ECO-MARKETING TIPS

In 2008, Corporate Canada jumped on the green bandwagon, and for good reason. According to a poll by Decima Research, two-thirds of Canadian consumers said that concern for the environment was impacting the way they shop. Green was the new black - officially the hottest marketing trend of 2008. So is this still true, or has the economic unpleasantness of 2009 put the breaks on the eco bandwagon?

According to a number of recent articles in the business press, TrendReports and consumer surveys all conducted in the first months of 2009, sustainability initiatives 'are proving to be surprisingly slump-resistant.' This makes a lot of sense when you consider that in most cases going green is good for the bottom line.

However, though the recession doesn't seem to be impacting these initiatives as much as one would have thought, we're still not convinced that green good intentions are being translated into meaningful actions within the wider business and marketing community as quickly as they should or could be. At a recent tradeshow I encountered a number of premium and incentive companies hawking their 'green' plastic ecowares. Most of this was opportunistic marketing (at best) and verged on a big eco-marketing pitfall - greenwashing.

Why aren't positive sustainable marketing initiatives being more widely or quickly adopted? Because, truthfully, it's not easy being green. One can feel overwhelmed. Here are 3 reasons why companies like yours may be hesitating in crafting an eco-marketing strategy:

It's all about Cost vs. Return. Most marketers view any green initiative as a spend that may not directly relate into immediate and measurable sales. Something that everyone is concerned about today. So how do smart eco-companies insure that the money that they invest in the environment returns a positive payback?

The secret is that successful green initiatives, typically address a business problem. We believe that it is possible to grow your business and protect the environment at the same time. Many ideas that are good for the environment will also save your business some money.

With all of the green labels, certifications and designations - it can get confusing. FSC, SFI, PEFC, Environmental Choice, EcoLogo, Green Seal, ISO 14001? There are single attribute designations and multi-attribute designations. Which ones are right for you and who has the time to investigate all the claims and make sense of all of the green options available? We do! And what about carbon offsetting? Should you go carbon neutral - and do so, with or without, using trees?

And just like the previous example of the premium companies hawking their plastic trinkets and trash wrapped in the veil of green respectability, I'll wager that you fear getting it wrong. Did you know that in the area of sustainable marketing, most companies are doing nothing, or worse, are getting it completely wrong. How do you think 'green' in your marketing and avoid any criticisms relating to unethical marketing that seems simply opportunistic? This is called Greenwashing and is a very real concern. There is even a website at GreenwashingIndex that will 'out' companies that try to deceive. Many companies have identified the fear of being labeled as Greenwashing as a reason for inaction.

The fact is that you can't just suddenly 'go green'. Successful companies know that for green initiatives to resonate with customers, they have to be authentic and verifiable.