Jacquie Ottman's Green Marketing Blog
Certification and Eco-Labeling: What New Players Can Learn from Energy Star
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 …
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Alternatives to Eco-Labels
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 …
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Watch Out, Prius!
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
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 …
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Scott Naturals—Green Done Right?
Posted on June 12 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Does a new line of green paper products really live up to its tag line of “Green Done Right?” By Jacquelyn Ottman, with Sarah McGrath
On Earth Day, April 22, 2009, Kimberly-Clark launched Scott Naturals, a line of household paper products made from partially recycled content. Marketing communications sport the tag line “Green Done Right.” One could argue this line overstates Kimberly-Clark’s achievement, but the company deserves to be lauded for taking a step in the right direction.
“Turn over a NEW leaf…and take a green step without sacrificing quality!” is the promise for this new brand of …
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EcoPower to the People
Posted on June 03 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Whom do you trust to make green marketing claims? The answers surprised us. Yesterday at the Sustainable Brands ’09 Conference in Monterey, California, we polled all 350 participants about the notion of trust when it comes to verifying green claims and create standards for products.
We specifically asked these on the cutting edge of green and sustainability leaders and activists who they themselves trusted to this important task, who consumers trusted, and who they thought was best equipped to verify claims and create standards for green products and marketing.
The Results
We specifically asked them to rate five …
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Green Marketing Success Strategies From Sustainable Brands ‘09
Posted on June 03 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Optimism is the sentiment coming from the Sustainable Brands 09 conference taking place in Monterey, California this week. Consumer polls suggest that concern about the environment (relative to the economy) and stated intent to spend premiums on green brands is holding up in a tight times. Importantly, this is being played out in the green marketplace as well.
Concrete case examples of brand successes being presented at the conference suggests that pursuing a course of sustainable branding is indeed the route to sustainability even—against a backdrop of the toughest economic times any of us has ever experienced. Cases being …
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A Tale of Two Green Surveys
Posted on March 26 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman
One recent consumer survey says it is the best of green times; another, the worst of green times. Has trying to protect the environment gone out the window in the current recession - or not?By Jacquelyn Ottman, with Lisa Martin
The 2009 Cone Consumer Environmental Survey, released in February, maintains that, "Consumer interest in environmental purchasing not eclipsed by poor economy." The report finds that 34% of American consumers indicate they are more likely to buy environmentally responsible products today, and another 44% indicate that their environmental shopping habits have not changed as a result of the economy. …
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Greenest Notebooks—or Just Boldest Ads?
Posted on March 03 2009 by Jacquelyn Ottman
In a recent blog post, Bob Pearson, Dell’s VP of community outreach and green marketing, panned Apple over a well-publicized - and ostensibly controversial - ad campaign, "The Greenest Family of Notebooks." As one of Dell’s biggest competitors, it comes as no surprise that Dell would have some not-so-friendly things to say about Apple’s bold green marketing effort.
Among Pearson’s scathing accusations, he claims that Apple's self-proclaimed "world's greenest laptops" are more smoke-and-mirror rhetoric than substantiation, and that Dell's laptops demonstrate a greater commitment to the environment than Apple's. The main concern addressed in the post …
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Hey, Nestle: Don’t Communicate—Eco-Innovate!
Posted on November 20 2008 by Jacquelyn Ottman
If only Nestle had used good green marketing efforts and communicated its efforts to green its bottled water business sooner, it wouldn’t be in the mess it’s in now. Right? Wrong!
Contrary to what Kim Jeffery, CEO of Nestle Waters, laments to BusinessWeek, the real issue with bottled water lies in consumers’ minds (and the advocates who influence them), not in pricey carbon analyses showing that lightweighting the plastic bottle is the solution to reducing the environmental impact of bottled water. The real issue simply stated is that it’s environmentally wasteful to ship water across …
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Does a Weak Economy Mean Weak Green Sales?
Posted on October 23 2008 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Green marketers of every stripe have been asking me: "Will a weak economy weaken sales of green products?" For people who think green products cost more, the answer is yes. To (reverse) paraphrase John F. Kennedy, a sinking sea should lower all boats. And it's still a little early to tell if sales of many green products and services have been hurt quarter to quarter.
The key thing to focus on, however, is how a softening economy might not dampen your own green products sales. In some cases, it just might help.
For instance, according to The New York …
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The Power of Green Lies In Marketers’ Hands
Posted on October 22 2008 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Many people think the power to restore our environment lies in the hands of technical types like scientists and engineers, even lawyers and legislators. But the real power of green lies in the hands of marketers - we, the creative folks who have the power to design and promote cleaner products and technologies and help consumers evolve to more sustainable lifestyles.
It may be hard to fathom, but over 75% of the environmental impact that a product throws off during its lifetime is determined at the design stage, when, for instance, the materials are chosen, the recyclability of a product …
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Exxon Called “Climate Friendy”...What Did You Expect?
Posted on October 22 2008 by Jacquelyn Ottman
The five companies consumers consider most "climate friendly" are GE, BP, Toyota, Wal-Mart, and Exxon. Here's why I'm not surprised (ok, maybe a little).
On the surface, the results of a recent survey by U.K.'s Climate Group and Lippincott, the brand consultancy firm, seem to fly in the face of what all card-carrying sustainability pros believe - walk the walk or consumers will cry "BS!" The survey found that 76% of Americans couldn't name a single "climate-friendly" company despite significant amounts of investment by American businesses attempting to portray their green bona fides. So what's going on? Has all that …
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Eco-Logos: A Double-Edged Sword?
Posted on October 22 2008 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Eco-logos are all the rage - but how valuable are they as a green marketing tool? Are there some hidden risks that warrant a second look? Let's consider the three ingredients of an effective marketing logo - green or otherwise - and their implications for the savvy eco-marketer.
Here are the three factors at play:
1. Recognizability. Eco-logos can reinforce green messages, a welcome benefit for sure. But of the myriad eco-logos on the market, only a few are known to consumers. They consist of the, chasing arrows recycling logo, the Energy Star seal of energy efficiency, USDA Organic logo, …
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How to Avoid the Carbon Offset “Gotcha” Game
Posted on October 22 2008 by Jacquelyn Ottman
In a market that demands nothing less than completely honest, ethical, and authentic corporate communications, it can sometimes seem like no green deed goes unpunished. The NFL catching flak for its not-quite carbon neutral Super Bowl 2008 is a case in point.
For the second year in a row, the National Football League plans to offset "100%" of estimated emissions associated with the Super Bowl. Sounds pretty good, right? The NFL is taking positive climate action, from buying renewable energy certificates to replanting acreage lost to wildfires. Unlike last year, however, organizers will not tout the event as …
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Green Marketing: What Not to Say
Posted on October 22 2008 by Jacquelyn Ottman
Don’t join the growing number of marketers throwing around phrases like “environmentally friendly,” “Earth friendly,” and “ozone friendly.” While such claims have a calming ring, they can be very misleading. Here's how to avoid some common traps.
The simple fact is, there is no such thing as an "eco-friendly" product; all use resources and create waste to some degree. To avoid such confusion in the marketplace, the Federal Trade Commission introduced its Environmental Marketing Guidelines in 1992. Some are some key takeaways.
