New Tricks for Green Marketers to Go Viral

It's no secret that the Green consumer loves to tell everyone how Green his life is. According to a 2007 Newsweek article, Honda customers left the company in droves, opting instead for the Toyota Prius because the Hondas just "didn't look Hybrid enough." (Honda plans to release a new hybrid in 09 -- as well as a 62 MPG diesel in 2010 -- that "will not be wrapped in the sheet metal of Honda's everyday cars. Instead, it will have the larva styling the Prius pioneered — which now embodies the green-car look.")

Now, I love that it's trendy to boast about small carbon footprints. Given the state of our planet, it's a great thing for the environment. But, let's not forget, it's a great thing for Green marketers too. The more consumers talk about new ways to stay Green, the more likely they'll be talking about our clients.

Recognizing this trend, a few eco-friendly brands, including Origins, North Face and Honest Foods have launched online platforms that reward consumers for engaging in various Green initiatives. These online communities allow people to submit their own content demonstrating their Greenness. Consumers can share their latest uploads through IM and email as well as by reviewing and rating each other's activities. Behaviors are rewarded with prizes for “most popular” or “most viral” entries.

Green marketers should consider employing a platform like this. Not only is it a great way to engage consumers, but the nature of these platforms is to drive viral reach. The company behind this technology is Brickfish, a social media platform that "taps into the power of consumer driven marketing ... providing brands and agencies with a single source solution to leverage the power of social media sites and user-generated content for truly effective online marketing efforts that drive awareness, analytics and action."

What gives Brickfish a leg up on other social media platforms (for the moment) is the reporting. The company provides a visualization of each viral campaign enabling marketers to understand how content is shared between users. And, they claim their "approach has proven to be 5 to 10 times more effective than traditional online marketing methods such as display ads or search optimization.”

Now, as is true with anything Internet - early adopters like Origins, North Face and Honest Foods will have a greater chance of capturing market share. As more and more brands develop their own viral/user-gen-content platforms, the idea will lose impact and, let's face it, there are only so many same-sites people want to visit. Either way, Green products lend themselves perfectly to viral marketing and kudos to Origins, North Face and Honest Foods for embarking on a solid approach.

-- my two cents

Clorox & Sierra Club: The Good, The Bad, The Green

We've talked a bit here about Greenwashing and the importance of honesty and accountability in Green marketing campaigns. I came across an interesting case study that has some celebrating success and others crying foul.

As was reported in January, Clorox was granted permission to use The Sierra Club's name and logo to sell its "Green Works" line of cleaning products, in exchange for Clorox paying an undisclosed percentage of sales to the environmental group.

The campaign brought with it both controversy and cash for Clorox.

AdAge reported yesterday that "Green Works sales are estimated at $20 million and the product with the Sierra Club tie-in has gotten exposure on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' and 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show,' resulting in Clorox raising its volume forecast five times."

Meanwhile, the Sierra Club has been slammed by members and non-members alike. Four Sierra Club chapters actively and publicly opposed the deal, which, according to some accounts, resulted in 27 leaders' expulsion from the group.

In fact, a quick search turns up many blogs by angry Sierra Club members decrying the partnership. In the political blog Counterpunch, former member Karyn Strickler insists the Sierra Club sold out to Clorox. And, Tim Hermach, also a former member, writes in his Green Change Blog that The Sierra Club has become "just another corporate front." He goes on to say, "They are whoring the environment for financial gain, they've lost their mission and lost their way."

Betsy Roberts, a former chapter chairwoman, and Karen Orr, a former chapter political-committee chairwoman, blasted the suspensions in blogs and online environmental publications, arguing it happened as the national group pursued "its unsavory new focus on lucrative revenues from corporate donations."

Green Works' brand manager, Mark Kohler dismisses the criticism as "misinformation" and says the negative press has been "frustrating" for Clorox.

Amid protests and Sierra Club suspensions, Clorox sought to reassure customers that its environmental claims were genuine, and not just hype or Greenwashing with PR messages in various blogs, in "guest essays", and interviews, as well as publicity stunts like representatives from Clorox and The Sierra Club jointly ringing the bell to open trading.

Still some environmental experts questioned the Sierra Club's decision to back Green Works without a standardized review process that applies to other products, too.

"It sounds risky both to Clorox and the Sierra Club," said Scot Case of the group EcoLogo, which sets environmental standards for products. "I would want to know exactly how the Sierra Club made its determination. Unless they are going to publish the standard that products have to meet, it sounds like a form of greenwashing."

As Green marketing continues to grow and more brands hop on the bandwagon, this Clorox case study should be a lesson to us all. An argument could easily be made that sales are up, so who cares if there is criticism. But, it will be interesting to see what kind of backlash continues and how/if that impacts the overall brand.

Similarly, with the Sierra Club bearing the brunt of the backlash (the notion being that of course Clorox did this, they're corporate; but a trusted environmental group should have known better), it's highly doubtful this group and others of its kind will be quick to offer product endorsements in the near future.

-- my two cents

Green Marketing: Hype or Hope?

This weekend, a pal asked me if I thought “green” was going to fall off soon from too much hype. Interestingly, today, a reporter-friend asked me the same question. So, here’s my usual two cents on the subject.

Greenwashing is definitely in overdrive right now and without a doubt, “green” will soon be a throw-away word about as meaningful as “innovative” and “cutting-edge.”

That said the reality behind the hype is not going anywhere. Fact is, study after study shows consumers will happily pay more for green products – particularly in the under 30 market. And, it’s no secret that many consumers see large companies as “evil empires,” so demonstrating genuine concern for and care of the environment could soften a big bad corporation’s image.

But, as is true with any campaign, success lies in the details.

At its core, Green really isn’t anything new: it’s corporate social responsibility; instead of adopting underprivileged kids, corporations are adopting the environment. Companies can launch a green campaign highlighting their recycling policies (paper, cans, hardware, etc.) or by spotlighting telecommuting employees. There is some hay to be made around these kinds of activities. Wal*Mart and Target received some favorable press when they introduced reusable shopping bags, for instance. And, Wal*Mart took it a step further with solar-powered stores, LED-lit product displays, and hybrid shipping fleets - which has done well to offset some negative PR created from labor and health care issues.

The real power of green, however, lies in potential profits. Creating products that favorably impact the environment or encourage environmentally-friendly action can attract new customers and generate new revenue. According to a 2007 ImagePower Green Brands study conducted by three WPP companies, consumers expect to double their spending on Green products and services in the next year, totaling $500 billion annually or $43 billion per month.

And, for start-ups, Green could be the difference between funded or not. According to a study from Allianz, 71% of VCs saw Green as a “buy” option. And, IDC’s Green Study found that half the respondents said they look at Green IT credentials when choosing a supplier and 80% of executives said Green IT is a growing importance for their organization.

But, before you draft that press release announcing client recycling, do the proper research. Know the science behind the Green efforts and know the regulatory atmosphere. Know how your target customers view Green and make sure you communicate your efforts on their level. And, above all, be truthful. Fake Greenwashing can be deadly to a brand when exposed. I refer to the excellent essay from TerraChoice on the “The Six Sins of Greenwashing” (sins outlined below.)

Hidden Trade Off, in which companies highlight one eco-friendly attribute, and ignore their product's other (potentially more significant) environmental concerns.

No Proof, which, just like it sounds, involves claims that can't be verified (the report found 26% of environmental claims fall into this category).

Vagueness -- terms like "chemical-free," or "non-toxic," which are both universally true, and universally false depending on your interpretation.

Irrelevance, when companies make claims that -- while true -- are unhelpful (like "CFC-free," when CFCs have been banned for almost 30 years).

Lesser of Two Evils -- like "green" herbicides, which ignores the fact that herbicides in any form aren't good for the environment.

Fibbing. The most obvious, in which companies flat out lie (less than 1% of companies make this mistake, but does happen).

So, good luck in earning some green for your clients with a creative Green campaign.

-- my two cents