How to Leverage ‘Bike to Work’ to Promote Sustainability, Enhance Brand Awareness and Boost CLV
Bike to Work Day on the 17th of May is a fantastic springboard, but the true potential lies in cultivating a thriving Bike to Work culture within your company. This approach goes beyond a one day event, transforming cycling into a sustainable and health-conscious commuting option for your employees – and an opportunity for increasing brand visibility, and boosting customer loyalty.
In this guide for HR and marketing teams, we share some tools and strategies to launch a successful Bike to Work campaign. From leveraging technology to optimize your efforts to measuring the impact on your brand and employees, we’ll show you how to create a long-lasting movement that propels your brand forward, boosts employee well-being, and creates a positive environmental impact. So, dust off your helmets and get ready for your brand to own the bike lanes!
Step 1: Align with Your Brand Values
Customers and potential employees build an emotional connection with authentic brands whose values align with their own. Aside from encouraging exercise and sustainable commuting, a Bike to Work campaign presents an opportunity to demonstrate your company’s core values in action:
- Sustainability: Is your brand committed to a greener future? By encouraging employees to cycle, you actively contribute to reduced traffic congestion, air pollution, and carbon emissions. This aligns with your sustainability goals and allows you to showcase environmental leadership.
- Employee well being: Does your company prioritize your teams’ health and happiness? Promoting biking to work fosters a culture that values overall well-being. Cycling helps manage anxiety and depression and the endorphins released while cycling trigger positivity.
- Community engagement: Does your brand value being an active part of the local community? A Bike to Work campaign allows you to connect with local cycling advocacy groups. This fosters a stronger sense of community spirit among employees and strengthens your brand’s connection to the local area.
Why?
A tangible commitment to your brand values enhances your company’s employer brand and allows you to attract top talent in a highly competitive landscape. A Glassdoor survey found that 77% of respondents consider a company’s culture before applying for a job and 56% said that company culture is more important than salary as it relates to job satisfaction. This aligns with a 2023 Deloitte study where 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct and positive company culture is crucial for business success. By fostering a culture that values employee well being, your brand can differentiate itself as the ideal employer, attract top performers, retain talent and gain a competitive edge in their industries.
Step 2: Boost Employee Engagement and Productivity
Biking to Work isn’t just about environmental benefits; it’s also a way to boost employee engagement and productivity. Studies consistently link active commuting to improved physical and mental health. Employees who cycle to work exhibit increased cognitive function and improved problem-solving skills. Imagine a team brimming with fresh ideas and the ability to tackle challenges head-on!
The benefits of cycling to work
- 70% more energy throughout the day
- 51% report less stress during the workday
- 42% have a boost in job satisfaction
- 40% cite a rise in their drive to innovate
- 30% say they were less likely to resign in the next six months
- 27% experience increase in overall productivity
- $2,500 annual savings (an average of $48 per week) by not driving to work
- $15,000 higher annual salaries than commuters using other transportation modes
To encourage employee uptake, consider a company-wide Lease a Bike program similar to this, or even promote Dutch-inspired initiatives, such as bike plans.
Why?
This is an area where HR and Marketing Managers can work hand in hand, with benefits for both. HR benefits from improved employee health and well-being, increased employee engagement, and enhanced employer brand. Tie sustainability to employee benefits and manage it all easily through an HR platform, such as Remote and Thanks Ben.
Marketing benefits from a positive brand image, increased brand exposure (branded bikes and apparel act as mobile advertisements throughout the city, generating positive brand association) and employee advocacy. Engaged employees become brand ambassadors, promoting company culture through word of mouth and social media.
Step 3: Increase Brand Visibility and Reputation
A Bike to Work campaign presents a golden opportunity to elevate your brand visibility and reputation. By actively supporting this initiative, you demonstrate your commitment to social responsibility and environmental consciousness. This resonates with today’s eco-conscious consumers, strengthening your brand image and fostering trust.
Imagine the positive impact when potential customers see your employees commuting around the city. It presents a picture of a company that cares about the environment and its people. This not only attracts top talent seeking a workplace aligned with their values, but also strengthens relationships with existing customers and stakeholders who appreciate your commitment to sustainability.
How?
Here are some ideas to help you increase brand visibility as your employees cycle around cities worldwide:
- Design limited edition merchandise, such as a t-shirt or tote bag, featuring a fun cycling message and your brand logo
- Offer eco-friendly branded merchandise, such as water bottles or bicycle gear.
- Partner with companies like Ciloo that offer on-demand, locally printed merchandise to reduce transport emissions and support local economies, further aligning with your sustainable brand image.
Step 4: Work towards an increased CLV
Customer lifetime value (CLV) is the holy grail for all marketers, and building brand loyalty is key to achieving it. Studies show that consumers are drawn to brands with strong sustainability credentials and that positive associations with CSR can strengthen customer relationships and drive repeat business. A study conducted by NielsenIQ reveals that 78% of US consumers consider a sustainable lifestyle important. Additionally, the Harvard Business Review highlights that Gen Z and Millennials are 27% more likely to purchase from brands they perceive as environmentally and socially responsible (the purchasing power of Millennials and Gen Z will surpass that of Boomers around the year 2030).
Why?
Think Patagonia, a brand synonymous with environmentalism and a fiercely loyal customer base and their new campaign film Shitthrocopene, or Lego, switching to paper packaging, and Ford Motor Company and their $22Bn investment to be carbon neutral by 2050. These initiatives and campaigns are proof of the growing demand for brands to actively demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility, and which ultimately translate into a boost in CLV.
Step 5: Take all Opportunities for Brand Promotion
Simply put, a Bike to Work campaign is a goldmine for creative marketing opportunities. Have your brand management and/or campaign management department use the bike as an advertising tool (this is one example of a campaign to encourage bicycle use in Paris).
How?
Branded products: As we’ve already noted above, incorporate branded elements into the initiative by providing employees with sustainable, high quality branded water bottles, t-shirts and jackets. These increase brand exposure and nurture positive associations. With the Ciloo platform, your employees can order the gear they need, when they need it, so managing this part of the campaign is easier than you think (more on this below!).
PR: Organize an event tied to the campaign, such as a ‘Bike to Work Breakfast’ for employees to create a sense of community and reward their eco-friendly choice. This could be a golden moment for the PR department to generate positive media coverage about your commitment to employee well-being and sustainability!
Social Media: Encourage employees to share photos or videos of their cycling journey on social media using a unique hashtag. Offer incentives like branded giveaways for the most creative posts. This not only increases brand visibility but also taps into the power of employee advocacy, creating a positive social media buzz around your brand.
Sign up to national and regional initiatives: Many countries (like Belgium, here) have Bike to Work Initiatives. Partner with local cycling advocacy groups or check national websites to see if there’s a program you can leverage and amplify for your company’s Bike to Work efforts. The Cycle Friendly Employer Certification (CFE) is a great initiative for European companies to look into and get involved in.
Implementing a Bike to Work Campaign and Measuring Success
Let’s look into the practicalities of implementing your campaign, leveraging the power of marketing technology (Martech) for seamless execution, and measuring the success of your initiatives. We’ll explore how a Bike to Work initiative can contribute to your broader goals of increasing customer lifetime value (CLV) and demonstrate a return on investment (ROI) that goes beyond just the bottom line.
Optimize your Martech Stack
Thanks to technology, your Bike to Work campaign doesn’t have to be a logistical nightmare. Campaigns such as this one can be easily managed globally with a solution from Ciloo. The Ciloo platform streamlines branded product management, allowing HR and individual employees to easily order branded swag like water bottles or t-shirts. This frees up marketing to focus on broader strategy and creative execution. Beyond the branded products, marketing automation tools can be used to send targeted emails promoting the campaign. Employee engagement platforms can be leveraged to foster excitement and create a sense of community among participating cyclists. Data analytics tools provide valuable insights into campaign performance, allowing you to track employee engagement, social media buzz and media coverage.
The key lies in integrating this data within your overall marketing strategy. Use these insights to craft compelling sustainability-focused messaging that resonates with your target audience. By seamlessly weaving the Bike to Work campaign into your broader marketing narrative, you create a cohesive brand story that elevates your company’s image, engages employees, and contributes to your sustainability goals.
Measurement and ROI
Consider a range of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that paint a holistic picture of the initiative’s impact. Employee participation is a core metric, but not the only one. Track social media buzz, measure media coverage, and gauge brand engagement through online interactions. Environmental metrics, while harder to quantify directly, can be estimated by calculating the reduction in carbon emissions based on the number of employees who cycle to work.
The ROI of a Bike to Work campaign extends far beyond the bottom line. Increased employee satisfaction due to a focus on well-being translates to higher morale, productivity, and potentially lower turnover. The positive brand image cultivated through your commitment to sustainability strengthens customer loyalty and attracts top talent seeking a company aligned with their values. Ultimately, a Bike to Work campaign is an investment in your most valuable assets: your employees, your brand reputation, and the environment – in other words, a ROI with both short and long term impacts.
Discover the benefits of Ciloo for your next marketing campaign:
- One Global Platform: Manage all branded products (swag/merch/promo/print) from a single, centralized platform. Reduce admin time for marketers.
- Improved Brand Control: Exercise control over who orders what, where, and when, ensuring consistent branding across all channels. Reduce admin time for marketers.
- On-Demand Ordering: Order only what you truly need, minimizing waste and avoiding unnecessary disposal of branded products.
- Reduced Emissions: Benefit from local production, reducing shipping distances by up to 90% and minimizing cross-border shipping.
- Cost Control: Automatically allocate costs to local cost centers/legal entities, and gain full control through comprehensive global reports.