Jacquie Ottman's
Green marketing Blog
Underscore Health Benefits to Add Relevance to Green Marketing Messages
Posted on January 13, 2010 by Jacquelyn Ottman
As I have said numerous times over the years, the number one reason why consumers buy greener products is not to “save the planet” but to save their own health. AFM understands this well—and puts their understanding of this green marketing fundamental to work in two ads that do a great job of underscoring the health benefits of their line of Safecoat paint.
One ad features 16 buckets of paint lined up in a row. Fifteen of the buckets are painted red and sport descriptive labels touting benefits including “long lasting”, …Read more...
When it Comes to Marketing Green Appliances, Silence is Golden
Posted on January 11, 2010 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Ads for Bosch’s super quiet, high performance appliances make a point about doing green marketing right loud and clear: focus on the benefits most relevant to consumers.
As I discuss at more length in my soon-to-be-published book, “Consumers buy products to meet basic needs, not (primarily) to save the planet.” Said another way, consumers walk into the store with their, well, consumer caps on, not citizen ones.
Commercials for Bosch’s super-energy efficient appliances focus on how quiet they are, with secondary emphasis on their environmentally preferable attributes. In one ad that I discussed in the book, a gentle deer walking …Read more...
Opportunities for Marketing to the Green Consumer
Posted on January 09, 2010 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Consumers buy over $200 billion of natural personal care and cleaning products, organic produce, hybrid cars, fair trade coffee, compostable plates and cups, and other green products and services.
Please join me on February 4, 2010 (in New York City) for Opportunities to Market to the Green Consumer. Network with members of the Columbia Business School Alumni Club and other senior marketing professionals from New York. Listen to green marketing practitioners from HSBC, Ozocar and Sundance Channel talk about opportunities to build green brands, innovate new products and services, and contribute to the bottomline. I’ll be moderating the panel and …Read more...
How to Avoid Greenwash
Posted on January 09, 2010 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Greenwashing—communicating (even unintentiionally) that one’s product or company is greener than it actually is—is the Number One challenge of green marketers today. Greenwashers can expect swift retribution from consumers, advocates and the media in the forms of lost sales and tarnished reputation.
To help smooth the way for our clients and other green marketers, I’ll be moderating a special virtual conference on Thursdday, Jan 14, 2010. It’s called: Building Credibility, Avoiding Greenwash.
Join us online for a look at unfolding strategies and best practices for establishing credibility for your sustainable brand.
This jam-packed, full-day, online conference will teach you…How to …Read more...
Guest Blog: Green Marketing and the Simultaneous Pursuit of Growth and Reputation Enhancement
Posted on October 16, 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman
This is a guest blog post, written by Eric Lowitt.
A company that I admire shared a story that highlights a green marketing conundrum faced by a growing number of companies. The story, told by a progressive drink distributor, went something like this:
The company held an off-site with the salesforce dedicated to one of their key accounts. The company invited executives from the key account to present ways the company could increase sales through the account. Nestled among the usual suspects was “prove that you are a sustainability leader.”
The company was surprised, not because they doubted that green …Read more...
Earn Your Sustainability Certificate!
Posted on October 09, 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Looking to learn more about sustainable business? Want to switch into a green job? Consider earning a certificate in Sustainability from the MAKING GREEN FROM GREEN Sustainability Certificate Series hosted by the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of NY (which I Co-Chair). All you need to do is attend 6 of the 8 topics in order to be certified. (OK to just attend one or two events, too -- and you don't have to be a member of the Columbia B School Club, the series is open to all.)
This is an 8 part series that covers the following topics: …Read more...
Why Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Remains Relevant
Posted on September 08, 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Guest post by Peter Korchnak, who writes the Sustainable Marketing Blog.
I recently read for the first time and reviewed Jacquie Ottman's Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation (2nd edition) and this is what struck me: "[M]ost of what I read nowadays about sustainability and marketing, Jacquie covered in Green Marketing more than a decade ago."
Though sustainability* has made inroads throughout the corporate world, with the likes of Nike and Walmart implementing sustainable practices on a large scale, green marketing literature and blogs recycle the same old themes. If green - or at least parts …Read more...
What If Mainstream Consumers Don’t Care About Green?
Posted on August 14, 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman
A professor from India queried me this morning about this intriguing green marketing question: How are we going to serve the customer who is not at all worried about green? In India with the kind of population we have the awareness levels I feel India is going to be a tough market where people are more price concious than Environment.
Government may or may not provide any incentive to the green consumer.
My answer (and I hope it's not too glib): Not to worry! Most green products simply work better. So highlight the direct consumer benefits instead. The Toyota …Read more...
USDA Proposes Voluntary Label for Biobased Products
Posted on August 03, 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman
If you're a manufacturer, or part of another organization that deals with "biobased" products (i.e., made out of agricultural, forestry, or marine-based ingredients), you will be interested to know that our client, the USDA is proposing a special eco-label for such products or packages. Examples of products on the government's "BioPreferred" list include PLA-based plastics, vegetable oil-based cleaning fluids, and soaps made from natural ingredients—but not food or fuel.
You have 60 days, (from now until September 29) to comment on this proposed "BioPreferred" eco-labeling program.
For more information: Posted on July 30, 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman If you read nothing else today, read this link to "Proper Medicine Disposal Prescribed Daily" by Andrea Nocito. How many times have you cringed when throwing away unused prescription drugs? Flushing them down the toilet, as described, is not the answer either. I have long suspected that prescription drug disposal will be the Next Big Issue in green marketing and sustainable product development. We desperately need a mechanism for allowing consumers to take back unused drugs. I believe one solution might be to require druggists to fill prescriptions only half way. If the prescription works out (you don't have …Read more...
Posted on July 28, 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman Dear Clients and Friends, Today marks twenty years since I started J. Ottman Consulting. Posted on July 10, 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman How does Frito-Lay's new marketing campaign seek to change the conversation about "local" food -- and what are the implications for Frito-Lay's sustainability efforts? By Jacquelyn Ottman and Sarah McGrath Frito-Lay’s new “Lay’s Local” marketing campaign attempts to reposition their mass-produced potato chips as a local food. New ads celebrate the eighty plus farmers in 27 states who grow the two billion pounds of potatoes used in Lay’s chips each year. They then direct consumers to a website where they can trace the potatoes in their bag of chips back to the farm where they were grown. Posted on July 10, 2009 by assistant What can up-and-coming eco-labels learn from the success and longevity of the Energy Star program in order to become more familiar with consumers? By Rosemary De Vos Do eco-labels and certifications drive purchasing? Can they be developed and marketed credibly? Given all the noise in eco-labelling right now, is there one bit of room for a new player? At the Sustainable Brands 09 conference in Monterey in early June, there was hard evidence to suggest that certification and labeling are in fact influential in getting consumers to opt for one brand of consumer products, or consumer durables and services …Read more...
Posted on June 29, 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman Eco-labels are a popular and effective way to certify that a product really is as green as it claims to be. But what are some alternatives to eco-labeling, and what are the benefits of steering away from third-party certification? By Jacquelyn Ottman, with Sarah McGrath Congratulations! You have a shiny new green product and you want to market it the right way. You worked hard to make it state-of-the-green-art – and you want people to believe that the product really is as green as you claim it to be. You naturally think of going the eco-labeling route, but stop. Unless it’s …Read more...
Posted on June 12, 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman The Toyota Prius currently dominates the market for hybrid cars, but the Honda Insight wants to change that. Who will come out on top in 2009? By Jacquelyn Ottman, with Sarah McGrath
…Read more...
Proper Medicine Disposal Is the Next Big Green Marketing Thing
Happy Birthday J. Ottman Consulting—Celebrating 20 Years
A lot has happened since 1989! I thought green would be mainstream by 1995 (!), but I’m delighted to see it’s finally here.
In 1989 there were no green conferences, books on green marketing or green websites (or even the Web). Today it’s gratifying to go to conferences, socialize on Twitter and Linked In, and see how many consumers, professionals and organizations are now incorporating the environment into their decisions and purchasing.
I’ve got a lot to be thankful for – …Read more...
Think Global, Market Local
We …Read more...
Certification and Eco-Labeling: What New Players Can Learn from Energy Star
Alternatives to Eco-Labels
Watch Out, Prius!
After selling 285,000 Priuses in 2008, Toyota’s star vehicle has taken a big hit in 2009—sales are down 45 percent since January. To compound Toyota’s hybrid troubles, Honda re-launched its Insight hybrid earlier this spring—right on the heels of the introduction of the Prius Third Generation. Based on our assessment of the marketing efforts behind the Prius and the Insight, we are confident that the new …Read more...
