It Ain't Easy Being Green
On March 29th, millions of people from Albania to Zimbabwe, Atlanta to Phoenix, turned off their lights as part of Earth Hour 2008.This global event was intended to make a statement and act as a call to action for countries everywhere to find new ways to reduce their impact on the environment.
While the idea of joining like-minded individuals together to champion a cause is nothing new, when momentum really starts to build and awareness increases, companies start to take notice. Today it seems like every company is anxious to "go green," from Wal-Mart's experimental concept stores, which have a goal of using 100% renewable energy, creating zero waste and selling products that sustain resources and the environment, to GE's ecomagination campaign. While its nice that companies are recognizing the social benefits of going green, they’re also probably hoping that, in addition to making them a good corporate citizen, green will sell.
And buyers know that.
In the technology space green data centers are getting a lot of attention. Automobile companies have been adding greener models to their offerings. You can practically feel the judgmental stares when your checkout cashier asks, "paper or plastic?" and then diverts her eyes to the green reusable bags for sale on the rack next to the check-out line. The pressure to go green is huge, so it's no wonder we're seeing company recycling efforts (Sony), corporations seeking ways to reduce their carbon footprint (IBM), even truck fleets running on vegetable oil (Safeway).
But companies have a fine line to toe between doing what's right because it makes sense and doing what's popular because it makes them look good - what could be called the greening of marketing. Can a company or brand create awareness for its social responsibility without coming across as patting its own back - or worse, merely jumping on the green bandwagon to capitalize on a growing trend?
Can a green message be integrated into promotional campaigns or will customers view the mixing of commerce and social responsibility with skepticism?
Honda's direct mail campaign for its lawn and garden equipment is a great example of how to balance the need to promote products with the desire to establish a brand as environmentally conscious. Sure, they could have printed the promotional piece on recycled paper and called it a day, but Honda took it one step further. They printed the dm piece on a specially made paper containing seeds. All the recipients had to do was plant the piece in their gardens and watch the flowers grow.
Honda got its point across – both the gardening message and the green message - and recipients got to literally make the Honda brand a permanent part of their garden. Not to mention planting a piece of direct mail in your yard is pretty darn memorable compared to the stuff that usually lands in your mailbox.
As brands go green there's more to consider than where to put the new green logo on their products and corporate communications. It's a delicate balancing act that requires authenticity and commitment, not to mention creativity. Because today's savvy buyers know the difference between self-serving and serving the greater good. It's up to marketers to make sure they know the difference, too.
