|
Green: A Dollar or A Movement |
| Blog |
Almost daily in our building we ask ourselves “what other ways we can connect brands with consumers?” There are ideas that have been proven to work and new ideas to try, but when a marketing movement takes hold, it’s hard to ignore the possibility of riding the same wave as everyone else. The challenges are - when do you catch it and should you even be on it?
In the last few years, a new marketing bandwagon has emerged - “being green.” Even as a consumer, it’s hard to avoid wanting to be involved with the green movement. It’s everywhere. If a consumer hesitates for even a moment and asks, “Should I buy the phosphorous free detergent for a few more dollars,” it shows that when consumers make it a priority, it becomes a priority for our clients to evolve with the trend.
Whether it’s to launch a green/wellness product or simply helping clients to find ways to be a part of the global movement, we’ve been challenged with helping our clients understand the benefits of having green associations, but more importantly, helping them understand when green becomes greenwashing.
As another Earth Day (April 22, 2008) passes, you can start to see the turn as more companies are riding the “feel good” wave of green. It makes consumers feel good and those committed don’t mind spending more money for it. However, some efforts seem to be blatant attempts to jump on board for the dollar. As several industry articles have pointed out recently, brands such as Target, Clorox, Toy’s R Us, and even Barbie have crafted a reason to be involved. They’ve announced their green connections, but a few of them make you wonder if it is a ploy or a real attribute of the brand?
When marketing trends like this emerge the question posed is always “what are we doing to be a part of this?” Our answer: If trends, be it green, viral or consumer-generated, align with the brand’s architecture, then we should make the effort. A long-term committed effort. Let’s not just ride along.
Beyond new products, finding ways to advertise green is becoming diluted and often a misunderstood message. More and more consumers are becoming savvy to the true brands of the green world and if they discover you don’t belong, distrust follows. Those consumers then deem the relationship lacking authenticity. In this instance, companies have to be prepared for these consumers to leave and take their business elsewhere because they have come to this realization. If you make the effort, a committed green consumer is loyal in every sense.
If you really do have an aspect of green in your product or service, make sure it’s significant and true. The FTC announced recently that they will take control of the current regulations toward green advertising and thoroughly give them an overhaul. Their primary goal is to avoid deceptive marketing and packaging practices. The last time this was conducted was in 1998 and since then, as the movement has gained more social and media awareness, companies seem to be diluting the claims in order to achieve higher sales.
So as ideas continue to grow here at Push, and the challenge of finding ways to bring clients into the mix of green marketing arise, everyone should understand that staying true to what you are can far out weigh the impact of becoming green or following a trend to simply ride the wave.
While the effort to correct these guidelines continues, there is a listing of current rules available from the FTC: click here.
Or to see some commonly misused examples go here.
Related articles:
http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/2008/03/03/ftc-to-review-green-marketing-guidelines/
http://adage.com/article?article_id=126362
http://www.cnbc.com/id/23998172/
http://www.smartplanet.com/news/household/10001002/green-or-not-barbie-s-reused-girls-accessories.htm
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Greenwashing
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
