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Marketing a
Green Investment
Recent reports in the press have
made much of U turns and empty
promises relating to environmentally
sustainable products or services. The
London organising committee for
the Olympic and Paralympics games,
LOCOG, recently caught the sharp end
of criticism for its decision to scale
down some of the environmental
commitments put in place at the time
the bid was won. Despite the fact that
this will still be the best ever games
from an environmental perspective,
the message out at the moment is
about broken promises.
Marketing a product on the basis of its
sustainability or environmental beneft
requires careful planning to get the very
best out of your investment. You need
to be clear about your proposition to
your customer and place it within a
context that makes it easy for people to
understand and increases their desire to
purchase.
If your product is aimed primarily at
the consumer market then your message
should emphasise the value that being
sustainable adds to that product. This
message will appeal strongly to the
70+% of customers who regularly choose
a more environmentally responsible
product, even one that has a modest
price premium. But remember, that
premium is limited, especially on a
commodity product: if the gap grows too
wide, many consumers will forget their
scruples and buy on price regardless of
their stated values.
In the second in his series on implementing a carbon
management strategy, Steve Hewson, sales and marketing
director of co2balance, explains how to maximise the return on
your investment in sustainability
Explain your concept simply and
openly in your communications with
customers. Include associated branding,
such as standards, on packaging and
where appropriate provide a link to
more information on your website.
Avoid charges of “GreenWash” by not
overstating the case and stick to reliable
claims and evidence.
Business-to-business
When selling in a business-to-business
environment, the appeal of a product
is not limited to the environmental
benefts or social health and welfare
improvements. Compliance, too, is a
factor – and not necessarily in the legal
sense; often a buyer will need to comply
with an internal code of conduct or an
aspiration for the business, such as a
publicly stated environment policy or
CSR statement.
Remember that a product or
service you are supplying may have a
transferrable beneft to the buyer. For
example, selling a CarbonZero printer also
improves the environmental credentials
of the company operating it. A business
that hires environmentally responsible
services from you effectively lowers its
own business or carbon footprint, which
it can then promote to its clients.
Many large companies are looking
for ways to improve their environmental
impact and increasingly those in the
supply chain are challenged to deliver all
or part of that improvement. By offering
credible sustainable goods or services to
your customers, you not only make your
business more attractive as a supplier, but
offer real value in the relationship with
your customer by differentiating both
yourself and them from the competition.
Good communication
However good your proposition, it is
vital that you support your campaign by
paying attention to the following areas:
Internal education. Your staff are one
of your best marketing assets: make
sure they know what you are doing and
why. Staff engagement in environmental
projects can be a signifcant boost for
morale, but if they are to work it’s vital
to get leadership teams on board so that
they can set an example and inspire the
rest of the organisation.
Press Release. Tell the world and your
customers what you have done and why;
how your actions will make a difference
to your products; how you should be
perceived; and what you expect to come
out of this new commitment.
Promote leadership. If you are the
frst in your sector to address the
sustainability of your business or
products, take the initiative and position
yourselves within your industry and
associated press as a leader in the feld.
You can be sure that if your program
succeeds others will try to follow, so
create some distance and make sure you
are seen as the Green option early on.
Target relevant publications and online
discussion groups to get your voice heard.
Revive the campaign on a regular
basis. Whenever you have a new
announcement to make, include your
sustainable status on company reports
and be sure to remind your customers
you are an environmentally active
business or service.
Provide information. Be open with your
information and display it clearly on your
website with links to external material
supporting your claims.
WARNING!
If you are positioning your business to
take advantage of a strong environmental
message, it is vitally important not to
let failure in by the back door. Your staff,
customers and the press will very quickly
see through a proposition that looks
good but fails to address signifcant poor
practice or leaves other issues unresolved.
Marketing and selling a product that
genuinely delivers sustainability benefts
and provides help for others in the
global community is a very rewarding
experience. It can lead to improvements
in your own company, too, like enhanced
staff engagement and motivation, not to
mention greater sales and proftability.
Done well, it will help retain key
customers and recruit new ones eager to
do business with people who care about
more than just the bottom line.