Strategy

Green Marketing

John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

13 May 2008 • 1 min read

Green marketing. What is it really?

The best definition that I have found reads as follows---green marketing is the marketing of products and services described as being “environmentally safe”. Still this is a pretty vague definition.

To be green denotes that the offering is good for the environment or at least does not harm it. Many suggest that if we converted to bio-fuels, we would have a better planet. Or would we? A new study from The Nature Conservancy and the University of Minnesota finds that many bio-fuels — seen by many as a potentially low-carbon energy source—can emit more greenhouse gases than the fossil fuels they aim to replace.

Spiraling fuel prices and global warming fears hog the headiness of newspapers and blogs. Savvy advertisers have adopted green campaigns but consumers are increasingly confused over what it means to be "green," according to a recently released study by Landor Associates.

Allen Adamson, managing director at Landor says, "It is easy to say you are green, but consumers are skeptical. And because everyone wants to jump on the green bandwagon, all of a sudden it is noisy in this space, and it is hard to break through."

The study found that 64% of those who responded couldn't name a "green" brand; even 51% of those who considered themselves to be environmentally conscious were unable to name one. "As much as the term green has been tossed around, many people . . . are unclear as to what it means," the study reported. "Eco-friendly, fuel efficient, biodegradable, natural and organic are used in different categories to emphasize green, but can confuse and cloud the mind of consumers."

Still, green means profits as consumers gravitate toward the messaging while corporations use it to create profits. Green is good for the planet and for the firms touting it.

Green is the new black.