Jacquie Ottman's Green Marketing Blog

Book Review: Greener Products: The Making and Marketing of Sustainable Brands

2012-02-03T14:35:23Z

In his recently released Greener Products: The Making and Marketing of Sustainable Brands (2012, CRC Press, 222 pp.), Al Iannuzzi offers a detailed and persuasive case for incorporating sustainability into your business model. Examining both the making and the marketing of green products, his writing is firmly situated in the language of business — making it a useful resource for both business leaders and students alike.

Iannuzzi’s message is rooted in two core truths that we believe in strongly. First, there is no such thing as a truly green product: every product exerts some kind of impact, and the goal, therefore, is to create greener products. Secondly, a greener product is useless if no one knows about it. Communicating your sustainability strategy, therefore, is a critically important part of bringing your greener products (and values) to market. Both aspects are covered in this book.

The book is split into three distinct sections: making the business case, case studies of successful green initiatives, and green marketing. It is in the second section, Greener Products, with its detailed assessment of strategies, that represents the richest content in the book and differentiates this work from others in the field.

Fourteen Case Studies
In this section, Iannuzzi closely examines fourteen different case studies of businesses that have incorporated sustainable objectives. The wide range of companies he chooses to assess — including deeper green companies such as Method and Seventh Generation, major corporate conglomerates such as Johnson & Johnson and Unilever, and individual brands such as Samsung and Timberland — underscores just how many different ways there are to incorporate sustainability.

The companies which had sustainability built into the core of their business model might be considered the most authentically green. However, as Iannuzzi asserts, this path is by no means the only route to sustainability. For example, Ecomagination, the sustainability arm of GE, is successful because it frames its initiative in business terms. Rather than being driven by environmental altruism, Ecomagination is more explicitly profit-based, entirely contingent upon consumer demand for more energy-efficient products.

Framing it as a business objective — in terms of streamlining efficiency, enhancing brand image, and meeting consumer demand — underscores how sustainability can be approached from entirely different angles. Whether rooted in an engrained sense of environmental advocacy or more profit-driven motives, both ends of the spectrum ultimately net positive environmental results. Taking this kind of pragmatic, open approach to sustainable business offers an entry point for leaders who are new to sustainability and exploring different pathways to it.

In covering such a wide range of case studies, Iannuzzi explains the defining features of each organization’s sustainability strategy and integrates this with trends and themes in the green business arena. Each individual company he examines had its own nuanced sustainability strategy, utilizing a unique set of tools and methods. What these case studies share, as he explains, is an established framework for new/improved product development; internal goal-setting and commitment from the top levels of an organization; and strong, informative, and compelling communications.

Environmental Strategy
In the latter part of the case studies section, Iannuzzi goes into more specific detail on environmental management strategy. Segmenting strategies into four categories — compliant, market-driven, engaged, and shaping the future — he looks at the systems, programs, and tools that can help support your strategy, including lifecycle assessment (LCA), ISO standards, Design for Environment (DfE), and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), among others.

Iannuzzi’s discussion on emerging issues was especially useful. With the advancement of digital and Internet technologies, consumers are more equipped than ever before with information on business practices and the social and environmental costs they exact. Taking an anticipatory approach, therefore, is an important part of shifting towards sustainability.

Staying abreast of what’s going on online — issues consumers are talking about, information NGOs are reporting on, and so forth — can help a company mitigate potential future risk, enabling businesses to better strategize, keeping ahead of the curve on potential regulation to come. Being proactive, as opposed to reactive, is a wise strategy for all businesses, wherever they are on their pathway to sustainability.

Green Marketing
In the final section of the book, Iannuzzi shifts gears to green marketing. A critical part of green marketing strategy is knowing your consumer — their values, interests, beliefs, and so on — such that you can more effectively tailor your message and product. A key part of this is understanding which segment your consumer might fall into. Importantly, Iannuzzi suggests that successful green marketing is all about the “and”; products must be seen as competitively priced and work well and be green. By framing greenness as an additional benefit instead of the primary quality, the product is more likely to appeal to a wider range of consumers.

As sustainability has become a more mainstream concept, the motivations for going green are more diverse. For businesses seeking to capitalize on this demand, Greener Products offers a comprehensive overview of how to make the transition. Whether new to the field or seeking ideas for further improvement, Iannuzzi’s work is both highly informative and accessible — and will no doubt prove to be a useful resource for anyone interested in sustainable business practices.

Jacquelyn Ottman is an expert adviser on green marketing to Fortune 500 firms, entreprenuerial companies, and the U.S. government. She is the author of The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding (Berrett-Koehler, 2011)

Cassidy Hooker is an associate at J. Ottman Consulting, Inc. and a recent graduate of the Sustainable Business & Communities program at Goddard College.

The Rise of the Biobased Economy — and Why Brand Owners Need to Develop a Strategy in 2012

2012-01-11T17:00:00Z

Our economy is slowly but surely heeding the signal that carbon is the new watchword. During the past few years, a steady stream of so-called “biobased” products have been making their way to retail shelves — compostable dinnerware made from corn, plant-based laundry detergents, and bamboo flooring among them. Coke and Pepsi are now competing to be first to market with a soft drink bottle derived entirely from sugarcane or other plant materials.

The emerging biobased economy even has its own label — USDA Certified Biobased, pictured here. It’s part of a federal BioPreferred program designed to help grow “green” jobs, stimulate the rural economy, promote energy independence and prompt a shift to renewable resources from petroleum, helping to manage the carbon cycle.

Launched in February 2011, the label needs a little introduction since the term “biobased”, although familiar sounding, represents more than meets the eye. We advised the USDA on strategic marketing considerations related to the launch of the USDA Certified Biobased label. Here’s a primer — and why you need to be thinking about forming your own biobased strategy during 2012.

What is “Biobased”?
Ask a consumer what “biobased” means and they might respond with somewhat erroneous definitions such as “natural” “biodegradable” or “renewable”. Consult Webster and you’ll come up short. But the USDA (and federal law) defines it quite specifically as “commercial or industrial products, other than food or feed, that are composed in whole, or in significant part, of biological products or renewable agricultural materials (including plant, animal, and aquatic materials), or forestry materials” — hence the label depicting the soil, sea and the sun.

More important than this definition are the program’s intention — to expand the market for alternatives to petroleum-based products by promoting new uses for agricultural commodities such as bioplastics, biofibers and biobased chemicals. It thus excludes products such as office paper, cotton t-shirts and wooden furniture introduced before 1972. (See BioPreferred.gov for more details.)

Both finished consumer and commercial products as well as intermediate products (e.g., platform chemicals, fibers, etc.) are currently eligible to earn the USDA Certified Biobased label. Standards for “complex” products (consisting of many components, such as automobiles) are being developed. Among the many products that have already earned the label are: Procter & Gamble’s Gillette ProGuide Fusion razor package; Papermate mechanical pencils made from Mirel biodegradable plastic, the Greenware line of cold cups made from NatureWorks’ plant-based Ingeo polymer; and intermediates such as Lenzing’s TENCEL lyocell fiber made from eucalyptus and DuPont’s Sorona polymer. Seventh Generation is so bullish about the label that they have certified over 60 of their household cleaning and personal care products — virtually their entire product line-up.

Why Pursue a Biobased Strategy
The credibility and broadscale awareness of the brand USDA positions labeled products to stand out to consumers. In an age where consumers actively seek environmentally preferable biobased products with comparable price and performance, having the USDA certified biobased label increases shelf appeal. And marketing benefits don’t stop there. The federal government, by law and executive order, now gives purchasing preference to over sixty categories of biobased products. Biobased alternatives can also help businesses to manage volatile petroleum-driven costs and ensure sustainable supplies.

Measurement, Transparency and Product Performance
Not every product made with plants or other renewable resources can qualify for the USDA Certified Biobased label. That’s because the USDA has set strict minimums for biobased content in a wide range of “designated” products. For instance, a lip balm may only need 11% biobased content to qualify, while a disposable food container needs 72%. Any product category for which a target has not yet been established must achieve minimum biobased content levels of 25%. Although this 25% bar may at first glance seem low, keep in mind that minimums are based upon the highest levels of biobased content possible without compromising performance, and to encourage participation in a market now ramping up.

Biobased content is measured using a radiocarbon dating test standard, ASTM D6866. This test measures total carbon content and distinguishes the amount of “new” organic from fossil or petroleum-based carbon. This enables the “new” organic (biobased) carbon to be expressed as a percent of the total carbon. To foster transparency, encourage a level playing field and promote continuous improvement, the USDA Certified Biobased label requires disclosure of the percentage of biobased content for the product and/or package.

Caution Advised When Making Environmental Claims
Marketers may realize advantages if they can substantiate a product’s biobased content in support of environmental marketing claims such as “natural”, “biodegradable”, “renewable” or even “non-toxic”. However, none of these environmental attributes are automatic because of a product’s certified biobased content. Whether a claimed environmental attribute can be supported depends upon the amount of biobased content, as well as how the product was processed and transported, and other life cycle considerations.

Keep in mind too, that much consumer confusion surrounds the biodegradability and recyclability of bioplastics. For instance, some resins may not be biodegradable but can be recycled (like Coke’s bioplastic PET PlantBottle, recyclable with petroleum-based PET). In addition, some traditional petroleum-based plastics are compostable in industrial (municipal) facilities, but not in backyard composters. And no plastic, biobased or otherwise, is designed to readily biodegrade in landfills.

The revised proposed FTC Green Guides, anticipated in 2012, will likely include specific guidance for biobased marketing and related claims. (We’ll discuss this in more depth in future posts.)

What’s Your Biobased Strategy?
According to Kate Lewis, Deputy Manager of the USDA BioPreferred program, since its introduction in February 2011, over 500 products have been certified to use the USDA Certified Biobased label and over 400 applications are in the pipeline. She reports that her group is “looking forward to working with proactive brand owners to capitalize upon their certification and really drive this new bio-industrial revolution forward.” Now entering the market, these labelers will enjoy first-mover advantage as well as the opportunity to educate their consumers and other stakeholders about the benefit biobased content brings to their products.

Whether one leads or follows, it’s clear biobased products figure prominently in our future. We predict that all products will ultimately be judged by their carbon content and their potential to effect global climate change. So, credible biobased products are and will continue to be a critical component of a long-range strategy. Short-term motivations for developing a biobased strategy, while company and brand specific, can include minimizing cost, enhancing image, reputation and consumer perception, and avoiding potential regulatory risks. So key questions for every brand owner, product manager and CEO in 2012 are What’s your biobased strategy? Do you have a team in place to bring biobased innovation into your brand and product portfolio?

Jacquelyn Ottman and Mark Eisen are colleagues at New York-based J. Ottman Consulting, Inc. They advised USDA BioPreferred on the launch of the USDA Certified Biobased label during 2011 and are now advising labelers on how to market their participation in the program. Ms. Ottman is the author of The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding (Berrett-Koehler, 2011). Mr. Eisen is the former environmental marketing director at The Home Depot.

Recent blog posts:

• How to Choose the Right Eco-Label for Your Brand

• Book Review: The Method Method

• EPA’s Design for Environment Label

Subscribe to Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog. Link here.
Join the Biobased marketing LinkedIn group. We are just getting started.

Happy Holidays from Jacquie Ottman

2011-12-23T16:19:48Z

Thanks for the opportunity to connect with you all this year, and for the many offline opportunities to share, collaborate, do lunch, grab coffee, conference, Skype, email, Tweet, Facebook, Linked-in and otherwise connect.

Thanks especially for your support of my new book, The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding. (Greenleaf Publishing, UK, 2010, and Berrett-Koehler, U.S. 2011) It became the #1 seller at our primary publisher and was named top 40 sustainability book by Cambridge University - the only marketing book to make the list. Excitedly, it’s also becoming required reading at a number of grad schools and colleges around the country. In 2012, I look forward to continuing the training workshops we launched this year based upon the key ideas in the book.

I also look forward to continuing to connect with you all next year, through my various emails, and blog posts, in person at Sustainable Brands ‘12, the Making Green from Green series of the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of NY (now in its third year), and various other conferences, book signings, and events which I’ll be notifying you about as the year unfolds.

In the meantime, I wish you all wonderful holidays, marked by the joy of sharing simple pleasures with friends and family.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Ottman

Photo: Wollman Rink, Central Park, New York City

Credit: ThingsYouShouldDo.com

Book Review: The Method Method

2011-12-12T10:30:40Z

In their new book The Method Method: 7 Obsessions that Helped Our Scrappy Start-up Turn an Industry Upside Down, Method cofounders Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry with co-author Lucas Conley take the occasion of their unconventional company’s tenth anniversary to step back, and offer readers the opportunity to peek inside their business, learning from their mistakes and acquiring the secrets to their success.

The Method Method offers a refreshingly honest look at how to create and maintain a successful business in a changing market where consumers demand more than function and are advocating for brands that share their philosophies and values.

This book is a must read for those just starting a consumer business today, those seeking inspiration, and, for the sake of the planet, the naysayers that believe a business dedicated to sustainability cannot be successful and profitable. This book is an especial joy to read for those of you out there like me, the method advocates, who can’t get enough of the French lavender soap or lil’ boy blu.’

Method’s high-quality products, commitment to sustainability, dedication to full transparency, and ability to inspire change on a grand scale attracted me to Method years ago — and are well-documented in the book. Like many in the green marketing world, their unconventional style of doing business quickly attracted my attention and made me want to learn more. My cumulative learning is showcased in a case study published in my recent book, The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding (Berrett-Koehler, 2011).

Representing a marquee position illustrating what I believe to be the New Green Marketing Paradigm, in the case I underscore how Eric and Adam were able to create a company that has, through an innovative approach to sustainability, spurred innovation in a seemingly stagnant industry, promoted better health, and demanded transparency all the while providing superior products and promoting an entire philosophy beyond just building a brand.

Culture is the Secret Sauce
I thought after researching the company in detail I was up to speed on their methodologies, beliefs, and practices. But in The Method Method Eric and Adam seem to hold nothing back, providing even the most diehard advocates like myself with much that’s new.

I found the chapter on creating a corporate culture particularly eye opening. (Made me say, “So that’s how they do it!”) No company achieves nearly overnight success across such fiercely competitive, slow growing product categories as home cleaning, personal care, laundry, as well as babies and kids, complete with distribution in Target, Kroger, Whole Foods, Toys R Us and other major retailers, without creating a culture like theirs — branded from the inside out and marked by innovation, collaboration, resourcefulness, speed, and value placed on ideas and opinions.

Operating as a David in a world of Goliaths like Procter and Gamble, Colgate and Unilever, the Method team excels by staying one step ahead of the market. Likely representing the secret sauce behind the method madness, Method’s culture is fueled by painstaking recruitment practices, Monday morning huddles, a team-based organizational structure facilitated by a fully open office layout, and staying true to their values and their social mission — to do good in the world by giving people a great, healthy, cool product that is good for both them and the environment.

In the book, Eric and Adam pose the question, “how do you chart a course to a place no one’s ever been?” Then they go on to offer the key to their success in one short sentence, “we believe the answer lies in creating an innovative culture in which new ideas can thrive.” The authors cite a personal connection between employees and their work to ignite morale and quality, summarized in this statement from the book: “because our employees are actually creating products for themselves and their families, visionary and revolutionary ideas come straight from the heart”.

Method’s transparency and oft-published articles in the business press can give one the impression of easy familiarity with the company. But this culture connection to their success is likely the most critical and not as public or publicized as their products or oft-quoted founders. So, if you still work for a company that makes look-alike products that don’t resonate with a fast-changing consumer taste, pick up this book for no other reason than to learn more about the role culture can play in providing your own company with a competitive edge.

Mera McGrew contributed to this post. Mera is an associate at J. Ottman Consulting, Inc. and a recent graduate of Vassar College.

This was previously published on SustainableBrands.com

Recent blog posts:

• EPA’s Design for Environment Label

• Why Education is Key to Green Marketing Success

• How to Choose the Right Eco-Label

Subscribe to Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog. Link here.

EPA’s Design for the Environment Label — A Route to Safer Chemicals

2011-11-21T19:45:09Z

Some chemicals are safer than others, and the U.S. EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics’s voluntary Design for the Environment label can help consumers identify all purpose cleaners, laundry detergents and other products that have met performance measures and are known to contain the safest possible ingredients. Since its inception in 1997, the label has been earned by over 2700 products. (Full disclosure: DfE is a former client of mine.)

A product of EPA’s now twenty-year-old Design for the Environment (DfE) Program, the DfE label is based upon product review criteria developed with stakeholders and published in the form of a standard — the DfE Standard for Safer Products. It defines what constitutes a safer chemical and ensures that each product that has earned the DfE label has passed the strict ingredient criteria and pass/fail thresholds, which give light to which chemicals are safe for use.

The product review also considers life cycle aspects including chemical exposures during use and end-of-life, the “hot spots” in the life cycle of chemical-based products, as well as other important areas like VOCs, packaging, and audits.

With transparency now a big green consumer watchword, the program includes a first-of-its-kind ingredient disclosure provision that will make the safer chemistry aspects of labeled products more visible and valued.

Business Benefits
Like all ecolabels with the exceptions of Recycled and Energy Star, the DfE label is not yet well known among consumers (underscoring the need for labelers to do their own promotion). However, various marketing opportunities suggest labeling one’s product is still good for business.

For starters, DfE-labeled products are likely to get preferential purchasing treatment in the 22 U.S. states that adhere to the EPA’s the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing guidelines; and 8 states require the label outright on all the cleaning products that they buy under their green procurement programs.

As I write, the DfE standard is being proposed as a likely part of the GSA’s advantage purchasing program, set to take effect in 2012. The US Green Building Council is considering DfE for their new existing buildings operations and maintenance LEED standard, and greener and safer cleaning products will likely benefit as more and more businesses become dedicated to becoming green and promoting a healthy workplace.

Retailers are getting behind the program, too. Wal-Mart is encouraging their suppliers to get the DfE label, and Safeway has promoted DfE at the shelf. And unions gladly work with the DfE program on what is known as “Alternative Assessments” of various products in order to choose ones that help to ensure worker safety.

Looking toward the future, meeting the requirements of the DfE label today could help smooth the way toward compliance of pending and expected regulations -— such as the Safer Consumer Products regulations recently proposed by the State of California’s Department of Toxic Substance Control.

Free Advice
There’s more to the Design for the Environment label than simple marketability. The chemistry-oriented resources of the EPA are offered to businesses in the hope that they will incorporate cleaner alternatives into their products. Companies that have already taken advantage of the DfE program’s Safer Formulator Program include SC Johnson, Method and many others — large and small; the free technical advice they received to help guide their products to compliance with DfE’s standards might otherwise have cost thousands of dollars.

Mera McGrew contributed to this post. Mera is an associate at J. Ottman Consulting, Inc. and a recent graduate of Vassar College.

This blog post was previously published on SustainableLifeMedia.com.

Recent blog posts:

• Why Education is Key to Green Marketing Success

• How to Choose the Right Eco-Label

• Toyota’s Prius: Different Strokes for Different Folks

Subscribe to Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog. Link here.

Why Education is Key to Green Marketing Success

2011-10-26T11:54:13Z

Given the complexities of greening, properly educating consumers can make the difference in the success of a campaign. One green marketer who learned the hard way about the need to educate is Whirlpool. In the early 1990s they won a $30 million “Golden Carrot” award that was put up by the U.S. Department of Energy and a consortium of electrical utilities for being the first to market with a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-free refrigerator. But they misjudged consumer’s willingness to pay a 10% premium for a product with an environmental benefit that many did not appreciate. Many consumers, not knowing what a CFC was, likely thought the appliance to be deficient.

For advertisers that make the effort to teach, educational messages represent special opportunities to boost involvement, enhance imagery, and bolster credibility.

Demonstrate how environmentally superior products can help consumers safeguard their health, preserve the environment for their grandkids, or protect the outdoors for recreation and wildlife. Make environmental benefits tangible through compelling illustrations and statistics, and you will make consumers feel as if their choices make a difference.

Have We Met Before?

In 2008, Pepsi launched an empowering Have We Met Before? recycling campaign. It featured fun fact-based messages from the National Recycling Coalition that underscored the difference recycling can make, and it encouraged consumers to make recycling a part of their daily routine. Two factoids emblazoned on specially designed cans included: “Recycling could save 95% of the energy used to make this can” and “The average person has the opportunity to recycle 25,000 cans in a lifetime.”

Excerpted from The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding (Berrett-Koehler 2011) by Jacquelyn A. Ottman. Ottman is an expert adviser on green marketing to Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. government. Her firm’s website, containing more information about the book, is http://www.greenmarketing.com.

Recent blog posts:

• How to Choose the Right Eco-Label

• Toyota’s Prius: Different Strokes for Different Folks

• Focus on Consumer Self-Interest to Win Today’s Green Customer

Subscribe to Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog. Link here.

Learn more about Ottman’s new workshop on November 29-30, 2011, “Profiting from the New Rules of Green Marketing”, here.

How to Choose the Right Eco-label for Your Brand

2011-10-19T11:41:57Z

Eco-labels are an excellent way to enhance credibility for green marketing claims, but they are not without risk. While 28% of consumers look to green certification seals or labels to confirm that a product adheres to claims, these labels can also confuse. Happily there’s enough method within the madness for marketers to pave a way forward.

Eco-labeling challenges
More than 400 different eco-labels or green certification systems are now on the market. Questions such as which label is better, which product is safer for the environment and what does a label even mean are common questions that well-intended green shoppers may find themselves asking when trying to make an environmentally responsible purchase.

Confusion can arise from labels that certify too much or too little information. Some eco-labels focus on a single product attribute (e.g., recycled content), which keeps things simple but can inadvertently mislead consumers into thinking the product is green overall. Other labels look at several characteristics of a product or even a product’s entire life cycle; such multi-attribute certifications may raise questions about the credibility of a single-attribute certified product while also preventing easy comparisons.

Some products, such as electrical appliances, have a number of labels and certifications, while others, such as mattresses or flatware, have none. Another common reason for confusion is the discrepancy in the levels of rigor applied to some eco-labeling—some require independent, third-party verifications while others allow self-certification.

Here are some important criteria to consider when seeking the labeling most relevant to your brand:

Single-attribute labels
Single-attribute seals focus on one environmental issue, e.g., energy efficiency or sustainable-wood harvesting. Before certification, an independent third-party auditor is typically required to verify that the product meets a publicly available standard.

Many single-attribute labels are sponsored by industry associations looking to defend or capture new markets. Others are sponsored by environmental groups or NGOs that want to protect a natural resource or further a cause. Two single-attribute labels with a global presence are the Forest Stewardship Council (or FSC) label, ensuring the sustainable harvesting of wood and paper, and Fair Trade Certified, ensuring that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of such agricultural products as coffee.

Voluntary U.S. government labels
Unlike in some countries, such as Canada, Japan and South Korea, the U.S. government has opted for voluntary single- rather than multi-attribute labels. (The private sector and not-for-profit groups hold sway in the area of multiattribute eco-labeling.) Outside of those associated with independent testing, the government-backed labels don’t involve fees. One of the most visible and influential labels is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR (for which we at J. Ottman Consulting were proud to advise over many years).

ENERGY STAR promotes energy efficiency in more than 60 product categories, and almost 3,000 manufactured products now feature the ENERGY STAR label. In fact, according to the Natural Marketing Institute, in 2009, 93% of the American public recognized the ENERGY STAR label and 73% said they would be more likely to purchase products that carried that label.

Other EPA labels include WaterSense, SmartWay (transportation) and Design for Environment (safer chemicals). The USDA stewards the USDA Organic and USDA Certified Biobased labels (another J. Ottman Consulting client).

Multi-attribute labels
As the name suggests, multi-attribute labels examine two or more environmental impacts. Founded in 1989, Green Seal is the granddaddy of them all. It provides a seal of approval for a variety of products that meet specific criteria on a category-by-category basis. Products are reviewed annually for a fee. A few of the organizations whose products now bear the Green Seal certification include Wausau Paper, Clorox, Kimberly-Clark and Hilton.

Other multi-attribute labels exist primarily for specific categories, such as EPEAT in electronics and Global Organic Textile Standards. Still others address specific areas of concern: for instance, the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Reduction label ensuring that the carbon footprint of a product has been measured and is being offset, and the C2C (Cradle to Cradle) label with its emphasis on material chemistry and toxicity. Walmart’s Sustainability Consortium promises to eventually deliver multi-attribute guidance in the form of a Sustainable Product Index.

Self-certification programs
Issued by manufacturers to denote their own environmental and social achievements, self-certification programs do not carry endorsements or the credibility of an impartial third party. However, they do provide distinct advantages in controlling costs and providing flexibility in the type and amount of information provided to consumers. Some self-certification systems showcase labels obtained from government or third-party labeling. Companies that have their own self-certification include NEC Corp. (Eco Products), Sony Ericsson(GreenHeart), General Electric Co. (Ecomagination) and Timberland Co. (Green Index).

Independent claim verification
Independent for-profit organizations, including Scientific Certification Systems, Oakland, Calif., and UL Environment, Northbrook, Ill., will verify specific claims for a fee. They will also develop standards in industries where none exist as well as certify products against standards developed by other organizations.

Environmental product declaration
ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, describes three types of eco-labels: Type I: Environmental Labels; Type II: Environmental Claims and Self-declarations; and Type III: Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). More often used in Europe and Asia than the U.S., EPDs provide detailed explanations of the full life-cycle impact of a product.

An excellent example is the EPD issued per ISO 14025 by Steelcase for its Think Chair, designed to fit the needs of consumers around the world. Displayed at the company’s website, Steelcase.com, the EPD shares the results of three life-cycle assessments (needed to accurately assess impacts in North America, Europe, and Asia), and describes the various certifications it has received from different countries around the globe.

A way forward
Considering an eco-seal endorsement or independent claim certification for your brand or products? Use these suggestions to avoid confusion and maximize the potential value of an eco-label for your brand/product.

1. Choose wisely
Ensure that the organization behind the seal and its methodologies are credible. In particular, look to see that its standards have been developed in accordance with standards-writing organizations such as ISO and local bodies such as the American National Standards Institute or the British Standards Institute.

2. Be relevant
With so many labels available out there, it is quite likely that your brand may qualify for more than one eco-label and product attribute. Thus, aim to promote the attributes that are most relevant to your brand. Also, remember to integrate your eco-labeling into existing brand platforms. GE’s well-known Ecomagination designation extends from the company’s longstanding “Imagination at Work” brand platform.

3. Educate
Avoid consumer confusion by educating your consumers about the specific criteria upon which your eco-seal is based. When it comes to single-attribute labels, take care to communicate that only a specific product attribute is being certified and that the entire product is not greener as a result. For credibility’s sake, if appropriate, communicate attempts to extend the greening process to other product attributes.

4. Be transparent
If you opt to self-certify, be clear that the label is your own. For example, SC Johnson’s GreenList label was recently taken to task for appearing to be the work of a third party.

5. Promote your eco-label
Considering that many eco-labels are not widely recognized by the average consumer, help to create demand for your eco-label through marketing communication consistent with your seal’s own guidelines. The ENERGY STAR label enjoys strong awareness thanks largely to the promotional efforts of the many manufacturers whose products bear the label coupled with advertising. Be sure to look for opportunities to distinguish your commitment to your selected eco-label from competitors using the same label.

Originally published in Ad Age Good Works Blog, October 11, 2011.

Recent blog posts:
• Toyota’s Prius: Different Strokes for Different Folks
• Focus on Consumer Self-Interest to Win Today’s Green Customer

Subscribe to Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog. Link here.

Learn more about Ottman’s new workshop on November 29-30, 2011, “Profiting from the New Rules of Green Marketing”, here.

Toyota’s Prius: Different Strokes for Different Folks

2011-10-12T11:46:43Z

The mainstreaming of green brings with it the need to segment audiences. As marketing efforts behind the Toyota Prius demonstrate, targeting messages to specific consumer groups can broaden appeal.

When launching the Prius in 2001, Toyota opted to target not the green-leaning drivers one might expect, but rather tech-savvy “early adopter” consumers. Featuring a beauty shot of a shiny new car parked at a stop light and illustrated by the provocative headline, “Ever heard the sound a stoplight makes?” an introductory print ad emphasized the hybrid car’s quiet ride (and specifically the fact that the motor when switched into electric gear did not idle at stoplights like combustion engines).

Putting primary benefits first, the key visual was a big, bold beauty shot of the car itself set off against a backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge while the body copy explained the revolutionary technology. Environmental benefits appeared at the top right corner of the ad in mouse print in the form of compelling statistics about the car’s fuel economy and emissions. To establish its green bona fides and get a buzz going among influential greens, a supplemental campaign, “Genius,” spotlighted the car’s lighter environmental touch and activist group endorsements.

Spiked gasoline prices subsequently triggered a new campaign highlighting the car’s fuel efficiency.

Today, its distinctive styling makes the Prius —and its now extended family of members—a rolling billboard of one’s environmental values and forward thinking. A successful public relations campaign, including stunts like celebrities rolling up to the Academy Awards in a Prius, bestowed the car with a “coolness” factor the reason why, anecdotally, many people buy a Prius.

Excerpted from The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding (Berrett-Koehler 2011) by Jacquelyn A. Ottman

Ottman is an expert adviser on green marketing to Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. government. Her firm’s website, containing more information about the book, is http://www.greenmarketing.com.

Recent blog posts:
• Focus on Consumer Self-Interest to Win Today’s Green Customer
• Ideals on Wheels
• Doing Cause Marketing Right

Subscribe to Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog. Link here.

Learn more about Ottman’s new workshop on November 29-30, 2011, “Profiting from the New Rules of Green Marketing”, here.

Focus On Consumer Self-Interest to Win Today’s Green Customer

2011-10-05T11:00:35Z

If your green ads showcase the now tiresome images of babies, daisies, and planets, your messages will likely be irrelevant to mainstream consumers. Eco-imagery may have tugged at the purse-strings of “deep green” consumers, but their lighter green counterparts, who make up the bulk of the market, want to know how even the greenest of products benefit them personally. While the environment may be the underlying reason a product was created or upgraded, it will likely not be the primary motivation for consumers to choose your brand over those of competitors.

Avoid green marketing myopia
In other words, don’t commit the fatal sin of “green marketing myopia”. As my colleagues, Ed Stafford and Cathy Hartman of the Huntsman Business School of Utah State, and I point out in our much-quoted article, “Avoiding Green Marketing Myopia,” remember that consumers buy products to meet basic needs - not altruism.

When consumers enter a store, they don their consumer, not citizen caps. They are looking to find the products that will get their clothes clean, that will taste great, that will save them money or that will make themselves appear attractive to others. Environmental and social benefits are best positioned as an important plus that can help sway purchase decisions, particularly between two otherwise comparable products.

Quiet Green Marketing
Underscoring the primary reasons why consumers purchase your brand - sometimes referred to as “quiet green” - can broaden the appeal of your greener products and services way beyond the niche of deepest green consumers. Quiet green might also help overcome a premium price hurdle. So, focus communication for greener products on how consumers can protect their health, save money, or keep their home and community safe and clean. Show busy consumers how some environmentally inclined behaviors can save time and effort.

To be clear, this does not mean focusing exclusively on such benefits - to do so would be to go back to conventional marketing altogether. But focusing too heavily on environmental benefits at the expense of primary benefits will put your product in the green graveyard, buried under good intentions. Happily, thanks to advances in technology, many greener products these days do provide added value in the form of enhanced benefits.

Does your green product improve health?
Keep in mind that the number one reason why consumers buy greener products is not to “save the planet” but to protect their own health. Categories most closely aligned with health are growing the fastest and tend to command the highest premiums. Health messages can apply to a wide variety of product categories. Consider, for instance, a print ad for AFM Safecoat (that ran here in the U.S.) featuring 16 buckets of paint; 15 of the buckets are painted red and bear labels such as “Gorgeous Paints,” “100% Pure,” “Low Odor,” and “Sustainable.” However, the last bucket stands out in green and announces “The Only Paint that is Doctor Recommended.”

Does your product appeal to the style-conscious?
American Apparel was created as a brand that provides excellent working conditions for its employees and uses organic cotton. But, in 2004, when its “sweatshop free” label did not bring in the numbers that CEO Dov Charney was hoping for, he switched to promoting a sexy, youthful image for his company - complete with racy, controversial ads with young women. Three years later, the company has 180 stores and revenue estimated at $380 million. Sounds heretical? Keep in mind that the same sustainably responsible clothing is still being sold to consumers, together with all the same benefits to society and the environment.

Does your product save consumers money?
Many brands find that their green benefits neatly translate into something direct and meaningful to the customer, such as energy savings translating into cost savings. Ads for Sears’ Kenmore’s HE5t steamwasher state that it uses 77% less water and 81% less energy than older models. The headline grabs readers with the compelling promise, “You pay for the washer. It pays for the dryer.” In New Jersey, Marcal’s Small Steps campaign positioned the use of 100% recycled household paper products as an easy measure to take for the environment and save money.

Today’s consumers want to know the back-story about products and packages, so focus on primary benefits in the context of a full story that incorporates the environment as a desirable extra benefit. Better yet, integrate relevant environmental and social benefits within your brand’s already established market positioning, and you’ve got the stuff for a meaningful sale.

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Jacquelyn Ottman is an expert adviser on green marketing to Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. government. She is the author of four books on green marketing, including the recently released The New Rules of Green Marketing (Berrett-Koehler, 2011) from which this post was excerpted.

Recent blog posts:

• Ideals on Wheels

• Doing Cause Marketing Right

• Why Empowering Children is to Key to Green Marketing Success

Subscribe to Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog.

Ideals on Wheels

2011-09-28T14:30:55Z

In many cities bicyclists battle it out with taxis for a share of the road. But all Parisians seem to agree that bicycles are a convenient, cheap, trendy, and emission-free way for locals and tourists to get around town. Representing the biking equivalent of car sharing, in 2007 the city of Paris launched Vélib, a pay-as-you-go bicycle rental program.

Bikes can be rented for pre-paid amounts of time ranging from 30 minutes to one week, and then dropped off at any kiosk. In the first year alone, more than 27.5 million trips, representing an average of 120,000 trips per day, significantly reduced car congestion and earned the city more than $31 million in revenue. This successful concept has already been transported to Barcelona, Mexico City, London and Washington, DC. and NYC is now in test mode on its own program that will encompass 600 stations in Brooklyn and Manhattan and 10,000 bikes. Now we’re moving!

Recent blog posts:
• Doing Cause Marketing Right
• Why Empowering Children is Key to Green Marketing Success
• Don’t Let Skepticism Stifle Your Green Efforts

Subscribe to Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog by linking here.

Learn more about Ottman’s new workshop, “Profiting from the New Rules of Green Marketing”, here.

Doing Cause Marketing Right

2011-09-20T10:00:07Z

Once considered a short-term promotional tactic, cause marketing is now a mature, long-term strategic business practice that can enhance brand image and boost sales. Most importantly, cause-related products give businesses an impact that goes far beyond mere tax-deductible checks (philanthropy).

Several successful brands are making social causes central to their business. Consider the enormously successful TOMS One for One campaign, which gives a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of their rubber-soled alpargatas shoes they sell.

The monumental success of cause marketing campaigns thus far creates high expectations. Your brand may need to follow suit by getting in touch with relevant social issues. Below, I’ve detailed some of the opportunities and challenges to consider when developing cause-related products.

Cause marketing successes

One of the most visible in the history of cause-related marketing is Project (RED). Launched in 2006 by Bono of rock group U2 and Bobby Shriver of Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa (DATA), multiple high-profile companies joined on by donating 50% of profits from products labeled as (RED). The funds have provided over 825,000 HIV-positive people with antiretroviral therapy, 3.2 million AIDS orphans with basic care, and prevented more than 3.5 million deaths.

Another successful instance of cause marketing was IKEA’s partnership with UNICEF to benefit children in Angola and Uganda. IKEA agreed to donate $2.00 from every sale of their BRUM teddy bears to UNICEF’s “Children’s Right to Play” program, which uses play-based interaction to educate and empower children in need. The promotion was called “A Bear that Gives,” and between 2003 and 2005 it raised $2.2 million to educate street children in Angola and displaced children in Uganda, as well as putting 38,000 Ugandan children in daycare centers.

Even small businesses can participate in meaningful cause marketing.

Consider 1% for the Planet, founded by the environmentally passionate Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, to connect businesses and their consumers with philanthropy. Currently, more than 700 environ-mentally conscious companies contribute 1% of their sales to a growing list of more than 1,500 environmental groups around the world.

Cause for concern

Before embarking on your own cause-marketing effort, realize that there are some rules of the road. Consumers are attracted to causes that put them in the driver’s seat, and they will turn on a misguided campaign.

Some Sierra Club members created a stir – and some even pulled out of the organization – in response to breaking news that the Sierra Club was receiving an undisclosed amount of money for what they perceived as an endorsement of Clorox’s Green Works cleaning products. Sierra Club members’ objections to the partnership included the fact that Clorox manufactured chlorine bleach and that 98% of Clorox products were still made from synthetic chemicals. (Green Works only accounted for 2% of Clorox’s total sales). Both organizations now disclose the financial compensation that Sierra Club receives for its support, and as of late 2009, Clorox announced it would no longer make bleach out of chlorine and sodium hydroxide.

Reflecting its ability to gently but effectively clean waterfowl affected by oil spills, Dawn dishwashing liquid ran a cause-related campaign with the Marine Mammal Center and the International Bird Rescue Research Center in which it donated $1 for every specially marked package bought by consumers. However, some visitors to its Facebook page and YouTube commercial protested the promotion, citing that Procter & Gamble tests its products on animals, forcing the company to defend its policies and remind its detractors that it has invested more than $250 million developing alternative testing methods.

Finally, Ethos Water, co-owned by Pepsi and Starbucks, donates 5 cents for every unit sold to help people in underdeveloped regions to get clean water. Environmentalists question this approach, maintaining that clean, drinkable water should be a human right and not a function of corporate profits. They also maintain that promoting bottled water for environmental benefits is inconsistent with the related impacts of plastic recycling, energy expended to transport the product, and potential depletion of natural water supplies.

Creating authentic brand value

To reap the benefits demonstrated over 15 years of cause-related marketing. Follow these guidelines for success outlined by Cone’s 2008 Cause Evolution Study:

• Allow consumers to select their own cause

• Ensure that the cause you pick is both personally relevant to consumers and makes strategic sense to your business

• Choose a trusted, established not-for-profit organization

• Provide practical incentives for involvement, such as saving money or time

• Provide emotional incentives for involvement, such as it making them feel good or alleviating shopping guilt.

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Excerpted from The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding (Berrett-Koehler, 2011) by Jacquelyn Ottman. Ottman is an expert adviser on green marketing to Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. government. She is the author of four books on green marketing.

Recent blog posts:

•Why Empowering Children is Key to Green Marketing Succes

•Don’t Let Skepticism Stifle Your Green Efforts

•Why Guilt Won’t Sell Green

Subscribe to Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog.

Why Empowering Children is Key to Green Marketing Success

2011-09-06T06:19:40Z

Good green marketing is all about making an investment in the future of the planet by promoting sustainability and protecting the environment. So it is only natural that successful green marketing campaigns can and should involve children, offering an opportunity for building life-long brand loyalty.

TerraCycle, the innovative New Jersey outfit founded by Princeton University dropout Tom Szaky, first made headlines in 2006 by selling fertilizer made from worm poop to The Home Depot and other major retailers. They now put non-recyclable items such as food wrappers to work as raw materials for tote bags and other fashion items.

“Brigades” enlisted within hundreds of schools collect packaging of sponsors including Capri Sun, Kool-Aid, Oreo cookies, and Stonyfield Farm yogurt. Each used pack collected earns the school a one- or two-cent rebate to help build a garden or buy school supplies. And educators jump at the opportunity to encourage kids to recycle, to earn extra money for schools, and to repurpose what would otherwise be “trash” into new products.

The Islesboro Central School in Maine lost no time in putting the monies raised by their students to work at building composting bins and supporting the Rainforest Action Network’s efforts to buy rainforest land for restoration.

Excerpted from The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding (Berrett-Koehler 2011) by Jacquelyn A. Ottman. She is an expert adviser on green marketing to Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. government. Her firm’s website is http://www.greenmarketing.com.

Recent blog posts:
• Don’t Let Skepticism Stifle Your Green Efforts
• Earth to Eco-Labels
• Why Guilt Won’t Sell Green

Subscribe to Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog. Link here.

Don’t Let Skepticism Stifle Your Green Efforts

2011-08-10T14:22:51Z

Ask businesses why they don’t tout green achievements more often, and their answer will likely be fear of greenwash.

Before you let such fears deter you from making investments in sustainable technology or promoting your green achievements, consider how difficult it is for any advertiser to gain consumer trust.

Consumers have always been skeptical of advertising. Take the food industry, for example. Food brands have long been under government scrutiny for their advertising claims. Today, companies are getting smeared for overpromising health benefits, leaving consumers confused about what’s actually true. But we don’t call that “food wash.”

As I write in my new book, “The New Rules of Green Marketing,” skepticism is so rampant in all industries that consumers trust each other more than they trust brands, ads and media messages in general. That’s one reason social media is soaring right now.

Skepticism is par for the course. Besides, a little skepticism is good – it keeps us on our toes. The now “Wild West” green marketplace will mature. But as is the case for many established industries, the potential to screw up will always be there.

So, proceed with caution. But for the sake of the planet and your business, do proceed. The following strategies will help you avoid greenwash and gain competitive advantage in the process:

1. Walk your talk.

Thwart the most discriminating of critics by visibly making progress toward measurable goals. Being proactive in responding to the public’s concerns and expectations starts with a visible and committed CEO. That’s because CEOs can create an emotional link between the company and its customers. Empower your employees, too. Educate them on environmental issues and the specifics of their company’s processes so they can fuel authentic communications about your company’s green initiatives.

2. Be transparent.

Provide access to details about your products and corporate practices, and continuously report on your progress. In the future, disclosure of environmental impacts may be required by law. Get a jump on competitors and regulators—and score some points with consumers—by voluntarily disclosing as much as possible. During this process, don’t hide bad news. Acknowledge your weaknesses and explain how you’re proactively trying to improve.

3. Don’t mislead.

Be specific, prominent and comprehensive so as not to confuse. Consumers may claim to know what commonly used terms such as “recyclable” and “biodegradable” mean, but they can be easily mistaken—creating risk for unsuspecting sustainable marketers.

The best advice for green marketers is to adopt specific standards for disclosure of green initiatives and to follow the FTC Green Guides or other appropriate government guidelines. If possible, consult with lawyers who specifically address green claims.

4. Enlist the support of third parties.

Let stakeholders in on the steps you’re taking, and educate the public on how they can help. You can also align positively with third parties that perform independent life-cycle inventories, certify claims and award eco-seals. Certifying your product under appropriate eco-labels lends credibility to environmental messages. When choosing eco-labels, be sure to choose wisely based on how relevant the label is to your brand image. If your product has multiple eco-labels, make sure the standards for each do not conflict with one another.

5. Promote responsible consumption.

It’s one thing to design a product to be greener, but you can’t minimize impact throughout the total product life cycle unless consumers eventually use and dispose of your product more responsibly. Enlisting consumer support for responsible consumption is a sure-fire way to build credibility and reduce risk. Products can be designed to make it easier for consumers to minimize resource use. In turn, people will appreciate your efforts to make responsible consumption more manageable.

Originally published by Ad Age Good Works Blog August 5, 2011

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More information about this topic is available from my “Moving Sustainability Forward” green paper. Link here to download a copy.

Watch Jacquelyn Ottman elaborate on this topic during her kickoff speech at Sustainable Brands ‘11 here.

Jacquelyn Ottman is an expert adviser on green marketing to Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. government. She is the author of four books on green marketing, including the recently released The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding (Berrett-Koehler, 2011).

Recent blog posts:
• Why Guilt Won’t Sell Green
• 40% Off The New Rules of Green Marketing to Mark Top 40 Status
• How Consumers Can Share Responsibility for Greening

Subscribe to Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog.

Earth to Eco-Labels: Be Consumer Useful or Wither From Lack of Relevance

2011-08-10T12:38:30Z

Everyone lauds eco-labels being put forth by such sustainability leaders as Timberland, HP and Levi’s for transparency and commitment, but are they really all that useful to consumers? Likely not. These labels may be informative and project credibility, but I believe their usefulness can—and must—be taken up a notch.

An eco-label’s greatest value is not its ability to simply convey environmental stewardship; rather, an eco-label’s worth lies in how clearly it relates green qualities to what I call “consumer-useful” information. Labels with consumer-useful information put the practical, valuable aspects of a product’s environmental attributes front and center. Such labels allow consumers to quantify savings or other sources of added value over the course of a product’s entire lifecycle.

I believe almost every eco-label up until this point has fallen short of this goal —except for the new EPA fuel-economy label, that is. In terms of consumer relevance, the EPA Fuel Economy label sets the bar for a future of eco-labels that motivate rather than simply educate.

Yes, this EPA label can be applauded for its highly thorough information on greenhouse gas and smog ratings, but its real value lies in its ability to show consumers at the point of sale how much money they can save by buying a greener car. Thus, this label’s most consumer-useful information is the data on estimated annual fuel costs and the fuel savings projected over five years of the car’s ownership.

However ironic it may seem for a green label, this latter information will likely shift more car sales than the environmental data that’s provided due to its practicality (It’s OK to sneak green past consumers, folks.)

It’s the planets, babies and daisies thing all over again.
If our eco-labels only boast of “planet-saving” attributes, their allure will be short-lived and their impact will be limited. In a marketplace proliferated by vague, repetitive green claims, it is no longer enough to merely explain benefits to the planet.

Green marketing means enhancing product quality across the board. That translates into additional product benefits and helping consumers interact with their environment in new ways. Saving money, bettering one’s health, or lengthening a product’s lifespan are all consumer-useful attributes that eco-labels must depict explicitly. Only in doing so will our eco-labels engender stronger motivation to change consumption habits—the goal all along.

So, what can other green communicators learn from this?
Live and learn. In my new book, The New Rules of Green Marketing, I commend the following companies’ eco-labels, but the EPA’s new fuel-economy label introduced in May of this year shows me these companies could do even better.

In the book I congratulate Timberland’s Green Index as a watershed mark in transparency, but I now believe it could include more consumer-useful information. Looking at the Green Index with a consumer useful lens make me want to see estimates on how long the boots will last (durability) and whether or not Timberland provides a repair/rebuild service akin to Allen Edmonds, the fancy men’s shoe maker. Consumers must be able to quantify benefits and relate green qualities to personal benefits.

HP’s EcoHighlights label sports a number of laudable environmental accolades their printers have earned, but at the end of the day, consumers might be more interested in how that eco-information translates into relevant benefits such as ease of double-sided printing, life expectancy and costs per printed page.

I initially fell in love with the “Levi’s Care Instructions for Our Planet” label and heartily congratulate Levi’s for including it on their jeans. However, I now believe that consumers would be more apt to follow the instructions (and the planet would be better served) if the primary benefit was making one’s jeans look good longer.

Think—and Work—Holistically
Ensuring consumer-useful eco-data will take a de-siloing of sustainability and marketing responsibilities. Only when consumer, environmental and technical advocates roll up their sleeves at one table will relevant communications be developed.

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Jacquelyn Ottman is an expert adviser on green marketing to Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. government. Her firm’s website, containing more information about the book, is http://www.greenmarketing.com.

Additional information on this topic is available from J. Ottman Consulting’s “Moving Sustainability Forward” green paper. Download it here.

Watch Jacquelyn Ottman elaborate on this topic during her kickoff speech to Sustainable Brands ‘11 here.

Join The New Rules of Green Marketing LinkedIn Group by linking here.

Recent blog posts:
• Why Guilt Won’t Sell Green
• 40% Off The New Rules of Green Marketing to Mark Top 40 Status
• How Consumers Can Share Responsibility for Greening

Subscribe to Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog. Link here.

Why Guilt Won’t Sell Green

2011-08-01T10:02:02Z

In the midst of a national energy crisis in 1978, U.S. president Jimmy Carter took to the airwaves in a cardigan sweater encouraging Americans to conserve energy by turning the thermostat to 68º F. His campaign failed because of its link to deprivation, and because it represented a threat to the upward mobility and prosperity that is America.

While some may question the idea that “bigger is better,” most Americans have not historically been willing to reverse their hard-won struggles to “have” for a future characterized by “have not.” It is a fundamental rule of green marketing: consumers believe that technology, coupled with cooperative efforts on the part of all key players in society, will safeguard their future.

Rather than leveraging fear tactics, playing to pessimism, or laying guilt trips, marketers are better off adopting a hopeful, integrated corporate positioning. Examples of successful, optimistic ad campaigns abound: Epson’s “Better Products for a Better Future” campaign, Kashi’s cereal ads featuring vignettes of healthy people that end with the tagline “Seven Whole Grains on a Mission,” and Stonyfield Farm’s fun, upbeat “Yogurt on a Mission”-themed website which includes lighthearted videos and the opportunity to learn about some of the specific family farms where Stonyfield sources its ingredients. Invite your consumers to participate in a hopeful, optimistic mission to be more green.

Excerpted from The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding (Berrett-Koehler 2011) by Jacquelyn A. Ottman