Jacquie Ottman's
Green Marketing Blog
To Sell Green, Look Beyond the Planet
March 11, 2010 by Jacquelyn Ottman
This past Tuesday I opened my morning New York Times and decided one of my favorite columnists, Jane E. Brody, should be selling green. Her article (which I paraphrase in tribute here), entitled, To Keep Moving, Look Beyond the Physical, describes various motivators to get people to exercise beyond the specific benefits of the exercise itself. Borrowing the motivational approach often used by commecial marketers— an “emotional hook that creates positive meaningful expectations of how exercise can enhance people’s lives, a way to feel better,” she describes such non-health motivators as enjoying nature on an early morning walk, using members of a walking group as a sounding board for problems and a source of emotional and practical support, as well as the ability to sleep better and reduce stress.
Green marketing works in a similar way. The deep green consumers are really the only ones who are motivated to buy green to “save the planet”. So, to open the door to a mass market for one’s products, one must attract the light and not-so-light green consumers; do this by stressing personal benefits of one’s greener offerings.
Do your products save money? promise better health? offer convenience? Underscore these benefits instead.
I was recently interviewed by Marketplace on this very topic. In a segment entitled, To Sell Green, Look Beyond the Planet, I share oft-quoted advice to green marketers, “Leave the planets and the daisies behind, and find the direct benefits that their products can support such as health, superior performance, good taste, saving money, or even convenience.” The environment becomes a nice add-on benefit.
The radio segment featured a representative from Clorox talking about how GreenWorks detergent is gentle on the skin. Chuck Maniscalco of Seventh Generation talked about his company’s first paid media campaign focused on how women can “Protect Planet Home”. One Mom from Los Angeles is experimenting with “elbow grease and vinegar” as a substitute for cleanser — suggesting a new green product opportunity for tough economic times.
Note: If you enjoyed this blog post, you might also be interested in What If Mainstream Greens Don’t Care by Jacquie Ottman
Jacquelyn Ottman is president, J. Ottman Consulting
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