We live in a world of fast fashion, influencers and easy access to the internet and marketing has become more complex, there are more trends and things come into fashion faster. As well as people are more selective about their values as a customer. People are more and more leaning toward reusing and ethical living when it comes to daily life. Brands reflect this and adjust according to this when marketing the services. It seems that it is convenience vs sustainability when it comes to consumption. As we are learning to become more sustainable in our living habits we change our perspective on what we see and hear and what triggers us in good or bad. 

On a personal level I see marketing as a copy-paste template, and looking back even a couple of years ago the Scandinavian marketing scene was white and natural picture perfect. Now there seems to be more personality and is more “real” content from influencers etc. The trends seem to lean more toward positivity and well fair as well as happy as you are a type of movement. And that reflects also in marketing. I don’t think fast fashion or cheaper alternatives that might not be so “clean “will disappear since we live in a society that is custom to comfort.  

From me as a student, I want to live sustainably but sometimes I have to cut corners and get the cheaper version (food and clothes, etc.) knowing that it might not be so sustainably made or produced. Many times, off-brand items at the store are much cheaper but you can’t pinpoint where and how it’s made. Sustainability as a value seems to be my generation’s fixation and that’s why when I buy new items like clothes etc,  I always feel the need to validate my spending and by reasoning why I need it and if I have multiple ways to use will buy it.  

The book focused more on sustainability than marketing in my opinion. Though in my opinion marketing reflects the people and society of that time, since that’s what catches people’s interests. I have always lived in an era when sustainability and recycling have been trending and that’s why it’s an important value for me because of this mindset marketing new products can be hard to make successful. That’s why marketing with you must own this product tone of voice it can backfire as people want to minimize the volume with quality. The fact is that we live in a world of abundance, where we can get what we want with the right amount of money. In Finland, we have social security which helps people in need and covers us when we are sick or get fired from our job. And that’s why we have the option to eat, dress and design our homes how we want. So the question is how to market to people who have everything already? 

I attended our marketing training seminar after reading this book and we dove into sustainable marketing a bit. We talked about similar things that I have already written in this essay before attending. The conclusion from the brief conversation is that sustainability in marketing means how to make a campaign or brand last and grow with the business. 

 We live in an ever-changing world where people have many opinions and values that can be opposites. We as a society like to pick a good or bad side of politics and values, but in reality, our values as an individual determent how we react to situations and this determines what spikes our interest. We like to romanticize a perfect world where all dreams come true and all is well. In my opinion, marketing is a way to show and glorify this perfect world and give a shining version of brands, but can also move us to change our habits or get us to sympathize with social norms. It feels weird to write a third marketing book back-to-back since it feels like I am constantly repeating myself and have no new ideas about how to improve my skills.