OUGD601 - Extended Essay - Structure 2

HOW DO BRANDS / COMPANIES NORMALISE / ENCOURAGE SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOUR IN CONSUMERS?

How do brands / companies normalise / encourage sustainable consumption?

INTRO (500 words)

General outline of problem / consumption / unsustainable behaviour 300 words

Outline argument views on sustainability in business, ecologism and from consumers

Relationships between brands, consumers and sustainability

How design is used to influence positive and negatively patterns of consumption

How design is used by brands to engage consumers with their sustainable activities and promote sustainable consumption

MODELS, PERCEPTIONS AND IDEAS OF SUSTAINABILITY (1000 words)

- business and environmentalism

- consumers idea of sustainability

Conflicting business and environment

Sustainability

Vague / Uncertain

-        Conflicting ideas of sustainability – vague

Consumers ideas of sustainability / sustainable products

-        Negative view / aesthetic

-        Negative view of sustainable consumption

-        Negative view / reliability / quality

-        Green washing / ethos

-        Expensive

-        Confusion over terms

-        Do people care about the environment?

-        Difficulties getting people on board 

Ecologists idea of Sustainability / sustainable consumption

-        Tech not solution

-        System change

-        Limits to Growth

-        Intrinsic Value

-        Reduced Consumption

-        Ecocentrism

-        Equity between generations

-        Move away from industrial tech and current paradigm

Ecologism / Environmentalism

-        System change vs reformist / managerial approach

Business / Companies idea of sustainability / sustainable consumption

-        Growth

-        GNP as measure of health

-        Business dominant

-        Increased Consumption

-        Instrumental value

-        Anthropocentric

Business and Environmental Can or Can’t work together

-        Can work together

-        Cannot coexist

-        Sustainable Development middleground?

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRANDS, CONSUMERS AND SUSTAINABILITY (1000 words)

Trying to be green - Relationship between:

-        Manufacturers

-        Consumer

-        Government / Legislation

-        Designers

Relationship between sustainability and brands – why they are becoming sustainable

Relationship between brands and consumers – influence brands have on consumers

-        Influence consumers have on brands

-        Influence environmental concerns are having on consumer  

Business

-        Sees benefits of sustainable initiatives

-        Perception

-        Demand from consumer

-        Competitive / success

-        Profit

-        Ethics add value

-        Forced to consider environment

-        Without these?

Consumer awareness / Public Opinion / Support for environment / Wants / Emotions

-        Awareness of issue

-        Environmental concern – peak

-        Making change in the market

-        Making / changing habits in consumers

Brands use of design to influence the uptake of sustainable consumption

-        Brands increasing or decreasing sustainability

-        Design in general – Design increase consumption / plays on lack / creates desires

-        How / what it uses – Desires created by consumer led design – Playing on needs / Lack / Desires / Progress

-        Design / advertising / marketing – Decreasing Consumption

-        Able to influence consumer purchasing / sustainable consumption through design

-        Brands can influence behaviour 

HOW DO THEY DO THIS? (2000 words)

How do they use sustainability / show it?

CASE STUDIES and link these to theories and perspectives

Encouraging sustainable consumption through Branding and Marketing

-        Hedonism

-        Understand needs

-        Market segments

-        Messaging – Cautionary vs positive marketing

-        Incentivising behaviour

-        Imagery

-        Ethics can’t replace quality

-        Trust

-        Emotions

-        Show benefits

-        Rational vs Emotional

-        Educate

-        Make it easy to understand

-        Make it convenient

-        Make it social

-        Normalising sustainability

-        Brands and ethos

-        Use of language

  

CONCLUSION (500 WORDS)

Balance between consumerism and sustainability

Never completely sustainable