How Purpose Opens Doors
Here’s one… have you ever found yourself in that dichotomy of ‘do I elevate our purpose into marketing executions or just leave it as a tab on the website and tell people we have one if they ask’?
Well, let’s see if we can use an example to suggest why elevating purpose into everything you do might be the right thing for the sports & entertainment industry…
This week's Thursday Thought comes from the amazing work being led by the team at Forest Green Rovers in the UK’s League Two (I mentioned them last week). Given the topic around the worrying carbon costs of our passions, I wanted to highlight a few more of the specific areas FGR have gained ground with since their transition into a purpose-led business and sports club.
It’s fair to say that their transition to purposefulness was helped by being Chaired by a huge advocate and protagonist for environmental sustainability; something which flew in the face of culture at the time, Dale Vince OBE.
The impacts of their efforts are only just starting but are nonetheless bloody impressive. Here’s a simple timeline of progress since setting the focus on driving their purpose.
2010 - Green industrialist Dale Vince becomes a major shareholder in the club and later that year became Chairman.
2011 - Vince instigates a ban on meat consumption by players which soon extended to removal of meat options from the menu at concession stands. Additionally, 180 solar panels were installed generating 10% of the energy needs of the club
2012 - The playing surface was certified organic and was maintained by robotic machines driven by solar power, winning an award from the Institute of Groundsmanship for its focus on sustainability
2015 - FGR became the world’s first all-vegan football club
2016 - The club announced a new design for a 5,000 seat stadium to be built entirely of wood and yet it wasn’t until 2021 that the designs gained approval from the English Football League
2018 - The club became the first football club in the world to be certified by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as Carbon Neutral
2021 - the team strip was the first in the world to be made from composite material made up of coffee grounds and recycled plastic
2021 - FIFA recognised FGR as the ‘Greenest Team in the World’
Great work, FGR, but here’s where it gets more interesting for me. The dogged focus on their purpose drew relevant brands into the mix as commercial partners. A scan of the partner list on the clubs website reveals the story:
Brands who share the same focus and values. Brands who want to contribute to FGR’s successes. Brands whose customers demand such authenticity. A perfect synergy indeed.
It’s rarely seen in sponsorship that such an alignment takes place. It’s not to suggest we must all strive for this, but it’s a great yardstick for what can be achieved.
Not only is FGR the Greenest Team in the World, but I’d argue they’ve also got the most sustainable partner roster too...
