A look at the news and insights we’re sharing internally here at AList for the week of April 12th, 2021.

Why More Brands Are Making Environmentalism Central To Marketing

Ad Age

P&G has committed to inspiring 75 percent of Americans to wash their clothes in cold water by 2030 and General Motors pledged to offer 30 new electric vehicles by 2025 as well as go-all electric by 2035.

Why it matters: Sustainability was previously excluded from the value equation for consumers, but today it’s not only central to the perceived positive social impact of brands but also affects their results. According to Bernstein Research analyst Bruno Monteyne, the investor community is still divided about sustainability, with about 25 percent saying it’s the right thing to do and that it creates higher long-term returns in conjunction with a good commercial strategy; 50 percent noting they aren’t sure but are “powered ahead by the fact that there’s large interest from clients to invest in ESG funds”; and 25 percent “are probably doubting the whole thing but are staying quiet right now.”

Logitech SG Jumps On Clubhouse Session To Reach Millennial Apple Users

Marketing Interactive

Logitech Singapore hosted a 45-minute Clubhouse stream targeting Apple users. During the live event, the company asked the 35 listeners to play a game of ‘This or That’ and ran two giveaways with prizes including its bluetooth keyboard and wireless mouse. To create hype beforehand, Logitech enlisted three influencers who posted teasers about the event on their Instagram accounts.

Why it matters: Since launching in April 2020, Clubhouse, an invite-only app, has been downloaded 10 million times and has nearly 2 million weekly active users.

The Necessity Of Doing Well By Doing Good

McKinsey & Company

According to McKinsey Global Institute research, there’s potential to increase annual productivity growth by about one percentage point in the period to 2024, which then would equate to an extra increase in per capita GDP of $3,500 in the US.

Why it matters: That productivity dividend depends on the social responsibility companies invest in. Some areas to consider include preventing climate change, improving the quality of education, helping smaller companies with lower technological capabilities advance, revisiting wage norms and making reskilling an urgent priority.

Influencers Say They’re Seeing Racial Inequality

Bloomberg

Among the influencers of color who’ve experienced racism is Kenny Kox, a sketch comic who says he not only had his content reposted without credit, but that when he first started out on Vine, despite having 1.6 million followers, he noticed creators with less activity were securing brand deals while he wasn’t landing any.

Why it matters: Echoing this disparity is an Instagram account called @influencerpaygap. Formed in June of last year, the page invites influencers to anonymously share their brand partnership fees. 

One influencer wrote: 

“I would say 90% of the time I am turned down for any rate I give and told there’s no budget so they are only able to do gifting with me. My general rate per post is £100 and this gets turned down almost every time. The biggest paid campaign I have done was £500 for Daniel Wellington, 5 posts with swipe up stories over the period of 3 months.”

APIs Aren’t Just For Tech Companies

Harvard Business Review

Though application programming interfaces (APIs) have enabled the digital transformations of many established tech companies, APIs can benefit companies in every industry, particularly small to midsize ones that are struggling to reach digital audiences via saturated, tightly controlled ad networks.

Why it matters: Companies that have seen the most success with APIs follow three common practices. One, they unbundle software functionality into API-accessible business capabilities, a move that enabled Amazon to debut its most profitable business unit—AWS. Two, they develop products with an outside-in approach, from the customer’s perspective. And three, they use “ecosystem thinking” to map out strategies for sustainable growth, like Airbus did when it launched an API-enabled data platform called Skywise to help airlines lessen maintenance problems and prevent technical delays.