Proximity BBDO

Hyping business or products as environmentally friendly can attract eco-concerned consumers and boost overall customer affinity. And following a July 2007 survey by Yankelovich this consumer group is growing: 34% of US consumers 16 and over felt “much more concerned about environmental issues” than a year before, and 13% felt that the environment was a “passionate concern”. However, beware! Green marketing holds just as many risks according to MarketingSherpa.

When using buzzwords as eco-friendly, all natural, biodegradable, organic, marketers should avoid to “greenwash” their brand, meaning that eco-claims are branded as misleading or false and end up doing more harm than good. To stay on the good side of hyper-sensitive green consumers and crafte a message that makes everyone happy, MarketingSherpa has three recommendations.Step 1: Can your product be labeled green? Environmentally friendly is a subjective term affected by many factors. It’s really hard to have a completely environmentally friendly product. The first advise is to take a careful look at each step in your product’s creation and look for areas where you could be criticized.

Step 2: Provide proof. If you truly believe your product is environmentally friendly, you have to be able to prove it. The hard-core green segments are the ones most likely to pay extra for green products, but are also the most skeptical and demand the most proof. Two ways to provide proof are making research results public and third-party certification.

Step 3: Craft your green message. Your green message has to appease to two types of consumers: everyday and hard-core green. They have different motivations.