A DEEP DIVE INTO KARINE COTTIN’S EPISODE ON SUSTAINABLE MARKETING

HOW MARKETING DEPARTMENTS DRIVE INTERNAL TRANSFORMATION IN BUSINESS?

In this episode, we welcome Karine Cottin, Senior Advisor for Care&Good and ex-Chief Marketing Officer at Pierre Fabre Group. Karine, with her 25 years of innovation and management in the cosmetics and care industry, shares her experiences on how marketing and innovation teams are pivotal in spearheading positive transformations within companies.

The urgency for transformation in businesses has shifted from being merely transitional to transformative, requiring rapid and strategic changes. Marketing and innovation teams are now at the forefront of this shift. They are not just responding to external regulatory pressures but are also proactively leading the charge by leveraging deep insights into consumer behavior and market trends. These teams are fundamental in creating brand preference and performance, attracting investors, and recruiting talented individuals by positioning companies as meaningful brands.

The transformation extends beyond compliance; it involves rethinking marketing strategies to align with broader business transformations. This entails developing forward-looking visions that incorporate social and environmental considerations, essential for businesses that aim to not only succeed but also lead in their respective industries.

Karine identifies significant obstacles that businesses commonly face in transformation efforts. These include short-term business priorities conflicting with long-term investment needs and the difficulty of integrating innovative projects within traditional business models. Additionally, a cultural barrier exists where continuous improvement and sustainability efforts are often seen as indictments of past practices rather than progress.

Karine played a pivotal role in creating initiatives like the "Conscious Care" movement, which emphasizes conscious action within the ecosystem, and "Pharma-recharge," a consortium that enables bulk purchasing. These projects demonstrate how marketing teams can drive significant environmental and social changes within the business framework.

For businesses eager to embark on transformation, Karine recommends starting with a clear understanding of the internal and external drivers of change. Emphasizing the importance of collaboration across various departments, such as RSE (Corporate Social Responsibility) teams, she highlights that a collective effort is crucial for effective transformation.

Companies today are not just fighting for profitability but are also striving for a sustainable future. This shift towards a sustainable economy involves redefining the essence of marketing and its role in promoting sustainable consumption practices. The aim is to make sustainability desirable and feasible for consumers, moving away from the traditional push towards overconsumption.

The transformation within companies, driven by marketing and innovation teams, is not just a necessity but a strategic opportunity to lead in a rapidly evolving marketplace. By embracing sustainable practices, companies can achieve not only economic success but also contribute positively to the societal and environmental landscape. As demonstrated by Karine’s leadership and initiatives, the path forward involves embracing change internally, fostering collaboration, and redefining the goals of marketing to align with the urgent needs of our times.

At We Don't Need Roads , we support your company within your entire sustainable transformation journey. From reduction, to adaptation and, in this case, the reinvention of your business model with implementable and viable sustainable innovations.??

We can specifically support you in assessing, derisking, designing, launching and scaling the most relevant sustainable solutions, with a strong focus on circular solutions. We can support you in various ways:

• REINVENTION EXPLORATION: we help you explore and understand the relevance of the innovation opportunity for your company. With a core focus on consumer insights, related regulations, competition and sustainability trends.?

• REINVENTION CONCEPT: we help you design and prototype the most relevant solution for your company in concretely embracing more sustainable business models. We can support you in testing and launching as well!?

• REINVENTION COALITION: when it comes to reinvention, acting alone is not enough. That is why we can also help you create the right coalition to tackle innovative approach at scale with other actors of your value chain/industry

Listen to the episode starring Karine’s episode here !