We celebrated Earth Week by hosting an incredible event last week with two B Corp businesses that are on a mission to create positive change in their industries.
We were joined by three brilliant guest speakers in the FMCG world who took to the stage and spoke to us about how they use brand marketing to create a positive cultural shift. Our very own Tara Parashar, Digital Strategist and Planner hosted the panel discussion and asked a series of questions framed around what it means to be a disruptive brand.
Meet the Speakers
Our first speaker of the evening was Micah Douglas, the content and community marketer at Tony’s Chocolonely.
Micah spoke about Tony’s brand story and how the chocolate company came to be.
The story of Tony’s Chocolonely begins with a Dutch journalist named Teun van de Keuken, who was appalled by the use of child labour and modern slavery in the cocoa industry. After investigating the issue, Teun van de Keuken decided to take action and create a chocolate company that would operate differently.
Today, Tony’s Chocolonely has built up a loyal following of customers who appreciate its commitment to ethical and sustainable practices. The company has done this by rolling out strong communications, focussing on the impact they are creating in the cocoa industry. “If Tony’s can demonstrate that we’re a for-profit company that is making money, we will encourage other chocolate companies to follow,” explains Micah.
When you tuck into your next bar of Tony’s beneath that bright and cheerful packaging you’ll notice that each square of chocolate is unequal, reflecting the lack of equality within the chocolate industry. Micah even pointed out a hidden map of Ghana and the Ivory Coast in a bar of Tony’s. A cheerful brand tone of voice and a clever approach to sharing some tough facts about the chocolate industry makes it easier for Tony’s Chocolonely to land what is a complex and difficult-to-process story.
Next up we had Emily Laws, Head of Brand and Megan Taylor, Head of Creative at Lucky Saint.
Lucky Saint’s draught beer can be found in thousands of bars, restaurants and pubs across the country. They’re rated as the UK’s #1 independent alcohol-free beer brand and are also a fellow B Corp, which means they’re committed to using the power of business for good. Lucky Saint meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. “Building a responsible, ambitious business was and will always remain the goal at Lucky Saint,” says Luke Boase, the Founder of Lucky Saint.
Emily and Megan explained that product is the core of their brand. Lucky Saint does one thing well. And that one thing is a premium alcohol-free lager.
“No one is buying our alcohol-free beer because it’s sustainable, they’re buying it because the beer tastes good. We want to be to alcohol-free what Guinness is to stout. People will only buy a product that tastes good but for us, sustainability is the Trojan horse. So we have to make sustainability a standard.” – Emily Laws, Head of Brand
For disruptive businesses to be truly effective, they must set out to create the cultural change they wish to see in society as opposed to solely focusing on flash-in-the-pan marketing stunts. For Lucky Saint, that culture change is how we consume alcohol in the U.K, by offering a premium lager that not only tastes good but does good they are helping to create that shift.
In March 2023, Lucky Saint opened up a pub in the heart of Marylebone, London. “Since opening the pub last month it’s been really busy. It’s a testament to the cultural shift that is underway in society.” – Megan Taylor, Head of Creative
Disruptive brands can often feel bigger than they actually are. Lucky Saint is only four years old, yet, because of their premium approach and considered, credible communications – they feel more like a heritage brand. This goes to show that organisations that prioritise brand communications create an engaged audience base. Naturally, people are curious about them and want to find out more as a result we sold out the event within a week of going live – brand marketing always wins.
Here are four of our favourite takeaways:
1) There’s a difference between ‘disruptive’ brand marketing which seeks to make a real and sustained change in the market, and ‘wacky’ stunt marketing which might get flashes of attention but possibly won’t help you create long-term change.
2) One of the best ways to be disruptive is to have an excellent product. Show your audience that there’s an alternative way to do things and that switching things up doesn’t mean sacrificing quality.
3) Disrupting a market means changing the way that people think about certain products. Once you’ve grown a community around your brand, keep giving them what they want – a great product and a brand whose values they believe in.
4) There’s a challenger spirit to people who work in marketing for disruptive brands. It can be tough to create change. A great marketer can throw their passion behind a project, marrying that up with their expertise to create brand marketing that makes an impact.
Check out the video below to hear from our panel host, Tara Parashar.
Hey there, don’t be a stranger. We would love to stay in contact with you 
If you missed this event but are interested in coming along to our next one then sign up for our newsletter.
Want to follow more of the things we put out into the world?
Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram
Written by
Enviral