In an era where social responsibility transcends industries, This month’s blog illuminates the innovative integration of impact reports in the entertainment sector, spotlighting how icons like Coldplay and Billie Eilish are championing this movement.
We’re big believers that impact crosses industry, organization type and geography – and that it’s at the intersection of these lanes where the real magic happens. This showed up in a fun way this week when we came across Coldplay’s sustainability report.
For nonprofits, annual impact reports are a necessity – and businesses are increasingly seeing the importance of an annual ESG or impact statement. But a public-facing entertainment impact report is brand new territory. A quick search turned up only one other similar report, from Billie Eilish’s 2022 Happier Than Ever tour. Both reports are beautifully designed, engaging and simple to read. They are built for a fan base who believes in collective impact and who want their favorite entertainers to ‘stand for something.’
These reports are more than a clever marketing ploy or PR effort – they are an extension of trends that are impacting social innovation efforts in business, nonprofit, government and faith organizations alike.
We know that younger generations – particularly Millennial and Gen Z buyers – choose brands that align with their values. More than that, many consumers see the brands they purchase as part of their own identity, and they want to know that those brands are engaging in the community in meaningful, tangible ways.
Social causes create identity & belonging.
Fanbases are a natural place for cause or movement-oriented belonging to take root. Concertgoers already form natural communities that foster identity and belonging. A glance at the ‘Swifties’ or the ‘BeyHive’ is a clear illustration of how this plays out in real-time, at concerts across the globe. These groups most often share some ideals – and they want the brands (and entertainers) they identify with to live those values too.
Read the report to check out the dance floor and bikes that help power Coldplay’s show or consider how they challenge concertgoers to utilize public transportation rather than individual cars. Billie Eilish’s report notes the ways they brought forward local community nonprofits at each of her shows and how fans interacted with those organizations. More than a ‘report out,’ these examples describe interactive opportunities for fans to engage in the impact itself.
This type of reporting and hands-on engagement is stakeholder capitalism at its most accessible – the idea that brands are accountable not just to their main shareholders, but to investors, suppliers, communities and fans alike.
We don’t believe that the concert impact report is a passing trend. In fact, we believe it’s the beginning of more ‘out of the box’ impact reports and an acknowledgment that the everyday activities we enjoy do have an impact on the world around us – because impact truly is everywhere.