SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

By Alex Williams – Sustainable Business Network

Businesses will have the opportunity to learn how to effectively communicate their sustainability progress, both to their markets and internal teams, at the Project NZ: Telling Good Stories conference at AUT University, Auckland on 3^rd September.

Rachel Brown, CEO of the Sustainable Business Network, which is organising the conference, says brands that are telling their sustainability story in a compelling way are becoming more powerful.

“There are a growing number of New Zealand organisations that have made good progress in a host of clever purpose-led initiatives in recent years. Yet market research shows there is a gap in public awareness and, when asked, Kiwis find it very hard to name one company doing good work in this area.

“We are not great story tellers, particularly when the stories are complex. Most businesses prefer to keep their good works under the radar because they don’t know how to talk about them,” she says.

Colmar Brunton’s latest research shows that while 90 per cent of consumers say their purchasing behaviour is influenced by (social or environmental or health related) issues, two in three people can’t name a leader in sustainability.

Rachel says she wants the Project NZ: Telling Good Stories conference to turn that figure around.

“We want to help organisations learn tools from leading experts so they can grow the commercial success of their business through building the right messages for their market and connecting with their stakeholders. Sustainable brands in New Zealand need to tell their good stories,” she says.

She says it’s important to get internal teams onside too. Colmar Brunton’s research shows that 70 per cent of New Zealanders want to work for a sustainable company, so it’s important everyone in the office hears and understands the stories of sustainable success.

Project NZ: Telling Good Stories will explore the best in sustainable brands globally and in New Zealand. It will look at digital trends and innovations, and show attendees how to use their brand as a voice for change.

Speakers are leaders in their field and include international experts from the UK and Australia, as well as leaders of some of New Zealand’s foremost sustainable brands.

Keynote speaker Matthew Yeomans is the Founder of Sustainly, a UK media consultancy providing intelligence and advisory services for brands communicating sustainability, including FTSE and Fortune 500 companies. He is the lead author of the Social Media Sustainability Index.

Other leading speakers include Peter Cullinane, Founder and Chairman of Lewis Road Creamery and Alicia Darvall, CEO of B Corps Australia.

Topics will include the new era of communicating and sustainability, the future of sustainable brands in New Zealand, new innovations, connecting with millennials, marketing, internal communication, visual storytelling, integrated reporting and engaging with the media. The full programme will be released soon.

Early bird tickets are now on sale for the conference until 15^th July.

Further information is available on the Sustainable Business Network website: sustainable.org.nz

Tags: sbn, sustainable business