The Byline: PR and Marketing Insights from Eiler Communications

With gas prices continually on the rise, recognizable and reported changes to the environment globally, and movies like “An Inconvenient Truth” flying off the shelf, it’s no wonder that companies are thinking green marketing is a smart strategy to adopt. Marketing 101 teaches that the most successful marketing efforts tie into consumer psyche—speaking to consumers in a way that weaves your message into issues on their mind.

General Electric is committed to ecomagination. Disney promotes Environmentality. Wal-Mart has launched several environmental initiatives, including its Live Better Index, business sustainability efforts and consumer education on (and internal adoption of) compact fluorescent bulbs.

Primetime programming across all of the major networks focused on environmental shows throughout the week prior to and following Earth Day. Long-running daytime sudser Days of Our Lives and TheKnot.com have teamed up to present the much-touted “Green Wedding” of two of the soap’s major characters.

Amazon sells books aimed at teaching companies how to engage in environmental marketing. The most recent issue of Fortune Small Business focused on why “Green is Good.” Entire marketing businesses are focused on helping companies promote “green” as a means of promoting their business.

How smart is green marketing? A recent survey discovered some interesting stats:

• 64% of respondents couldn’t name a “green” brand.
• Further, 51% of self-proclaimed eco-conscious respondents were unable to identify an eco-friendly brand.

The survey’s authors, Landor Associates, attribute the lack of recall to confusion on what it means to be green.

Timely and newsworthy stories are hallmarks of public relations; stories that generate ink are interesting and, like with eco-marketing, reflect a broader trend in what people are talking about now. The messaging is tricky—a compelling message that creates brand awareness, recall and customer action is ideal.

Successful PR campaigns must reflect a company’s value, culture and position. If the environment is a key message or core component of your business, or is an attractive idea to your potential customers, working eco-friendly messaging into your overall strategy can be advisable.

Some well-known brands get it right: Patagonia, for instance, founded its business around eco-causes and consciousness—after all, a company that manufactures outdoor apparel and gear should care about the environment. Its founder, Yvon Chouinard, does countless interviews, and has for many years, detailing the company’s vision for sustainability. Patagonia recycles its garments via mail, in-store, etc. Green is part of the company’s culture, not just its marketing.

The “Governator,” Arnold Schwarzenegger, rebuilt his personal brand—and won re-election—by defying his party line and embracing the environment as a key campaign issue. He’s now fulfilling those campaign promises by taking on the EPA to mandate greenhouse gas reductions in the state of California. As a result, The Ah-nold has gone from hapless wonk to political superstar —a transformation of his brand by living the message he espoused.

What marketing lessons can be gleaned from going green? The devil’s in the details: Successful eco-marketing lives in the messaging AND execution. Messaging must be succinct and clear to avoid creating confusion—talk about what you’re doing and what you believe vs. buzz words. And, most importantly, make sure any marketing your company pursues truly reflects your brand position and is not simply hopping on a trend for the sake of notoriety. Losing credibility isn’t worth the ink.

Posted by: Jenn

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