As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Getty Images, in partnership with global research firm MarketCast, analyzed the way that pictures communicate with people worldwide about concepts in sustainability—both for brands in marketing, as well as for people reading news and information. Getty’s VisualGPS report, which combines data and insights from both images and consumer surveys, shows that these pictures and the topic of sustainability are important. Worldwide, nearly 7 in 10 people believe that climate change affects their lives.

Brands should take the importance of sustainability measures to heart and weave their commitment to the environment into their messaging—but with care. Close to 90% of consumers feel that businesses should use their resources to improve society and the environment, but two out of three doubt that companies’ sustainability commitments are genuine. About three-quarters think that products and services labeled “green” are just a marketing ploy.

Consumers want authenticity, with clear sustainability guidelines, actions and displays to show that companies’ interest in the environment goes beyond just profit. And more than half want to see images that show the consequences of inaction on environmental priorities—though 78% also want to see images showing how the environment is improving because of corporate, policy-driven and personal actions.

Getty recommends that companies use imagery to authentically show what they’re doing for the planet: real people, real initiatives, real consequences, and the actual communities that are impacted. While lower income and traditionally minority communities tend to be more directly impacted by climate change and pollution, many of the sustainability images seen by the general public often depict well-off white people. Brand messaging should indicate both an urgency to act on sustainability and actions people can take themselves. Sustainability also needs to be deeply integrated as a core corporate value, with products and services that highlight the environment—making it easy both for customers to make more sustainable choices, as well as clearly showing the consumer how that choice helps the planet.

While customers pay attention to what companies and brands do with their communication strategies, the rise of AI can pull their attention away from traditional browsing during e-commerce shopping. AI agents, which can take actions based on preferences “learned” from users, could make online shopping even more targeted. I talked to Adrien Menard, CEO and cofounder of SEO and GEO platform Botify, about how AI is changing e-commerce. An excerpt from our conversation is later in this newsletter.

We’re taking a summer break and will not be publishing Forbes CMO next week. We’ll be back on Wednesday, July 16.

The racing gear Brad Pitt and Damson Idris wear in 'F1' features real companies that paid to sponsor the fictional Formula 1 team.

F1, Apple’s new movie about Formula 1 racing starring Brad Pitt, is more than just a summer action movie about the fast-paced sport. It’s a huge sponsorship vehicle with ads that Forbes estimates potentially brought in $40 million alone. Forbes’ Matt Craig zooms into the work that David Leener, the producer in charge of product placement for the film, did to bring brands into F1. For decades, brands have paid movie producers to feature their products on screen, ensuring that characters were sipping on a specific soda brand, or that a main character wore sneakers from a certain company. Ordinary product placement can cost between $250,000 to $1 million, Craig writes, but F1 is a special case. Race cars are always plastered with........

© Forbes