Unilever has announced the results of a study that examines the role of influencer content on sustainable choices, alongside a cohort of eco-conscious influencers and behavioural scientists.
The company created the experiment in partnership with the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), the world’s first government institution dedicated to applying behaviour science.
BIT built a simulated social platform that showed people various styles of content, and measured the resulting behaviour change of 6,000 UK, US, and Canadian consumers, to put activist influencer social media content to the test.
Impact Of Influencers
Influencers have the single biggest impact on people’s green choices today, according to the study. Influencers impact 78% of people, which is far ahead of TV documentaries (48%), news articles (37%) and government campaigns (20%).
The results show that 83% agree that TikTok and Instagram are helpful places to seek advice on eco-friendly practices at home.
Unilever says this validates the importance of social media as a valuable tool in helping to make sustainable living commonplace. This was even higher (86%) for younger participants aged between 18-34 years, the company noted
Branded Content
According to the study, branded content was viewed as just as engaging, authentic and informative as the unbranded content, with participants supportive of social media creators making sponsored sustainable content.
Eight in 10 (77%) support creators encouraging their audience to behave in an environmentally friendly way, and seven in ten (72%) support them selling products or services focused on sustainability.
Read More: Walmart Explores Matchmaker Marketplace For Social Media Influencers
"People are finding it hard to make sustainable choices due to a lack of simple, immediate and trustworthy information," added Conny Braams, Unilever’s chief digital and commercial officer.
"Our ambition is to continue to collaborate with our partners to improve the sustainability content produced by our brands and support the creators we work with. Together, we are learning what is all likes and no action versus content that makes sustainable choices simple and preferred."
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest A-Brands news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
