How are the companies using environmental values in their marketing communication?

Get Complete Project Material File(s) Now! »

Methodology

In my analysis I used semiotics in order to identify words or images with connotations towards environmental or market values. I also looked for certain rhetorical tools used in the texts and the presence of brand mythology in the marketing communication.

Rhetoric

Rhetoric will be the most important methodological tool to this study, as it will be contribute with a deeper analysis of terms in the text. When analysing texts for underlying meanings, this theory becomes very valuable. With this methodological theory come many conceptual tools, like ‘metaphor’ and ‘personification’. The use for the analysis of existing rhetorical tools are in studying the understandings that the texts try to shape for their reader, as well as details or specifics that the text tries to avoid communicating. The application of these can be of great value during a text analysis.
In any kind of text can we look for the use of these, which are always indications of attempts at persuasion and abstraction (Hansen & Machin, 2013, p. 141).
Using metaphors is a way of painting a verbal picture by which the reader is to understand the meaning of a concept in terms of different concept. For example claiming that a business is ‘flourishing’. By using a plant concept such as ‘flourishing’ the reader is to understand that the business is in a positive state of growth. Other popular metaphors used in, above all political discourses are concepts collected from construction industry, such as ‘laying foundations’ and ‘lay cornerstones’. By using metaphors, certain aspects can be highlighted while others are concealed, seemingly unnoticed by the reader (Machin & Mayr, 2015).
Using personifications in a text is a way of assigning abilities and actions to seemingly lifeless things and concepts. Claiming that inanimate objects perform activities is a rhetorical tool for not revealing the real actors behind a certain event (Machin & Mayr, 2015). An example usable for this study is that ‘climate change is destroying the planet’ where ‘climate change’ is not an actual human being but is still ascribed the action of destroying the planet.
Presupposition deals with elements or facts of a text that are taken for granted or assumed when written in a text. An example can be saying that ‘her car is very fast’ as the definition of ‘fast’ is un-specified. When dealing with texts, presuppositions are of interest to see what is highlighted in a it and what is left in the dark, un-specified and taken for granted (Hansen & Machin, 2013). This concept will be used in the analysis of what the corporations take for granted from the readers of their texts in regards to referring to words while taking for granted that the readers know the meaning. The effect of presuppositions can be an un-contested illusion of a logical argument; a reader can there be un-knowingly persuaded by the text (Hansen & Machin, 2013).
Another aspect of rhetoric that is widely used by big corporations is business rhetoric. In using this tactic a writer cloaks sensitive words in order to cover up who has the real responsibility. Examples can be a company referring to poor people, providing cheap labour as ‘stakeholders’ or even ‘partners’ in order to mask power relations. A social problem like poverty can become ‘challenge’ and the solution becomes ‘innovation’ and ‘creativity’ (Hansen & Machin, 2013).
Semiotics
The theory of semiotics will be the second most prevalent method in the study, since it will be the base of analysis for both images and the text. The theory of semiotics can be broken down into two key concepts: denotation and connotation. Denotation is the most basic meaning of a word or object like it is mentioned in a text or present in a photograph while the connotation is the underlying meaning of the word or the object. Semiotics can be used in many more ways of course, especially when it comes to deeper analysis of images and photographs (Machin & Mayr, 2015), however as this study is primarily a linguistic analysis of texts, only denotation and connotation will be used in order to highlight the most prominent elements of images linked to the companies’ communication of CSR on their profiles. If pictures are used on the profile, the same theory of denotation and connotation will therefore be applied in order to briefly study the visual communication used by the company to represent their CSR-related values.
Barthes (1997) defines one limiting principle when conducting a research by using semiotics, “the principle of relevance” (Barthes, 1997, p. 95). The meaning of this principle can be described as a scholar only researching what is relevant to his or her study in relation to the object that is researched. In relevance to this study, this principle binds me to focus on the areas relevant to my research questions.

Brand Mythology

The last tool I will use in this study is the one of brand mythology, the way a company is selling a way of life to their costumers. A Brand Mythology is when the brand is presenting a way of living or ideas that consumers of their products would be able to live by personify and express. In this way people could embody a new way of life in a World in quick transformation (Grant, 1999). The concept can be used in popular culture via product placement as an example (Elliott, Percy & Pervan, 2011), but in this study it will be used in another context, marketing communication. The concept will be applicable on the reviewing of what lifestyle or personality the auto-manufacturing corporations might assume that their customers want to be identified with. For example if the company provides an image of a young, successful and environmentally aware person driving their car, it can be a brand mythology they want their costumers to pursuit. From a CSR point of view, this can show if the company only communicates values and actions related to the company, or if they want their costumers to find an interest in the subject as well.

Sample

The sample chosen for this research is collected from a combination of two lists. The first one is published by Andrea Murphy (2015) and covers the ten biggest auto companies in the World that year. This list is chosen with the purpose of analysing companies that are selling the most cars in the World. The second list is based on a report on the most environmentally friendly car companies of 2014 (Cook, 2014). This list is chosen to see how the World’s biggest car companies fair when it comes to environmental sustainability hence the combination concludes the biggest companies in sales as well as how they are ranked in environmental sustainability. The first company, that did the absolute best in environmental sustainability according to the report is Hyundai from South Korea (ibid.), the second company, that came in next to last in environmental sustainability but sixth in most sold cars is General Motors. Last I selected a company that placed in the middle on the scale of environmental sustainability, Volkswagen. Two other companies came on the same place in the report regarding environmental sustainability: Toyota and Nissan (ibid.), however for this study I chose Volkswagen for continental diversity as Asia is already represented in the study by Hyundai. As bigger companies in the car industry, which is under special need to change their environmental values et. al (2014) they are of special interest to analyse as to how they portray their CSR to the public and potential customers.
In accordance with Hisyam Selamat, Mat Saat and Raja Mohd Ali (2016), I will complete my study by analysing both webpage content and Facebook profiles. The study is however not a comparison but rather an attempt to establish major differences in presentation on the ‘About us’-section on Facebook versus the equivalent on the webpage.
Analytical schematics
In order to establish how the company approaches the challenge of market versus environment priorities in their texts and images, I formed a plan over words, attributes and terms based on the empirical material that could have connotations towards traditional market goals or environmental values.
Marketing values:
Environmental values:
Design
Creative
Cost-efficient (cheap)
Fuel-efficient (cheap)
High-technology
Innovative
Luxurious
Performance
Practicality
Security/safety
Speed
Technology
Environmentally friendly
Fuel-efficient (low emissions)
Low emissions
Low environmental impact
Recycling
Sustainability
What the analysis shows
In my analysis of the samples I strived to answer my aim and research questions regarding page-focus, use of rhetorical tools, communication via images, dealing with the competitiveness paradox and the building of a corporate identity.

Easy to find with perseverance

All the companies used in this study can be considered to have a strong environmental presence on their website if the visitor is willing to search for it. Both Volkswagen and Hyundai have easier access to pages related to market values, such as innovation, technology. General Motors is a little bit more complex though, with the topic of environmental sustainability being addressed on two un-related pages. The articles on environmental progress are as easy to locate as the news on design, technology and safety in the matter of clicks to get to the page. On the page sampled for study however (the ‘About GM’ page), I have to scroll to the very bottom to find the company’s environmental activities and values.

Creative use of rhetorical tools

A key focus of our customer-first approach is to seek creative and innovative solutions for the environment. We consistently adopt policies and develop technologies that promote a cleaner planet from supply chain to manufacturing to the vehicles we put on the road. (General Motors, About GM, 2017)
This text is a clear example of business rhetoric (marked bold), all the challenges and problems that the environment face, including CO2 emissions, climate change etc. are shortened down to simply be “the environment”, in this way the problems of the environment are un-specified and cloaked up, and the solutions are creativity and innovation, which co-relates to the definitions by Hansen and Machin (2013), the literature explains this as a tool for the company to avoid any specific or radical actions and thereby real responsibility (Hansen & Machin, 2013). The text also includes the presupposition (marked underlined) that the environment needs a solution, here it is taken for granted that the visitors of the webpage knows about the specific issues that General Motors are writing about. According to Hansen and Machin (ibid.), this would affect the reader to un-knowingly assume that the company is doing right by whatever connotations they might have regarding issues of ‘the environment’.
Hyundai Motor Company recognizes the importance and impact that automobiles have on society and mankind.
(Hyundai, Corporate Philosophy, 2017)
Another example of presuppositions (marked bold) used in by the car companies is here presented. Here it is taken for granted that there is a clear importance and impact on society and mankind. The reader is fed with the presupposition that automobiles are very important to mankind and to society which might incline him or her to buy one, even though the person might just as well get along using a bicycle or using a collective means of transportation such as train or bus.
Our automotive business will bring to life the stability and convenience that comes with innovative technologies.
(Hyundai, Corporate Philosophy, 2017)
Yet another example of presuppositions used in the marketing communication. It is here taken for granted that stability and convenience come with innovative technologies in general, which persuades the readers that the products come with high technology and that it is always a good thing. This is taken form the context of automobiles but many other technologies might be considered not as convenient, like tools of war for example, products with higher performance but lower durability or even inventions without a purpose dedicated to fundamental sustainability of the planet and humanity.
It strives to play a role that extends beyond being a simple car manufacturer to become customers’ lifetime companion.
(Hyundai, Corporate Philosophy, 2017)
A company striving towards becoming a person’s companion (marked bold) can be considered to be a form of metaphor usage. The reader is here given the presentation of the company becoming a friend for life to never stray from the costumer’s side. Machin and Mayr (2015) describe metaphors as highlighting one thing in order to draw attention from another. In this case that peripheral object could be the costumers life-long dedication to the company of Hyundai, always buying their products and paying for their services instead of just receiving a friend.
General Motors is the only automaker to sign a climate declaration making tackling climate change a priority.
(General Motors, About GM, 2017)
This text provides another example of the metaphor (marked bold). In order of highlighting the metaphorical image of the company tackling climate change the spotlight is put on the action of performing a tackle through the signing of a declaration. In the periphery there is the issue of how the tackling is going to happen though. The reader might not question the ‘how’ after being provided the metaphorical image of the company performing a tackle on an issue.
The bold, daring and original Cadillac lineup seamlessly blends driving dynamics, refinement and technology to satisfy enthusiasts and luxury seekers alike. (General Motors, About GM, 2017)
Brand mythology might be usually applied to graphic content, in this text however there is an example of the usage of brand mythology (marked bold). The literature describes brand mythology as a way of assigning attributes to the company or products that the public or potential costumers might want to identify with (Grant, 1999). The brand is here communicating that they are the brand for both car enthusiasts and people seeking luxury. This would suggest that people, who would like to identify themselves as enthusiasts or seeking luxury in their lives, would find their products at General Motors.
The text also provides an example of the rhetorical tool of personification (marked underlined). Machin and Mayr (2015) describe personifications as the form of assigning human abilities to inanimate objects in order to hide the real actors behind the event. To assign a lineup the attributes of being bold as well as the action of blending various factors puts the focus on the cars and less on the people who designed and constructed the products. To describe how the designers and engineers hade been able to mix the factors and create bold and original vehicles might not have been perceived as taking to much attention form the cars that the company is trying to sell.
Everything comes to an end one day, even the life of a Volkswagen. And does recycling come after that? The answer here is “no”, because recycling begins a great deal earlier – in fact as soon as a Volkswagen is born.
(Volkswagen, 2017)
A more complex example where the rhetoric (marked bold) could be claimed to be both a personification, in assigning a car the aspects of life and birth, and a metaphor, in putting the highlight on a car living and a car being born. The clearest personification is the birth of the Volkswagen; instead of putting the spotlight on the people producing the car from start to finish it is rather put on the car being “born”. The actors behind the production are suppressed and thereby cleared form responsibility and credit all at once. The metaphorical description of a car’s life also polish the factors of the car increasingly breaking down as it gets older, needing repairs, check-ups and thereby increasing in expenses for the driver.
Award-winning, modern luxury sedans and crossovers, marrying sculpted design, fuel-efficiency, spirited performance and advanced technology. It’s luxury as it should be, your kind of luxury.
(General Motors, About GM 2017)
Here is another example of metaphors (marked bold) mixed with brand mythology (marked underlined). In using the metaphor of marriage the highlight is most likely meant to be at the strong union that the word marriage most likely connotes to many of the readers. An example of how the aspects of the products are in focus instead of the people behind the production.
In regards to the presence of brand mythology the communication strives to show that the brand delivers luxury to their consumers. It is here taken for granted that luxury is what is to be desired by the costumers. It is also an example of the results derived from the study of Park, Lee and Hong (2016) where the companies are presenting the fantasy of being a higher-class company.
By transforming the automobile into a happy space that people can rely on anywhere and at any time, we aim to add new value to the traditional car. (Hyundai, Corporate Philosophy, 2017)
When analyzing texts, most uses of the word ‘new’ can be a sign of presupposition usage in the text (Hansen & Machin, 2013). The presupposition in this text (marked bold) is in a way present everywhere in the text. By transforming the car it is taken for granted that every car in present possession is not a happy place that people cannot rely on anywhere and at any time as well as the claim that it is in dire need of an addition of new value. Environmental values, which are the subject for the challenge in the first place between old and new cars, is not mentioned.
Purpose-built vehicles reaching a higher standard through engineering excellence and innovation. We give our customers the power to be their best. We are Professional Grade. (General Motors, About GM, 2017)
Here is another example of the usage of brand mythology (marked bold) in the communication. The example is not as narrow as the other examples for example going for something specific like luxury. This usage rather aims at everyone who wants to be the best person they can be to buy one of the company’s products.

Focus on the car in images

The semiotic part of the analysis has aimed at finding denotations in images presented on the webpages that can connote market values or environmental values, however the major part was concentrated at the few pictures with environmental connotations.
A few of the bigger images used by the companies are dedicated to connote to environmental values and sustainability. One is a road going on beside big body of water (Hyundai, Corporate Philosophy), a true example of driving in nature with a clear connotation of environmental sustainability. There is only one car in the image as well as the road not being the major factor in the image but rather an object off focus in the lower corner, this can lead to a connotation of environment being the central focus.
One animation is also portraying connotations to environmental sustainability values. A General Motors car driving on a road with only four objects besides the car and the road: The sun, a tree and two solar cell panels (General Motors, About GM, 2017). This picture has clear connotations towards the General Motor car being in harmony with the environment as well as an environmentally sustainable community, as the solar cells most likely does not charge the car’s battery directly they could have bigger connotations to an environmental society than the specific car. The tree in the picture is however very small in comparison to the car (with the car in front of the tree, the tree is all but blocked out of the picture). This does not give as strong connotations towards environmental values as if the tree would have been taller than the car and with a big crown in contrast to the white background. The image gives a bigger connotation of the car being in focus for the company. The forests are small in comparison and the technological advancements (solar panels), which are both twice as many and much bigger than the tree in the image are of greater importance.
Volkswagen (Environmental Responsibility, 2017) presents another great example of an image with clear connotations. With a small road in the middle of a field and the background covered by a great forest and no other sign of humanity but a small sign, displaying the Volkswagen logo, the company communicates a statement on their views on environment and nature. The nature is in focus and Volkswagen and the road are both part of it but not as central to the company as its relationship to the environment and the nature.
Signs of nature are however nowhere to be seen on many of the images on the companies’ pages. Hyundai’s page dedicated to their philosophy and core values have a head picture showing two hands, a pencil and blueprints with the third picture is dedicated to showing a car these pictures absent of context give no connotations towards environmental values at all but rather towards market-related values like creativity, design, performance, speed, high-technology etc. Many other images present cars produced by the company on a white or industrial background, clear connotations towards a nice design, whether the car is small and slick to connote speed or grand to connote forcefulness, safety and stability. In this sense, very few of the images have connotations to environmental values but rather towards proving a high-technological production, a pretty design or a strong performance by the vehicle.

Presence of market values

Handy (2002) writes about competitiveness paradox and how every company is driven by business and financial gain through new technology and quality enhancement. Simultaneously the importance of environmental values is mentioned in order for companies to keep doing business. On the pages analysed I have searched for how the companies deal with the competitiveness paradox by searching the texts for words with connotations to market goals or environmental values. In many occasions the market related words were used in relation to providing a reason of purchase for the costumer, but some cases the terms were used in order to explain environmental prominence in the vehicle.
In the examples below, bold will be used to highlight market-related words and underline will be used to highlight the words that can have connotations towards environmental values.
We will deliver greater benefits and value to our customers by securing cost competitiveness in the global market. From product development to after-sales service, we will ensure that every process related to the automobile is in line with providing the ultimate customer experience.
(Hyundai, Corporate Philosophy, 2017)
This text is an example of only containing terms with connotations towards market-related values (marked bold). The words in the text can be connected to the term of cost-efficiency, a term with more connotations towards market values than environmental sustainability.
In addition, we will continue to realize sustainable management by ceaselessly developing new technologies that aim to enhance energy efficiency. We will also expand our service from manufacturing finished cars to all things related to the automobile-including raw materials, auto parts, financing, used cars and recycling. We will also utilize cutting-edge IT technology to maximize connectivity with our customers. (Hyundai, Corporate Philosophy, 2017)
This text provides both words with connotations to environmental values (marked underlined) and market related values (marked bold). The communication in this text can be an example of the competitiveness paradox where terms with market related values are used in introducing the environmental terms and vice versa.
Purpose-built vehicles reaching a higher standard through engineering excellence and innovation. We give our customers the power to be their best. We are Professional Grade. (General Motors, About GM, 2017)
One example in providing a very popular market-related term: innovation (marked bold).
Being innovative appeared to be a very central term to the companies in this study.
In addition, we are focusing on innovative, renewable fuels which bind CO₂ during production and effectively bring CO₂-neutral mobility within viable range. (Volkswagen, Drivetrain and Fuel Energy, 2017)
Here is another example where the market related term (marked bold) of innovation is used in the context of a word with connotations towards environmental values (marked underlined).
Our automotive business will bring to life the stability and convenience that comes with innovative technologies.
(Hyundai, Corporate Philosophy, 2017)
Here are more examples of market-related terminology (marked bold). This sentence displays words with connotations towards safety, practicality as well as combining the two words of innovation and technology to create a word with very high connotation towards market related values: innovative technologies. Here the terminology is not used in order to explain or motivate environmental values or activities but rather only to communicate market values. The competitiveness paradox is here out of balance in favor of the business goals.
Award-winning, modern luxury sedans and crossovers, marrying sculpted design, fuel-efficiency, spirited performance and advanced technology. It’s luxury as it should be, your kind of luxury.
(General Motors, About GM 2017)
This last example portrays many words with connotations towards market related values (market bold). It does also provide one term that can be used in the context of market values as well as environmental: fuel-efficiency. In this sentence it can however be made an argument for that the term is used with the meaning of the car being cheap to drive which gives it a market related purpose. It is however a final example of how the competitiveness paradox can be addressed, by using words that can have connotations towards both environmental sustainability and market values.

Table of contents
Introduction
Aim and Question
How are the companies using environmental values in their marketing communication?
Research Review
Research on CSR
Research on Webpage organisation
Research on Corporate Identity
Research on CSR in Marketing Communication
Research on CSR and Social Media
Research Gap
Theoretical Framework
Corporate Social Responsibility
Marketing Communication
Corporate Identity
Competitiveness Paradox
Methodology
Rhetoric
Semiotics
Brand Mythology
Sample
Analytical schematics
What the analysis shows
Easy to find with perseverance
Creative use of rhetorical tools
Focus on the car in images
Presence of market values
Boasting or informing
Nothing new on Facebook
Further Discussion and Impressions
Webpage layout
Accessibility
Elusive communication
Complex Communication
The lack of presentation on Facebook
Concluding Answers
Suggestions Regarding Future Research
References
GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT