Marketing the New Green

Just read an interesting article: "MARKETING THE NEW GREEN: Companies should be rightfully proud of their environmental improvements. So why can't they market those achievements without seeming mercenary?" by Jessica Tsai.

Some major points from the article:

-The reality is that, among existing companies, green processes are usually just a byproduct of cost-saving or efficiency- improving projects.

-In 2008, Acutate began seriously considering ‘going green’ and put Seema Haiiji, senior product marketing manager in charge of the initiative. Haiiji developed the Acutate Sustainabllity Management report, which includes interactive dashboards, sustainability scorecards, and strategy maps to help companies measure overall employee satisfaction, environ- mental impact, access to training and education, and community engagement

Top 6 trends in going green:

• o Integrating green initiatives into every aspect of the organization
• o Using ecolabels and ecologos on products or marketing materials
• o Engaging customers in green marketing
• o Adopting a lifecycle approach
• o Shifting to the online space
• o Asking and respecting customer choices and preferences

Many companies realize that going green is not only emerging as a huge competitive advantage but as a way to cut energy costs and improve brand image. Managers in business, government, and non-profit organizations need to understand how their business affects the environment and how to balance the needs of maximizing profit with those of the environment. The trend of going green is becoming very popular as businesses begin making improvements as little as adding recycling bins and changing window shades to major changes in the ways they do their business. Some businesses will take advantage of this trend and promote their efforts dubiously through green washing. However, with resources available on the Internet, consumers are privy to immense amounts of information and cannot be fooled as easily as before.