By Mike Lawrence
Consumers cannot enter a store, pick up a magazine or watch television today without encountering an environmental message emblazoned on a product or brand. But, unfortunately,
as with all things trendy, the authentic environmental messages are sharing the lime "green" light with a host of vague, unsubstantiated and, in some cases, downright greenwashing
claims.
The Federal Trade Commission has taken notice of the deluge of green marketing and recently decided to move up a series of hearings to review its green marketing
guidelines by a year. Consumers are also growing skeptical of eco-marketing claims; nevertheless, they still have high expectations for companies regarding the environment. This
presents an opportunity for companies to reach eco-savvy consumers and, amid the threat of FTC regulation, it is imperative they communicate in a transparent, consistent and
responsible manner.
The following guidelines help companies to ensure they are communicating their environmental commitments in an eco-authentic way:
1. Clean Your House Before Inviting People In. We hear this repeatedly when discussing matters of corporate responsibility, but it is no less relevant where
environmental issues are concerned. Companies must be transparent about their impact on the environment and assess and report their operating practices and risks before they
communicate any green messages, as stakeholders will look for consistency throughout a company's business operations, regardless of which issue is the focus of its communications.
This will lay the necessary foundation of credibility that will support, and not contradict, marketing and outreach efforts.
2. Ensure There Is More Behind the Message Than Marketing. An environmental message is like the tip of an iceberg--beneath the water is an entire foundation. Do not
begin environmental communications by attaching an environmental message to an existing product or service unless there is a sound environmental structure of policies and
operational practices in place to support the product messaging. Marketing an incidental environmental benefit without substantiation risks exploiting the environment to increase
sales. In 2007, Levi Strauss & Co. released an ad for its organic jeans only after reportedly spending several years building a supply chain that ensured its cotton was
100 percent organic, thereby ensuring it could substantiate its claim.
3. Create a Teaching Moment. Ask a question, raise an issue, start a dialogue, offer a solution. No matter the method, truly engaged companies will take their messaging
beyond simply placing a label on a product or service to providing a spectrum of educational and engagement opportunities that address real issues that are relevant to consumers.
4. Simplify and Empower. Green marketing should not only be about telling consumers what a company is doing to protect the environment, but also how it can help
consumers be better environmental citizens themselves. Environmental issues are often complex, so a company first needs to simplify its messages to help consumers understand the
issue in a way that is relevant to their lives. Then the company should explain its role in addressing the environmental issue, how individuals may get involved and the resulting
impact.
5. Start a Multifaceted Dialogue Using Interactive Media. Communicating environmental messages through traditional avenues (i.e., advertising) will undoubtedly ignite a
conversation online. Aim to start this dialogue, not just listen. Drive people online and provide a forum for them to act on the issue, react to your messaging, make suggestions
or even criticize. You may meet them on your own turf, but more likely they will engage in conversations on the blogs and social networks where they are most comfortable.
6. Acquire Support. Third-party endorsements lend the most credibility to green marketing efforts. Engage NGOs and credible third parties early in the process to learn
their expectations regarding your business strategies to enhance the credibility of your resulting communications.
7. Activate Employees. Employees will either serve as advocates for your environmental practices or as activists against them. A company's employees must find its
environmental practices credible because they know what goes on behind the scenes. Ensure what they experience in the workplace is consistent with what you are communicating
externally through recycling programs, employee volunteerism and strategic philanthropy, and by measuring and reporting your day-to-day impacts.
8. Innovate. Use the environment not only as a sales tool, but as an opportunity for innovation. Creating a new product or altering a practice to have a more positive
environmental impact is the true mark of progress.
9. Be Careful Not to Confuse "Doing Less Bad" With "Doing Good." While reducing your impact is worth reporting, portraying it as an environmental benefit is erroneous
and will draw criticism. It is one thing for a company to minimize its environmental impact and another for it to provide an environmental benefit. Avoid seeking too much credit
merely because you are decreasing your environmental footprint, as this is rapidly becoming a consumer expectation, not one that warrants increased loyalty. Deliver the
information, but acknowledge that there is always more you can do.
10. Green Is a Goal, Not an Endgame. Finally, remember that very few companies are green in every facet of their business operations or product lines. The best way to
approach the environment is to consider it a constantly evolving journey for which you establish an environmental roadmap and set incremental goals. Communicate your progress,
ideally in conjunction with a credible third party, by using your marketing communications to inform and update key stakeholders along the way. PRN
(Editor's Note: This column is excerpted from the forthcoming PR News
Green Guidebook. Visit http://www.prnewsonline.com
for more information.)
CONTACT:
Mike Lawrence is EVP of Cone, Inc. He can be reached at [email protected].