Key points for sustainability marketing without the sustainability:

• Tesla distinguished itself as a EV brand by appealing to a broad range of traits which transcend sustainability, and in doing so, broadened their appeal to non-environmentalists

• The case of “Don’t Mess with Texas” illustrates that campaigns to encourage a sustainable behavior need not focus on sustainability at all, but instead, on what matters to the people you’re trying to influence

• Across these cases and others, the lesson for sustainably minded companies is clear: when it comes to marketing, go beyond sustainability

The naming conventions of cars are typically an emphatic bore. For Audi, their A-line represents their sedans, and range in size from the A3 - their smallest model, to the A8, their signature, full-sized sedan. Their SUVs follow a similar naming pattern, from smallest to largest, but start with Q. 

Their German counterpart, BMW, has an extensive naming convention that covers all of its subsidiaries, and even encompasses its history in airplane engines. It prides itself on the logic of its naming system, and even has an internal department called, “Strategic Naming and Vehicle Identification”. 

And then there’s Tesla. 

At first, there seems to be no naming convention at all. But look closer. Their first-ever model was the “S”, followed by the slightly smaller and less expensive “model 3”. This was then followed by the “X”, which Tesla describes as an SUV, though its size is more what other automakers would call a crossover. Finally, there’s the Model “Y”, which is also very similar to the “S”, but with a lower range. 

Placing these in chronological order, it plainly reads: “S3XY”, a sneaky means of adding “SEXY” into their lineup. This is more than just Tesla trivia, and it is not just a quirk of Tesla’s mercurial founder. Instead, it is an expression of Tesla’s deeper brand strategy. It provides the perfect jumping-off point to understand how brands should think about marketing sustainable products. 

How Tesla Went Beyond Sustainability

Dating back to the company’s founding, Musk’s stated mission for Tesla was explicit: “I want to make electric cars sexy”. This goal is noteworthy. From its inception, the brand wasn’t focused on environmental sustainability or the green revolution. Tesla has had an immeasurable impact on both of these fronts, but it never set out to be a “sustainable brand”. They weren’t trying to be the “Patagonia of the auto industry”. 

Instead, they set out to be a “sexy” brand centered around its high-tech features and sleek, futuristic design. And a brand that, beneath the surface, happens to sell a sustainable product. 

Tesla, of course, wasn’t the first environmentally friendly car to hit the American market. Hybrid and fully electric vehicles have a long history in the U.S., dating back to the early 1900s. In the modern era, Toyota’s Prius, launched in 2000, was the first hybrid car to gain widespread popularity. While it remains one of the top-selling hybrid models in the U.S. it remains limited in its appeal. 

This is owed to the attributes at the core of the brand’s identity. From the beginning, The Prius aimed to be an appealing car for people who love the environment. In contrast, Tesla wanted to be an appealing car, for people. Period. By focusing its brand on a set of attributes that transcend environmental values, Tesla has broadened its appeal to drivers who may care little for sustainability. What’s better than getting green consumers to adopt a green product? Getting non-green consumers to adopt a green product. 

Tesla’s success here holds a broader lesson for companies looking to sell sustainable products: in your branding and in your marketing, go beyond sustainability. 

Sustainability Marketing without the Sustainability

The chief aim of any brand is to resonate with the target market and distinguish itself from other competitors in the industry. As we’ve seen here, brands that DO sustainability (e.g. have a sustainable product), need not make sustainability the centerpiece of their branding and messaging. Depending on the audience, the central message needs to be something more exciting than “because it's good for the environment”. 

Consider the following example. In the 1980s, the state of Texas had an expensive sustainability problem on its hands. Back then, drivers would freely throw their trash from their cars, making their roads and highways some of the most littered places in the state. Each year, the Department of Transportation would spend over $20m cleaning it up. And each year, they would just get littered all over again. 

The solution was simple: get people to stop throwing trash out of their cars. But how? The Department of Transportation tried various things. They threatened drivers with large fines for littering. They launched a series of campaigns to encourage an appreciation for sustainability, and to encourage environmental stewardship. They launched a marketing campaign, with television ads and large billboards, to “keep Texas Beautiful”. Nothing worked. 

Out of desperation, they turned to a marketing agency, GSD&M, led by Tim McCloskey. He instantly saw the problem. “Keep Texas Beautiful” was a great slogan, with a highly influential environmental message. But it was influential to the wrong people. This is a great slogan for people who already like the environment, but that wasn’t the people we’re trying to address. The average Texan driving along the interstate isn’t an environmentalist; they are, in McCloskey’s words, “Bubbas in Pickup Trucks”. The question then became: how do we promote sustainable behavior amongst people who won’t necessarily care for the environment? 

Sustainability Marketing for non-Environmentalists

McCloskey and his team set out to create a campaign with this target market in mind. The core issue came down to this: How do you get non-environmentalists to stop littering? The answer, it turns out, is to move away from environmental sustainability completely. What they came up with is, still to date, one of the most effective environmental campaigns of all time. It launched in 1987, and by 1990, there was a 70% decrease in the amount of roadside trash. Their campaign slogan? “Don’t mess with Texas”. 

It’s a genius campaign. It framed the act of littering in terms that resonated with the target audience, as an affront to what mattered to them most: their state pride. The slogan is a call to Lone Star values, admonishing the driver that no self-respecting Texan throws trash on their state! Compared to state pride, environmental sustainability is not particularly high on the audience’s list of priorities. Any mention of the environment, nature’s beauty, etc. is conspicuously absent from this incredibly effective pro-environmental campaign. 

“Don’t Mess with Texas” wasn’t just a successful environmental campaign. It went on to take on much greater meaning, becoming a cultural moniker of brash, Texan pride. Today, you’ll find the slogan emblazoned on bumper stickers, coffee cups, Christmas ornaments, and countless t-shirts. Its broader cultural appeal, over thirty years later, is a true testament to its deeper resonance - going above and beyond the environmental cause for which it was originally introduced.

Final Thoughts on Sustainability Marketing

The success of “Don’t Mess with Texas” mirrors that of Tesla’s. Both were able to encourage the adoption of sustainable behavior by speaking to non-sustainable attributes. And in doing so, they were able to resonate with people who may not necessarily value sustainability.

These aren’t isolated instances. As we’ve seen in the case of Vegan Meats, and Slutty Vegan, the goal of the brand is, first and foremost, to resonate with consumers. To this end, brands need to think more broadly about their appeal, relying more on good, creative marketing, and less on moral claims.  

Across all of these cases, there’s a clear lesson for sustainably-minded companies: Don’t do sustainability marketing. 

Photo by Drew Dizzy Graham via UnSplash

References for How Sustainable Companies can sell Green Products by Going Beyond Sustainability

Bethea, C. (April, 2023), Special Sauce, The New Yorker

Shotton, R. (2023), The Illusion of Choice: 16 ½ psychological biases that influence what we buy, Harriman House

Thompson, D. (Feb, 2023), The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Fake Meat in America, Plain English with Derek Thompson, Podcast