Chapter 03- Environment Marketing

Environment friendly Communication/Green Communication:

‘Environmental Communication’ refers to ‘Communication with the target segment Customers/Consumers, Stakeholders, Regulatory bodies in environment-friendly way through the use of communication media such as Advertising, Public relations, promotional messages etc.

The importance of green communication in raising environmental consciousness of the consumer can never be exaggerated. Environmental benefits may appear indirect, intangible, or insignificant to the consumer. For example: Consumers cannot see the emissions that are being spared at the power plant when they use energy saving appliances.Similarly,they do not see the space saved in the landfill when they recycle their cans in bottles. Although many green products are cheaper, faster, better, smaller, more convenient or durable, others can be more expensive, slower, uglier or less sanitary.

Environment related communications can reinforce a product’s primary benefits which are noted below:

a)    Green related attributes enhance overall product quality.

b)   Low Operating Cost or Convenience.

c)    Buff up Corporate imagery.

d)    Ward off legislative threats.

Because of these benefits noted above, the potential for green focused communications can often secure a boost in product oriented marketing support from upper management.

Challenges of Green Communication:

Green Communication may have some challenges which are noted below:

    a) Targets can be elusive

    b) Communications can be expensive.

    c) Backlash can occur.

Though Green Communications has to face some of the challenges mentioned above, it has to continue its operation otherwise it has some sort of risk which may jeopardize the overall product life cycle.

Risks which may arise are noted below:

a)    Products being replaced on the shelf by a competitor with recognized green credentials.

b)   Lost opportunities to increase market share among the growing number of consumers.

c)    Consumers may consider their product as environmentally unsound.

Strategies for the success of Environment Related Communication:

Environment oriented communication works best when the following characteristics exist:

a)    Green product attributes are obvious, legitimate, and meaningful to a sizable number of consumers.

b)   Product’s environmental benefits are tangible and can be clearly and simply communicated.

c)    Product related efforts are reinforced by substantive corporate progress.

The following strategies should be used to take advantage of the many opportunities afforded by green communications while overcoming the challenges of green communications.

a)    Educate the Consumers.

b)   Empower the Consumers with solutions.

c)    Make an appeal to the Self-interest of the Consumers.

d)    Provide Performance Reassurance.

e)    Consider a Mix of Media.

f)     Avoid Backlash.

Above strategies are discussed below in brief:

a)   Educate the Consumers:

Consumers want to make sure that their shopping choices are in line with Green values and they are receptive to the efforts of the marketers to provide them with the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions. For advertisers that make the effort to teach, educational messages provide special opportunities to increase purchase intent, enhance imagery and bolster credibility.

The best educational efforts that make environmental benefits tangible are compelling illustrations, Statistics, Awareness Program, Seminars etc.We can explain the case of ‘Organically Grown Cotton’ to understand the issue:

To educate employees and visitors on the environmentally related benefits of organically grown cotton, a company Patagonia created an exhibit for its corporate headquarters. Displays focused on topics such as the difference between the conventional and organic worldviews, the history of pesticide production and the fundamentals of chemical free forming and manufacturing. Fiberboard panels were designed to display text, diagrams, photographs, illustrations and statistics and also an impassioned letter from the highest level to show the commitment of the company.

Without educating the target segment consumers, company would not be successful enough as it would be if some initiatives on this issue were taken. Consumer education is the most priority issue in case of green communication because until and unless consumer does not fully comprehend the benefits of buying environment friendly products, green communication efforts does not yield any benefits to the marketer.

  

B) Empower the Consumers with solutions:

The consumers should be empowered to solve environmental problems through green communications. Environmentally concerned individuals respond to emotionally driven messages which enable them to undertake measures to have a sense of control over their lives. The Green communication should demonstrate how environmentally sound products and services help consumers protect health, preserve the environment for future generations, or protect the outdoors for recreation and wildlife.

The marketers should use highly illustrative visuals to strengthen the upbeat emotional appeal of environmental advertising. They should exploit the inherent visual power in environmentalism. They should make illustrations big, bright, beautiful and may also give it some drama to make it connect with human heart. The advertisement should demonstrate specific things, it should not be too general. For instance, a close-up shot of a spotted deer will be far more effective in drawing a crowd rather than

a chart showing the deer’s probable demise and extinction. In this connection, some sort of product sales and a fixed percentage may be related to donation to carry out those activities such as ‘saving deer’s from extinction’.

The marketers should take a stand and steer it carefully. People usually respond to powerful statements and they will become more involved with the environmental issues if their attention is captured by headline and loud voice in advertising. The marketers should address the underlying motivations of their target. They should motivate the environmentally conscious people by demonstrating how they can make a contribution. They should provide the people with easy, cost effective ways to make a contribution. They should underscore that small actions when performed by many can make big changes.

C) Make an appeal to the self-interest of the Consumers:

The marketers should make environmental communication in such a way that it makes an appeal to the consumer’s self interest. Self-interest issue to be focused in such a way that would highlight in the consumer’s mind that today’s small contribution will ultimately benefited the generation of its own. Everybody can admit the fact that environmentally conscious products like recycled paper and organically grown cotton benefit everybody in the society, they do not just benefit those people who are good enough to pay the premium to buy them. The marketers should be rewarded for their altruism. The marketers should help the purchasers over the premium price by demonstrating how environmentally sound products enable consumers protect their health, save money or keep their homes and communities safe and clean. The marketers should show busy consumers how environmentally inclined behaviours save time and effort. The marketers should offer consumers the dual opportunities of saving money or trouble and saving the earth, and in return, the marketers would get a stuff for a meaningful sale.

D) Provide Performance Reassurance:

Reassurance of the performance of the environmentally preferable technology is required so as to attract environmentally conscious customers to eco-efficient products.Environmetally preferable technologies often look or perform differently and are often perceived as less effective than their more familiar eco-inefficient counterparts. These potential barriers to purchase should be removed through following measures so as to reassure the performance of the environmentally preferable technology related to the products:

a)    To counter any lingering statement about the inferior quality of products made with recycled content.

b)   To underscore the reliability of remanufactured products.

c)    To make sure that consumers think the products are capable of winning all the environmental tests.

E) Consider a Mix of Media:

Though advertising is usually the preferred form of communicating with mass consumers, many environmentally conscious consumers prefer to use alternative media of communication. Alternative messages, especially those delivered through non-paid media, can be more credible, as well as capable of reaching environmentally conscious consumers, as and when they seek information. It has been observed through research that advertising receives only moderate support from the most sophisticated group of environmental consumers. They prefer messages conveyed on packages or through direct marketing and community programs. The environmentally conscious marketers typically rely heavily on public relations tactics to communicate their messages. Companies with a mass target and who can afford advertising to highlight a brand’s primary benefits, while folding in public relations messages to communicate supplemental environmental benefits is successful.

The value of this approach is threefold:

a) Its public relation efforts can target green consumers in a cost efficient way.

b) Its provide third party credibility.

c) It reduces the potential for backlash.

The environmentally conscious marketers or companies can build up their corporate reputations and continue to establish goodwill through the following creative publicity generating mechanisms such as: A) Adopting local charities. B) Protecting small dairy farmers. C) Donating profits to charity etc.

F) Avoid Backlash:

To establish credibility and to avoid possible backlash is highly challenging task ever for the most thoroughly researched communications. One of the most significant obstacles to green marketing is the unanticipated criticism that can emanate from the following sources:

a) Regulators.

b) Environmentalists.

c) Media.

d) Consumers.

e) Competitors.

f)  Scientific Community.

No company or product can ever be truly green. Corporate efforts hinting at aspirations or suggestions will often find distractors.Despite the initiatives such as ‘Environmental Reports’/’Sustainability Report’, Corporate Green Advertising and New Products, consumers may believe that industry is still not doing it’s fair share to clean up the mess.Therefore, the marketers should pick their target, aim to please them and follow some strategies noted below to avoid backlash:

a)    To undertake green products and programs as part of a corporate policy of environmental excellence.

b)    To promote responsible consumption.

c)    To consider the environmental impact of the marketing methods used by the marketers.

d)    To use meaningful claims.

e)    Adopt Eco-seals issued by the Govt. /Independent Organisation.