Naturalpath Media Blog

Social networking sites – such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Ning – have become popular destinations for internet users. In fact, 50% of 15-34 year olds participate in social networking. Accordingly, brands are capitalizing on the targeted advertising capabilities and self-selecting demographic afforded by social networks. A recent report from SRB Marketing titled Green Social Networks details the potential power of social networks for green brands – and how to tap into it.

Among its key tips to would-be green social networkers, SRB suggests creating branded profiles and starting new groups on existing sites. Many interest groups, NGOs, and companies have attracted thousands of users to their Facebook pages – including perennially green Ben & Jerry’s, which has 30,000 Facebook friends. The authors suggest integrating marketing campaigns with social networks, as well as advertising to targeted networks.

The report stresses the importance of committing significant time and resources to maintain and amplify an online presence, as web-savvy consumers are easily disillusioned by both lackluster sites and what they perceive as misinformation. For a great example of an innovative green social networking destination, check out Green Home Huddler – part of the NaturalPath Media network.

Click here for the original article from Sustainable Life Media.

Three out of four executives say they are willing to sacrifice at
least 1% of their salaries to fund their companies’ green initiatives,
according to an April 08 Korn/Ferry survey.

A small minority, three percent of respondents would be willing to
sacrifice upwards of 10 percent of their salaries, while about
one-quarter (27 percent) would be unwilling to sacrifice
any portion of their salary to support sustainability efforts. Almost half of executives report that their companies have
allocated existing staff, or hired new staff to support green programs.

Despite this there remains widespread belief green initiatives are not financially sustainable.
69% of the respondents believe that “green” initiatives will take a
back seat to profit-driven activities in these uncertain economic
times. Only 29% believe that the current economic situation will not
have an effect on “going green". 

The study suggests that top executives feel that both a personal and professional stake promoting in sustainability and corporate
responsibility. “Clearly, the high number of executives willing to personally
contribute to their company’s green initiatives signals a change in
thinking around the importance of sustainability today,” said Jay
Millen, senior client partner with Korn/Ferry International.

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Sources:

Korn Ferry Survey

Sustainable Life Media

 

At the recent Sustainable Brands ’08 Conference in Monterey, CA, Yahoo’s director of social responsibility, Erin Carlson, offered insight and strategies for reaching green consumers online. Carlson states that focus groups, new strategies, and frequent experimentation have resulted in a focused and successful marketing program. For example, the company’s popular Green Centers, located on many Yahoo content channels, draw consumer attention to green products while building a socially responsible image for the Yahoo brand. Below, Carlson identifies Yahoo’s major findings in online green marketing trends:

• Consumers don’t want doom and gloom. They want to hear about optimistic innovations, such as a story on an air-powered car that received many hits.
• There’s a lot of skepticism about celebrities’ green endorsements. “People want to know if there’s been a back-room deal signed to promote that star’s image,” Carlson said. Imagery of real people making a difference is much more effective.
• Consumers love surprises. Some of last year’s biggest clickthroughs? An article about a woman who lives in an 84-square-foot house, and a feature on the Pope adding environmental degradation to list of sins.
• What’s in it for me? Consumers are interested in new gadgets that save money and products that offer health benefits.
• There’s a shift from awareness to action. Top-searched environmental term in 2006? “Climate change.” Top-searched in 2007? “Recycling.”

Based on Yahoo’s experience, Carlson suggests that online marketers should piggyback green advertising on traditional high-interest categories and channels. In doing so, marketers will reach a subset of potential customers that does not always seek out environmentally-friendly products in lieu of conventional items.

For the full article, visit Sustainable Life Media 

Media and advertising are awash in "going green". Time magazine's April cover story -- featuring a green cover logo and a mashup of the famous Iwo Jima photo (in which soldiers hoist a tree instead of an America flag) -- symbolizes that a new era of green marketing has arrived.

Although this isn't the only era marketers have used the environment as a central theme, the current green wave signifies a much larger and deeper shift by consumers and producers alike. The view that green is a shift and not a fad is supported by several recent studies of marketing trends (see below), including one by eMarketer called "Green Onine: Growing Awareness", which opines that the shift and interplay between consumer and producer is being driven and played out on the Internet (with support from traditional media channels of course) to much different results.

The trend towards green is no longer the case of niche consumer groups and activists pulling reluctant corporations into making vague green claims. Sure, there are allegations of widespread "greenwashing" and there probably always will be. But there is no denying that corporations of all sizes, ranging from mega retailers, such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot, to major consumer packaged good companies, such as Unilver and Protor & Gamble, are making large investments in environmental programs that go to the core of their businesses (e.g. material sourcing, product design and manufacturing). And they are seeking to tout these investments and programs as an essential part of their corporate and product branding efforts. According to Jessica Hogue, research director, Nielsen Online, "last year was the tipping point for green marketing as a whole. Every type of company is now getting into the mix." eMarketer, May 2008.

And with today's green marketing, the Internet radically alters the playing field. Consumers who must interpret green marketing efforts are increasingly using blogs and forums to review and discuss marketers' claims.

Perhaps, more important, consumers are also integrating environmental concerns into basic purchase decisions for products and services. For instance, eMarketer found that a majority of consumers perceive themselves as green on some level and a significant number are now willing to pay extra for eco-friendly products and to support corporations they perceive as doing the right thing on the environment.

Here's some additional green online metrics that demonstrate the shift towards all things green:

• US online retailers that sent Earth Day emails in 2008:  16%. (Mail Experience Council , May 23, 2008)
• US adult online buyers who consider it very/extremely important for companies to be environmentally conscious:  60% (DoubleClick Performics, April 7, 2008)
• US adult internet users who are willing to spend more on environmentally friendly products: 57% (Accenture, November 19, 2007)
• US adult Internet users who reduced the amount of energy used in their homes:  63% (Harris Interactive, April 18. 2008)
• Green marketing as the most important marketing trend according to US marketing executives in Oct-Nov 07 poll:  32%  (Anderson Analytics, MENG Marketing Trends Survey Nov. 2007)
• US adult Internet users who viewed green advertisements “frequently” in the last three months: 45%  (Burst Media, April 2008)

Amidst the sudden media adoptions of all things green, blog subsequent entries here will report on a handful of recent studies to address to basic questions:

• How real and economically grounded is the growing green market?
• What are the risks of a consumer backlash from this over-saturation and how do companies mitigate these risks?

General Sources:

• eMarketer: "Green Onine: Growing Awareness". June 1, 2008
• Nielsen: "Who's Winning the Green Race Online". Webinar: April 1, 2008

 

 

 

High energy costs are increasing the attractiveness of green products, according to Environmental Leader. Companies that source raw or recycled materials – which have lower fossil fuel content – can offer end products at a more stable price than their fossil fuel-dependent competitors. Eco-Products, which makes compostable dinnerware, expects a fivefold increase in revenue this year.

Other companies are cashing in on customers’ openness to new products and materials in a time of heightened prices and environmental awareness. Recycled paper products manufacturer New Leaf Paper uses recycled landfill methane as a power source. New Leaf CEO Jeff Mendelsohn cites his company’s commitment to recycled content and alternative energy as a smart market strategy, rather than a green marketing initiative.

Consumers concerned with a rising cost of living will likely increase purchases of green products in the interest of both environmental stewardship and lower, stable prices – a potential boon for green brands and marketers.

According to the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) annual overview of the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, companies now recognize the importance of sustainability measures to both margin growth and customer loyalty. Key points include reductions in packaging materials, streamlined transportation, and socially responsible outsourcing.

Sustainability reporting in the CPG industry now accounts for over 70% of non-financial reporting – a number likely to grow due to soaring consumer interest in environmental and health and wellness issues. 92% of US consumers polled agree that the US food and beverage industry must be more proactive in addressing environmental concerns. Additionally, the top ten new food and beverage products launched nationally in 2006-2007 were aimed at helping people achieve health and wellness without sacrificing taste.

As CPG companies realize that sustainability is no longer a cost to business – and in fact is more often a competitive advantage – consumers can expect both a wider variety of health and wellness-themed products, and more transparency in sustainability reporting.

See the entire report here.

 

Al Gore announced the “we” campaign, a $300 million effort to raise public awareness of climate change — both the problem and its potential solutions. The goal is to create bottoms-up pressure on legislators to tackle the issue.

Lots of details in the Washington Post and in Grist, so here's some brief observations and links:

• $300 million is an unprecedented amount for a public advocacy campaign. Can that really be spent on grassroots advertising? Does $$ buy a bottoms-up movement?
• By the first glimpses, the campaign is smartly trying to balance urgency with optimism and attempting to bridge political divides. That's bold. For example, it frames climate change within other national triumphs (World War II, moon landings, civil rights movement). And it tries to cross the political gulfs, by featuring commercials that pair unlikely combos like Pelosi and Gingrich, or Sharpton and Robertson.
• Check out the first ad, narrated by William H. Macy, below
• check out and sign-up wecansolveit.org

This radio interview by GreenBiz of Judah Schiller of Saatchi and Saatchi provides interesting insight on how his firm is helping to encourage Wal-Mart's employees to embrace sustainability. It offers practical tips for companies looking for ways to engage workers on sustainability and wider corporate and community responsibility initiatives.

Transcript of Interview and Links to mp3 download and iTunes

Companies are increasingly motivated to pursue corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs for growth opportunities, rather than a necessitated by public or community relations posturing, according to a new global study released recently by IBM.

Driving this shift is the unique role of the Internet in influencing buying behavior by providing easily accessible, in-depth information about companies, their global supply chain partners, and their impact on society and the environment.

To gauge how deeply CSR has penetrated the core of the corporation — it's strategies and operations, IBM surveyed more than 250 business leaders globally and found that two-thirds of them are focusing on CSR activities to create new revenue streams

Many companies now believe that putting social responsibility principles at the core of their corporate strategy will make them more competitive and able to attract/retain top talent. According to the study, 68 percent of those surveyed focused on generating revenue through CSR activities. In addition, 54 percent believe CSR initiatives contribute to giving their corporations a competitive advantage.

Driving these beliefs is the rising influence of customers who are becomming increasingly aware of a range of values and issues -- from concerns about climate change, to product safety issues, to labor practices, to community accountability.

Although customers are driving much of this increased focus on CSR, many businesses surveyed still don't feel they understand their customers' CSR concerns. Nearly two-thirds of companies surveyed believe they have sufficient information about the sources behind their products and services to satisfy customer concerns, but half of those admit they don't understand their customers CSR expectations well.

The New York Times ran an article today that the FTC will hold its first workshop in a series on the issue of green marketing on carbon offset programs. According to Deborah Platt Majoras, the FTC's chairwoman, the scruitiny is justified because these programs present a "heightened potential for deception”.

Companies are increasingly looking to offer offset plans. For example, Volkswagen offered an offset plan to plant trees in the lower Mississippi valley, but many companies are chosing not to manage these programs themselves but are rather turning to independent offset companies such as TerraPass and Carbonfund.org, for expertise.

Business Week looked at several carbon offset transactions last year, and found that some deals were deceptive.

Increasingly, companies are promoting their green purchases on their packaging but there is growing concern about deceptive practices.

The FTC is accepting public comments on its Green Guides through February 11.