Camilla Marcus-Drew, Camilla Marcus-Dew, Head of Commercial at CLARITY-The Soap Co.
Although it might not be entirely obvious, a paradigm shift in purchasing habits both for the trade and consumers is upon us. In recent years those tasked with both designing products and bringing brands to market have started to sit up and take notice of certain evolving and very particular sensibilities.
A new lexicon of words and imagery that truly resonate have come to the fore. Key communications buzz words that see orders closed and buying habits switched – such as eco, local and social – are no longer add-ons. They increasingly reflect the zeitgeist and as such are powerful prompts for the purse strings to open.
And, beyond this revised lexicon, when there is a story to tell that tugs at the heart strings – albeit in an authentic way – brand awareness jumps out and sticks in the mind.
At CLARITY-The Soap Co., we have set ourselves to developing brands that are truly memorable; eco-friendly, sustainably sourced, lessening our carbon footprint and yet retaining all the hallmarks of quality you would expect.
What’s more, our heritage is built upon social enterprise that leads to real and impactful change. Since 1854, we have had a dedicated mission to provide meaningful employment to those in society who really need it – blind, disabled, visually impaired and otherwise disadvantaged people whose lives can be revolutionised by working in a supportive environment.
And in the last two years we have launched The Soap Co. collections and also CLARITYECO+, both of which have been taken up by big business and smaller enterprises alike that respond both to the CLARITY back story of dedicated social action and, of course, to the quality and eco credentials of our fragrances, ingredients and packaging.
For these reasons CLARITY-The Soap Co. is uniquely positioned to elbow its way with compelling marketing messages onto the shelves of major high street retailers and into washrooms of organisations across any industry sector.
As awareness of the myriad challenges facing our planet become second nature to consumers, brands that are grounded in ethical values and that relate a narrative that hits home are gaining market share.
The end result of all of this is that budgets set aside for procurement by business for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fulfilment are set to become more mainstream budgets. Pressure is mounting on manufacturers and marketers to align themselves and their products to the ethics and values ever more of us are coming to share and believe in. And social enterprises are in the vanguard of this trend.
Camilla Marcus-Drew is Head of Commercial at CLARITY-The Soap Co. and will present on ‘Are indie brands still worth the hype?’ at in-cosmetics Global on Tuesday 17 April from 14.15-15.00.