Green marketing

Building An Effective Green Marketing Strategy
http://www.forrester.com/Research/Document/Excerpt/0,7211,45966,00.html
Abstract: Organizations are under pressure from consumers, shareholders, and government bodies to develop green strategies. However, many marketers are jumping on the green bandwagon and committing common green marketing mistakes.

To avoid these mistakes and build effective green strategies, marketers should focus on seven key actions:

1) assessing current impact and attitudes toward green;
2) listening to consumers about their wants, needs, and ideas for better sustainability;
3) aligning the green strategy with the organization, brand, and consumer values;
4) committing to environmental goals and making significant changes;
5) partnering with outside organizations for credibility, expertise, and joint solutions;
6) educating stakeholders on the issues and benefits of green products; and
7) engaging stakeholders in open dialogue and activities to facilitate behavior change.

One-Quarter of Consumers Say ‘Screw The Environment’
http://industry.bnet.com/retail/2008/07/14/one-quarter-of-consumers-say-screw-the-environment/
Two new studies say 10-26 percent of shoppers are “Never Greens,” whose reactions to environmental claims ranges from apathy to outright anger.

Mintel International in Chicago coined the term “Never Green” to describe 10 percent of the shopper universe. A second study by The Shelton Group of Knoxville, Tenn., found that 26 percent of respondents were “hardcore skeptics,” mostly upper middle-class, conservative, middle-aged men.

Brandweek reporter Jim Edwards profiles William Coverley, a retired investment banker from Ohio, who just bought his 10th vehicle, a 2008 GMC Yukon XL that gets 14 miles per gallon.
“I don’t care about the environmental reasons and I’ll tell you why,” Coverley said. “All this stuff about carbon emissions, no one really knows about the output of the sun and yet it’s the single most important input behind global warming . . . Are the Chinese going to be environmentalists? Are the Indians going to be environmentalists? Are the Russians? I don’t think so.”

Edwards suggests studying your market carefully before launching green marketing, because emphasizing environmental claims may cost you the business of people like Coverley or Washington accountant Sally Herigstad. She bought organic produce by mistake at Fred Meyer and was dismayed to discover a recently deceased two-inch caterpillar in her steamed broccoli.
Shelton Group CEO Suzanne Shelton found that 46 percent of respondents felt “guilty, skeptical, irritated or unaffected by green issues,” and the same percentage put their comfort ahead of convenience and environmental concerns. The study was commissioned by Shelton Group client BP Solar.

Connected to Green: Consumers and Employees Reward Green Companies
http://www.accenture.com/Microsites/Accenture_Customer_Innovation_Network/acin_connected_companies.htm
Extract: Companies should be aware that the “green” consumer or the “green” worker can appear in any place they may be doing business. It is clear that buying products from environmentally responsible organizations is already important to consumers worldwide.

In a survey conducted in 2007 across 15 markets and more than 16,000 consumers and workers, TANDBERG found that more than half of all respondents would be more likely to purchase products and services from a company with a good environmental reputation.
This figure was particularly high in China, with 67 percent of respondents concurring. If extrapolated out, the 53 percent who would be more likely to purchase products and services from a company with a good environmental reputation, represents more than one billion people just in the 15 countries covered.

This focus on the environment is also evident in prospective employees. Across all the countries surveyed, 80 percent of workers said they would prefer working for an organization with a good reputation for environmental responsibility.

More than one fifth of respondents (21 percent) find that travel reduction policies are the most effective means of reducing their company’s carbon footprint, and a further 18 percent believe work-from-home programs to be a good environmental initiative for their workplace. These options were particularly popular in Australia, Canada, China, Japan and the United States.
Reducing business travel and working from home are both popular and viable options for organizations looking to become more environmentally responsible. These initiatives reduce carbon emissions as well as raise productivity and cut costs. The challenge for the businesses considering these options is how to maintain the personal interaction among their employees and with their customers. Technologies that allow face-to-face interaction can raise the success rate of these programs.

A Pulse on the Customer: Consumers are Coming Up to Speed Fast on Sustainability and Driving the Need for Market Response
http://www.accenture.com/Microsites/Accenture_Customer_Innovation_Network/acin_pulse_response.htm
Learning About the Issues and Their Individual Impact
Whether they tap insights from bestselling books or watch video clips on YouTube, consumers are quickly becoming aware of news, trends and ideas from across the globe. They are looking for detailed information on the origin and impact of the products they purchase. Global consumer research conducted by Accenture from 2006 to 2008, showed that more than 86 percent have already taken concrete action to reduce their impact on the environment.

Sharing Information on How to be Green
There are now 40 million so-called "green boomers" in the United States. These consumers are recognizing that being green can be easy. They are also using social networking sites such as IAMGREEN to engage in discussions around this topic. Accenture found that 85 percent of shoppers are “concerned” about the environment.

Expressing New values in Words and Actions
Perhaps most compelling for consumer-facing companies is how these attitudes and practices translate in the marketplace. Nine out of 10 consumers around the world say they are ready to switch to energy providers offering products and services that help reduce carbon emissions—and two-thirds are willing to pay on average 11 percent more for the privilege.

More eco-friendly bedding
http://springwise.com/weekly/2008-06-05.htm#ecobedding
Sleep Limited's line of eco sleep products features pure, unbleached cotton and 100 percent recycled polyester fiberfill made largely from recycled drink bottles. Included in the line is the Eco Duvet, priced from GBP 30.80; an Eco Mattress Topper, priced from GBP 25.40; and Eco Pillows priced at GBP 22 per pair. All are soft, hypo-allergenic and machine washable, and all come packaged in an unbleached cotton bag emblazoned with an image of the Earth. Shipping is available only within the UK, and is free of charge for orders of GBP 65 or over, GBP 5.95 otherwise.

In today's eco-iconic world, in which out-greening your competitors is increasingly the name of the game, we can't help but notice that Sleep Limited's products are made from cotton that's merely unbleached, not organic. Nevertheless, with a growing number of consumers eager to be green—and especially to show the world that they are—there's room for many shades of the colour. Make it easy for consumers to be green—or at least, feel green—and they'll reward you with some cold, hard green of their own!

Website: http://www.ecobedding.co.uk/

Is Green a Grey Area? How the Advertising Standards Authority Rules on Environmental Marketing Claims
http://www.warc.com/LandingPages/FeaturedContent/EnvironmentalClaims/ASAEnvironmentalClaims.pdf
Extract: Complaints to the ASA about misleading environmental claims in UK advertising last year reached a record 561 complaints about 410 ads. In 2006 the ASA received just 117 complaints about 83 ads. Consumer concern about this issue has clearly grown significantly.

In response, the ASA is making environmental claims a key policy area for 2008 in order to protect consumers but also to satisfy law-makers that self-regulation has this issue covered.
The dramatic increase in complaints is reflected in the growing number of high-profile rulings the ASA has made against advertisers seeking to promote their green credentials.

Consumers are increasingly questioning whether advertisers are operating in a climate of truth.
But if the UK industry's Advertising Codes do not prohibit environmental claims why have
advertisers been falling foul of them? What kinds of claims are proving problematic? Which sectors are generating the most complaints and why has the public begun to scrutinize such advertising more closely?