Collaboratively and Sustainably Marketing Company X’s Innovation

Abstract

To address the plastic waste problem, Company X has developed a unique sustainable in-novation. Given the complexities of sustainability, it is not immediately clear how these novel materials and products should be marketed. Company X would like to become an ingredient brand – the Gore-Tex of sustainable materials. Therefore, to answer the research question (RQ) “How can Company X collaboratively and sustainably market its innovation?”, this thesis will cover the concepts of sustainable marketing, collaborative marketing and competitive advantage. For Company X’s brand to truly become an ingredient brand it should be recognizable among consumers, but the scope of this thesis focuses on company perspectives and left out the consumer perspective. Structured and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 3 specialized individuals with a working relationship with Company X during the time of the research. A survey with 39 respondents was conducted with a convenient and purposive non-probability sample of Company X’s customers. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically and quantitative data was primarily processed through statistical graphs. Through theoretical concepts and the collected data, close collaboration, trust and open communication were identified to be vital components for building an ingredient brand that is sustainably and collaboratively marketed by both Company X and its customers. Through the data collection it was apparent that Company X and its customers highly value sustainability which creates a solid foundation for their sustainable and collaborative marketing. However, it is important that the sustainability message conveyed by Company X is consistent, clear and fully understood by its customers to ease the complexities of sustain-ability and build a strong and recognizable ingredient brand. Furthermore, Company X must provide more value in addition to sustainability in order to create more meaning for the ingredient brand and to truly meet its customers’ expectations without compromises.