April 2008
Green Marketing: Every Day Can be Earth Day
By Jeffrey Barnhart
Many analysts have indicated that the green trend will help pull the economy out of its current recession-like state, meaning the door is wide open for businesses to capitalize on the green aspects of their products and services such as energy-efficiency and biodegradability. While many of us in the marketing industry have been branding and positioning green products for years— well before it was as popular as it is today—the environmental bandwagon now applies to nearly every industry imaginable. Green marketing is so prevalent that consumers have become wary of companies claiming falsely to be green – a “greenwashed” label that your company should avoid at all costs. By adhering to three simple communications strategies, your company can effectively go green, too.
• Use green aspects of your business as a differentiator
Many businesses have been selling and promoting the same products and services the same way for decades. Now that eco-friendliness is a major differentiator in the marketplace, businesses should evaluate whether or not any green benefits are feasible. For example, our marketing firm has worked with a Mercer County-based fiber board company for many years. This company’s fiber board has, and always will be, made of recyclable products and can be recycled. Naturally, their marketing strategy is one of combined strengths, meaning the product has been successful for so long because it is high-quality building material, but it also leaves a lesser impact on the environment—something that competitors are often unable to claim.
Additionally, meetings and exhibits are differentiating themselves as green and are drawing attention. According to Meeting Strategies Worldwide, a three-day conference for 1,300 attendees saved more than $12,000 simply by providing water in pitchers instead of plastic bottles. Planners increasingly seek out venues that incorporate eco-friendly meeting strategies in all stages of planning. Hotels and conference centers that opt for electronic materials to cut back on paper materials, use china services instead of paper utensils and dishes, institute linen reuse systems and enforce recycling programs, clearly play an active role in distinguishing themselves from other venues.
Most companies know that participating in tradeshows and exhibiting at conferences and conventions at these types of venues are important parts of a well-rounded marketing plan. Stay aware of the green practices in place at the facility you’ll be exhibiting at and incorporate green strategies into your booth design where ever appropriate.
• Provide additional benefits to customers beyond going green
Knowing that the product they are buying contains green qualities often makes people feel good about their purchases. But the ideal situation is to go the extra mile to provide an additional benefit— a health incentive, reduced maintenance or something that helps the customer save money in addition to a product’s low environmental impact. Through our company’s experience with clients in the energy industry, we’ve been able to position their products and services as virtual “no-brainers” because of the stack of benefits associated with them. For instance, to promote the use of free energy-saving Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) for a New York City energy initiative, the message was simple and clear: CFLs help the environment by reducing energy use and help businesses eligible to receive the bulbs save money on their utility bills. This message, coupled with recent public acceptance of CFLs, resulted in nearly 2,500 eligible businesses signing up in a relatively short amount of time. This also demonstrated that calling consumers to action is essentially what green marketing is all about.
• Deliver on your promise
“It’s easy being green.” “Green is the new black.” “Make the world a little greener.” You’ve probably been inundated with environmentally-conscious lingo like this through the media, advertisements, signs and packaging ever since Al Gore went from politician to Nobel-prize winning champion for the environment.
Terms such as “greenwashing” or “green market myopia” can occur when products or services fail to provide credible environmental benefits. Last fall, National Public Radio (NPR) covered the “sins” of greenwashing in an informative news segment. Some of the most typical offenses occur when consumer products are marketed with environmental benefits with no evidence to support their green claim. For example, tissues and paper towels that claim to have post-consumer recycled content but show no evidence is a common offense. Shampoo that claims to have not been tested on animals but shows no certification, or products that claim ENERGY STAR® efficiency but are not listed on the official registered product list are all examples of greenwashing.
Vagueness is also a “don’t” when it comes to green marketing. If your environmental claim is poorly defined, the customer may never trust your marketing message again. Avoid using empty words like “chemical-free”, “all natural” and just plain “green,” as all of these words are meaningless without explanation. Also steer clear of irrelevant green facts that may distract or mislead customers, such as claiming zero chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which have been banned from manufacturing for the last 30 years.
In following these strategies, you will find that the most interesting part of the green marketing phenomenon is its versatility. Environmentally-friendly marketing tactics can be employed in virtually any market as long as the benefits are real and the strategy is executed with sensitivity and integrity.
About the Author
Jeffrey Barnhart is president and CEO of Creative Marketing Alliance Inc. (CMA) based in Princeton Junction, NJ. CMA is a synergy of marketing and management businesses providing proven strategic, creative and management resources to achieve client goals through its allied business groups. CMA has celebrated more than 160 industry awards in over 20 years of business. For more information about CMA, visit www.cmasolutions.com or contact Mr. Barnhart at (609) 799-6000, ext. 18, or jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com.