Be an Earth Day Hero: Five Green Marketing Trends to Watch & Work On

Posted on Apr 21, 2011 in Marketing | 1 comment

Sheri Wallace

By Sheri Wallace, Organic PR

As we celebrate Earth Day 2011, it’s a natural (no pun intended) time to look back at green marketing over the past 12 months. What’s changed? Are there any new trends this year? What’s on the horizon?

It’s hard to think Earth Day to Earth Day – it doesn’t really stick in our consciousness like other holidays. The reasons for that could be a whole article alone. But, to put the last 12 months into perspective, remember this week is the one year anniversary of the oil spill in the Gulf. Thinking back now, what’s shaped your marketing strategy in the last year?

Odds are, there’s one obvious factor – the economy.

It’s been on every marketer’s mind, and many of us lost sleep. The economy and your brand’s response to the situation is the most obvious factor affecting past strategy. And, affect it did. As we look at the economic situation today, it’s a mixed situation, but some brands are starting to see slivers of light at the end of the tunnel, and a few are seeing record sales, so the rest of 2011 will be a very interesting place to work. Especially in the green space. Here’s what to watch for:

1. Green Messaging – Greenwashing & Oversaturation Will Continue

As more and more companies push into green waters, the terminology needed to tell legitimately natural or organic products from greenwashed products becomes more and more confusing for consumers. Certified organic brands are often the hardest hit. Their messages aren’t easily spelled out with useless buzz words or claims that don’t have a third-party or legal claim. Think words like “natural.” Detailing raw material-level certifications properly requires complying with any number of rulebooks, and these brands have often not been able to do that clearly enough against competitors that throw green terminology on labels without true meaning and certification.

As brands start to spend money on new initiatives, these muddy waters will only get worse. Green messages are appearing everywhere, and consumers have reached overload. Nik Blosser, president of Celilo Group Media, the leading publisher of green coupon books, agrees. “There was an oversaturation of the word “green” in advertising and promotions, to the point that products weren’t distinguishing themselves with that moniker. Marketers have to find other messaging to differentiate themselves.”

Prediction: The new FTC Green Guides appear to be addressing some of these problems, and regulatory actions have begun to crop up against companies who are violating the current guides. But, in my opinion, these actions will address only a small percentage of the greenwashing. Green marketing messages will continue to be diluted and muddled. This is the biggest challenge in green marketing, in my opinion.

2. Product Quality – Big Brands Could Eclipse Early Innovators

The economy also pushed small brands that had already gained momentum (and often these small or micro brands are the early innovators) into spending less on marketing. Focusing on staying alive meant these brands gave up building market share. Many of the innovation leaders in their sector appear to have lost much of their advantage, with large companies gaining ground quickly.

The challenge for these early innovators with cash problems is to somehow connect with their consumer base and fix their budget problems. I predict that 2011 will sadly see some of these companies forced to make hard decisions. Larger brands can manufacture these products (or lesser versions) with better margins and pick and choose the most likely to succeed. The brand that originally brought the product to market may never stay around long enough to see the financial success of their invention.

Consumers will likely end up with lesser quality products either way, which exacerbates the greenwashing and worthless messaging problems. There are several big brand examples of product quality slippage already. “What is somewhat disturbing is that many food companies built a name for their products using organic ingredients and then, because of costs, have gradually removed the organic ingredients but still carry the halo effect from them,” says Blosser.

“Golden Temple cereal is an example of this. It’s not that they’re saying anything misleading now, it’s just that many of these food companies have discovered they can sell just as much product more profitably without organic ingredients” he explains.

Prediction: Whether consumers, struggling with soaring food costs and a weak economy, will demand the best or settle for good enough in your sector will play out largely in the next 12 months. How your brand positions itself will be vital. I look for more companies to form alliances and work together if they are best in class. Cheaper products (even if they are lesser in quality) will do well because of price, and many consumers will adopt a “good enough” mentality. Moms continue to be critical of anything but the best for babies and toddlers, and I look for school food to continue to gain voice this year.

3. Location, Location, Location – Geo-Location Will Explode

The past year saw new media exploding and evolving, and marketing professionals are paying attention in all industries. But in green marketing, where messaging is so critical and where micro businesses are often the early innovators, social media has simply blown up. Whether you represent a manufacturer, a retailer or an agency, your knowledge of new media likely rose steeply in the past year.

Expect this to continue, especially in geo-location specific applications. It’s pretty logical. Think about the average mom. How much time does she have to drive across town for one product? None. Her smartphone gives her the ability to find your product on the next block, if you’re thinking ahead and embracing the options.

Early adopter manufacturers, like Kimberly Web, CEO of Rockin’ Green Laundry Detergent, are says her marketing team is looking at Foursquare and Geocaching as possible options to connect with consumers, and she’s keeping a sharp eye on new applications that connect existing applications together, such as Foursquare’s new integration of Color for events.

Prediction: With the increase in popularity and awareness of local food to the emphasis on recycling, reusing and reducing combined with the rising costs of gas and food, location-specific marketing is trending sharply. We’ve seen the groundwork laid over the past year to be able to create marketing campaigns based almost solely on location-specific applications, but marketers have yet to find the magic formula for customer connection/participation and product sales. The next 12 months should provide many examples we can all learn from.

4. Social Media – Education & Consumer Connection Will Thrive

Web says her strategy in the past year has focused on education and consumer connection through new media. “We have had great success with Facebook and Twitter and use it daily to have an open conversation with our customers and fans,” she says. Web adds that because green consumers crave product education, it’s important for a brand to provide those details. Web says this has helped her brand succeed despite the challenges of greenwashing in the industry as a whole.

A recent survey of marketers found that social media was considered integral to their strategies and 70% of respondents said their social media budgets were increasing by more than 10%.

“Most green consumers are very educated and want access to information about not only the products we offer, but also how our company is run,” says Web. “They want to know our testing methods, etc. We just recently expanded by adding a knowledge base and forum to our social networks, to make it even easier for customers to get the answers they need quickly and share information with each other. Word of mouth is huge in our market, and the majority of our customers hear about us from another customer.”

Prediction: I predict mobile sites and integration of mobile sites with existing social media outreach will be one of the leading trends of the following year. Quality content is never cheap, but green brands seem to give content curation more room in the budget than mainstream companies. Investing in quality content has probably never been more important, especially if your sector has extensive problems with greenwashing. Don’t ignore crisis communications and be ready to talk to your consumers quickly and transparently. If you don’t have a solid and growing presence on Facebook and Twitter, you’re already behind. Get caught up.

5. Knowledge Is Power, Money Is Tight – Value Will Drive Consumers

The past year has seen consumers continue their radical shift from excessive spending to needing to feel good about their purchases. Products with core green values as well as product ingredients or materials that reflect those values are poised for growth. The life cycle of your products, how easy they are to reuse or how durable they are is suddenly a lot more important.

Web agrees, saying, “Knowledge is power and money is tight. Consumers want to make educated purchasing decisions to get the most bang for their buck. One of things that makes our detergent so popular is the value behind it. You are not only getting something that is good for the environment, but you are getting a bag of laundry detergent that lasts for 3-4 months. It just makes sense from an environmental and economical standpoint.”

Prediction: Green moms are learning how to garden and can their own produce. Raising chickens is hugely popular. Urban homesteading is a term used frequently in conversations by people who don’t wear overalls. Understanding the motivation for actions like these is key to connecting with your consumer. Likely, it’s not only about saving money. The biggest trends usually offer consumers a way to save money, connect with their past, provide a better product for their children and give them enjoyment.

Conclusions

Your mother’s advice was probably right. The latest trends will come and go. Rather than focus on the latest trends, stick with the core values of your company and find a clear message that resonates with your consumers. Be transparent and invest in quality content that you curate thoroughly. Be an early adopter of new media, but don’t ignore traditional media that performs well for you.

And, celebrate every day like it’s Earth Day.

Sheri Wallace is an expert on marketing and public relations strategy for companies who manufacture organic and natural products, with an emphasis on organic labeling and messaging. She’s a road trip fanatic in her spare time and is constantly trying to find balance between a social media addiction and the open road.