Diana Verde Nieto founded Clownfish in 2002 – a pioneering global
sustainability consultancy which she sold to Aegis Media in 2008. Born in Argentina,
she has lived in Brazil, New York, Singapore
and China, but is now based in London. In 2011 Diana founded Positive Luxury, the UK’S first online Consumer Guide to Living Positively. The site bridges the gap
between CSR and marketing by giving consumers access to brand’s social and environmental
actions in a simple, jargon-‐ free language at click.
She has helped Unilever, Coca-‐Cola and Nike amongst other clients with
their Sustainability programs and was trained by Al Gore at the Alliance of Climate
protection. Picked for the World Economic
Forum’s Young Global Leader program in 2011, she’s
studied at the Harvard Kennedy School on
Global Leadership & Public Policy,
sits on the advisory board for the YGL/World Economic Forum community
and is
a member of the Global
Agenda Council for Sustainable
Consumption. To know more about Positive Luxury we had a talk with Diana.
What is PositiveLuxury?
Positive Luxury is an online community where ‘best-in-class’
brands can display their sustainability efforts at a click in an easy,
jargon-free way, meaning people can vote with their money by choosing brands
that are socially and environmentally responsible.
What purpose does it
serve?
We want to solve the tension and lack of alignment that
exists in the marketplace today, and companies who can ‘do well’ economically
by ‘doing good’ for society can resolve this conflict. This new vision is
rooted in the conviction that brands can be a force for good in society, from a
functional, emotional, environmental and social perspective.
How can The Mark of
Positive Living benefit businesses?
The Mark of Positive Living is a great way for brands and
companies to communicate their social and environmental credentials at glance,
holistically and online as well as offline. The brands also benefit from being
part of a community of like-minded, trusted brands.
Who are the potential
customers?
The potential customers are brands that have invested in
CSR/sustainability and would like to communicate with affluent consumers that
are interested in feeling good and doing good by buying responsibly- at no
extra cost - but also people that interested to learn how brands are fulfilling
their role of being socially and environmentally responsible
Did you raise any
funding?
I had investment from a group of internet entrepreneurs
including Karen Hanton and Angus Bankes (Justaddred.com)
How many visitors
come to your site and which geographies?
Approximately 45,000 a month, mainly UK and USA.
What is your
marketing strategy?
We are growing organically and through PR on and off line –
though I would rather keep the finer details under wraps and surprise the
audience.
Are you looking to
implement any technology in the next 6-8 month timeframe?
We have a robust tech platform that we improve on a daily
basis, so no we are not looking to implement anything new as of yet but we will
keep you posted.
Where do you see
Positive Luxury 2-3 years down the line?
I would like it to be a globally recognizable trust mark,
loved by brands and trusted by consumers.