’s identity.

This concept reinforces the argument that sustainability is not only a matter of brand values, but also an increasingly effective driver of brand strength.

An important distinction must be made here between two aspects of sustainability. On the one hand, there’s environmental sustainability, which includes issues like emissions, resources and supply chains. On the other hand, there’s the question of whether your business model itself is sustainable, i.e., whether it will remain viable in the long term, even in the face of rapidly changing technologies, channels and customer expectations.

From your supply chain to your content to your customer touchpoints, the sustainability of every decision must be assessed. Sustainability only has a real impact when it’s linked to long-term thinking from both an environmental and a business perspective.

Best-practice example of sustainable brand leadership

Family-run business VAUDE is a standout example of sustainable brand leadership. We recently had the opportunity to speak with the company’s Head of International Marketing, Manfred Meindl, for our “Insight Out” series. For several years, the outdoor brand has made it its mission to channel advertising and marketing budgets into climate-related projects. Manfred Meindl shared with us that there were initial concerns that this could be regarded as marketing spin: “The real challenge was communication: How do you talk about these kinds of initiatives without being accused of greenwashing?” However, thanks to strategic, open communication and a strong rapport with its community, VAUDE’s measures were ultimately perceived as credible.

VAUDE’s approach demonstrates more than environmental responsibility; it also proves the viability of a sustainable business model. Although basing budget decisions on clear brand values may come at the expense of short-term reach, it pays off in the long term through differentiation and resilience.

Sustainability in business models in the age of AI

Sustainability in marketing today is also about asking whether your business model can survive the coming years. The AI revolution in particular has made this question even more pressing: AI can execute campaigns faster, cheaper and on a huge scale. If you deploy this technology indiscriminately, you’ll simply increase the noise. But if you use it strategically, AI can be a powerful lever for a sustainable business model. And that’s a real advantage in this new era of marketing.

The takeaway: Don’t use AI to do “more of the same,” but to sharpen your focus. That might mean understanding your target groups more deeply, reducing media wastage and only maintaining a presence where your brand is truly relevant. Or it could mean figuring out which customer segments are profitable and loyal in the long term, then developing your sustainable products, services and content with them in mind.

Build a long-term mindset into your strategy

Despite enormous pressure to deliver short-term wins, you should focus on cultivating long-term relationships and securing sustainable growth. Long-term success is achieved when sustainability becomes more than just brand stance and is strategically embedded in your structure. This protects your business from the trap of trend chasing and builds resilience.

Today’s customers want brands with character, brands that live by their values rather than just making promises. Sustainability creates this depth, but long-term strategies are needed to communicate it to the world. In a marketing landscape accelerated by AI, this counterbalance is especially important: clearly defined values, recognizable brand management and a strategic prioritization of which initiatives to scale up – and which to leave behind.

A long-term brand leadership success story

German drugstore chain ROSSMANN is a shining example of long-term brand leadership. Petra Czora, the company’s Head of Marketing, joined us as a guest for our “Insight Out” series. With its digital-only loyalty card, ROSSMANN introduced a key driver of success. But before the new system was rolled out, there were doubts about how it would be received. As Petra Czora told us, “Voices grew louder questioning whether launching the app was the right decision – after all, no one knew how many customers would actually use it.”

Nevertheless, the digital loyalty card was a resounding success, with 11 million active users per month. It has demonstrated that personalized offers reward loyal customers more than short-term discount hunting, and POS displays make brand values tangible. A strong relationship develops over years – customers stay because of the experience and the feeling of trust, not just because of the prices. The loyalty card scheme is another example of a sustainable business model strategy: interlinking data, technology and the customer experience pays dividends – not only with the next sale, but also in terms of long-term customer value.

Takeaway: Resilience in a new era of marketing

Future success is in your hands: Combine environmental sustainability with a viable business model and long-term thinking to create a brand that grows and takes responsibility. Start with small steps – a pilot project, a budget shift, targeted use of AI to increase relevance rather than output – and build on the results. VAUDE and ROSSMANN have shown how it can be done: Being bold pays off when brand values, technology and a long-term mindset are brought together.

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