Posts Tagged ‘eco’

Climate hype? Where there’s hype, there’s $

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

For Blog Action Day, I started crafting a post regarding the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December, but then I realized, hey, this blog is supposed to be about Responsible Marketing!

Here’s an interesting Google Earth tour on the topic. Right after I’ll get to my real post.

View on YouTube

Okay, so I’ve decided it’s time for me to get something off my chest.

You see, I’ve been called a tree-hugger. A green-weenie. And most recently, an “eco-lib.”

Whatever. Sticks and stones and all that.

I doubt I’ll convince anyone reading this blog that thinks climate change global warming is just a liberal hoax that they’re wrong on the topic.

So I won’t try to convince you otherwise.

I promise.

But I do have a few questions for you:

  1. Are you sick and tired of hearing about global warming, climate change and melting ice caps?
  2. Do all the magazine covers, television shows and news programs on the topic drive you nuts?
  3. Are you ready to unfriend everyone on Facebook that are constantly asking you to sign yet another petition or the world will end tomorrow?

If you aren’t buying the “eco-hype” I can see why you’d be fed up.

So don’t believe the hype.

But do you believe that wherever there’s hype, there’s a buck to be made on it? There’s a sucker born every minute, right?

Then invest in green technology.

Buy the products that save energy and money—there are plenty of them.

And since consumers overwhelmingly prefer buying from environmentally responsible companies, be an opportunist and take the steps to make yours one too.

If you aren’t going to do it for your mother, do it for yourself.

And make a buck while all the rest of us suckers worry about something that will never happen.

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Posted in environmentally responsible, socially responsible, videos | 1 Comment »

Responsible or not? Audi’s “Do Your Part”

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

It ain’t so easy being green. Unless, of course, you buy a clean diesel from Audi.

That’s the message of this Audi A3 “Do Your Part” advert:


View on YouTube

I get the idea: Show you can be environmentally responsible without having to put yourself out. You can have it all.

Here’s one point of view from @motorad666 on Twitter:

If ads are supposed to make you want to buy stuff, the Audi A3 Clean Diesel ads are working on me, and I should know better. Good work, VBP.

And the counterpoint from @markapennington:

bike riding: green. bus riding: green. buying an audi: not green. http://bit.ly/hD8TN Is this “green-jacking”?

Some might call this greenwashing because it implies driving a diesel is as good or better than riding the bus or a bike to work.

But this ad’s greatest offense is that it mocks its target audience. Was the Members Only jacket and tie for the guy on the Segway really necessary?

So what do you think? Is Audi’s “Do Your Part” ad is Responsible Marketing or not?

Comment below to weigh in.

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Posted in advertising, environmentally responsible, greenwashing, message responsible, responsible or not?, videos | 4 Comments »

Shut off your lights at the office this weekend.

Friday, March 27th, 2009

In support of Earth Hour, all our lights will be shut off at Outsource Marketing this entire weekend. Mostly because I don’t want someone to have to come in and shut them off at 8:30 on a Saturday night.

Here’s what it all about:

On Saturday, March 28th at 8:30pm millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour, Earth Hour to join the largest call to action on climate change in history. Through every flick of the light switch you are voting for our elected officials to take immediate and lasting action on the climate crisis.

We all have a stake. We all have a voice. We all have a vote.

Turn Out for Earth Hour. Vote Earth

So, send out an email now to everyone in your office right now.

Don’t leave it up to the cleaning crew to shut off all the lights. Do it before you leave the office today.

It’s easy, and I guarantee everyone in your company will be happy to participate.

And of course, you can shut your lights off at home tomorrow night, too.

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Posted in environmentally responsible, socially responsible | 8 Comments »

What do you think of Earth Day cards?

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

Earth Day crock cartoon

An intriguing question was posed by Tim Somers via LinkedIn the other day and I’m curious to see what you think.

Here’s his question:

Would using a greeting card to promote Earth Day go against what Earth Day is all about even if the cards are made with recycled materials?

I asked a similar question regarding holiday cards at the end of last year, but the fact it’s for Earth Day adds a new wrinkle.

So what do you think of using recycled printed cards to promote Earth Day?

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Connect with me on LinkedIn

Image: Kleefeld on Comics

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Posted in environmentally responsible, socially responsible | 8 Comments »

Is green marketing Responsible Marketing?

Monday, February 16th, 2009

Is green marketing Responsible Marketing?

Is green marketing responsible?

Not always.

Sometimes it’s just the opposite—it’s irresponsible, deceptive and wrong when it’s greenwashing.

The fact is, most Americans say green advertising is nothing more than just a marketing tactic.

Consumers are savy—just because a marketer claims it doesn’t mean they’ll believe it.

So why go green?

Well, because it’s the right thing to do—and mark my words—eventually every company will be required to conduct business in an environmentally responsible way.

So why not do the right thing now instead of waiting? Why not keep up with the competition—maybe even beat them to the punch—by becoming the company that owns green in your category?

And if you think the economy will keep customers from paying more for an environmentally responsible product or service, think again.

A recent survey has shown that 82% of consumers are still purchasing green products during the recession.

Green marketing may not always be responsible, but greening your product, service and company is.

So what are you waiting for?

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Image: Green Advertising

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Posted in environmentally responsible, greenwashing | No Comments »

To print or not to print. That is the question.

Monday, December 29th, 2008

To print or not to print? The Miehle Printing Press via Wikipedia Commons

At least, that’s the question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately.

We printed and mailed holiday cards to key clients and sent digital versions to friends of the firm and the folks we communicate with regularly in social media circles.

But I wasn’t sure if should send printed holiday cards.

Every card we sent had a carbon footprint: Printing uses energy, and though we print green every one of those cards traveled by truck, and some by plane to ultimately end up the reception desk somewhere, to be hopefully recycled sometime between today and January 2nd.

Still, digital holiday cards just don’t feel as usable or special to me. Even the really cool ones. Color me old-fashioned.

When we’re doing marketing strategy and planning for our clients, we ask the same questions. With shrinking budgets, should we consider a simple PDF instead of that printed brochure or flyer? At certain volumes, multimedia and video are an option, as well.

But if you are trying to build trust, just how permanent does a PDF feel?

It would be easy for me to create a table that lists the advantages of print vs. digital—and I’ll do that eventually.

But I’d like to know what you think.

What do you believe the advantages of print vs. digital are, and vice versa.

Comment below to share.

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Image: Wikipedia Commons

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Posted in environmentally responsible, strategically responsible, usability | 7 Comments »

Amazon begins initiative to reduce packaging

Friday, November 14th, 2008

Great packaging can be the difference between success and failure for some products. As marketers, it’s our responsibility to make sure the products we are marketing are packaged in a way that merchandises well, is easy to display, and showcases its best features on the shelf—especially when stacked up against the competition.

Creative packaging reinforces and in some cases is the primary contact point for a brand. Unique shapes, sizes, formats, structures and materials are all in the mix when you want your product to stand out in the crowd and get people talking.

But as marketers, we’re also responsible for the perception of our brand—and most consumers hate excessive packaging. The fact is, excessive and frustrating packaging gets people talking too.

Here’s a product we received from Amazon.com today. What do you think when you see this?

Amazon packaging used for a wireless mini USB adapter

The world’s smallest wireless mini USB adapter came in a box 25 times larger than necessary, and the Amazon box the product package came in was at least three times larger than it needed to be.

While I’m picking on Amazon, they are actually working to address the problem with Frustration-Free Packaging:

Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging, a multi-year initiative designed to alleviate “wrap rage,” features recyclable boxes that are easy to open and free of excess materials such as hard plastic clamshell cases, plastic bindings, and wire ties. The product itself is exactly the same—we’ve just streamlined the packaging.

Sure, the list of Frustration-Free products is small, but at least Amazon is engaging customers in the conversation by giving them the opportunity to share their images and videos of frustrating packaging experiences in their Gallery of Wrap Rage while clearly stating their environmental commitment.

I hope packaging absurdities like the one we witnessed today will become a thing of the past, but kudos to Amazon for taking a step in the right direction. That said, I’ll reserve the right to “un-kudo” them in the future if they act too slowly.

Will reduced packaging hurt merchandising? Possibly, but not for online purchases.

Should marketers be responsible for the amount of packaging used on a product? If we care about your brand perception and the environment, I say yes.

Enough of what I think.

What do you think of the reduced packaging versus merchandising dilemma?

Comment below to share.

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Posted in branding, creativity, environmentally responsible, word of mouth | 4 Comments »