Making tradition sustainable: How consumers make sense of NIVEA’s sustainability communication

Abstract: With the growing concern about the environment, consumers become more critical in their consumption and almost every organization communicates its sustainability efforts. However, not in every case do consumers believe in sustainability claims. This exploratory case study with the global skincare brand NIVEA examines the brand’s sustainability communication from a consumer perspective. It aims to understand the meaning creation process of consumers according to sensemaking theory based on their brand authenticity perceptions. Findings of focus group interviews show that brand authenticity is perceived subjectively as consumers draw on different dimensions of brand authenticity and cues extracted from sustainability communication to attribute authenticity. The consumers’ sensemaking process is marked by lacking awareness, contradictions, and uncertainty. Though NIVEA appears to have a trust advantage based on its long tradition, its sustainability communication is rarely known and if so, viewed critically. Consumers seek understandable facts, concrete measures, goals, and achievements. This study contributes to strategic communication by examining how sustainability communication must be strategically managed to reach consumers’ brand authenticity perceptions. Limitations of the study are discussed and suggestions for further research are derived from the findings.