Jennifer Woofter and Tracy Hanford of Strategic Sustainability Consulting invited me to present our webinar, KERMIT IS DEAD: Effective Messaging in the Maturing Green Market. If you couldn’t make it to my live presentation, thanks to Jennifer and Tracy, here it is to listen to at your leisure. If you are in the green biz or planning on it, you’ll want to download it. Kermit is dying to come clean from “It’s easy being green.”

Here’s what this webinar is all about…

At the beginning of the green revolution, it was often enough just to be green or bring out Kermit the Frog singing “It’s easy being green” to achieve a measure of success. But the green market has matured and grown well past the initial 19% of the population who support green and socially responsible efforts and initiatives no matter what.

As this market broadens, green marketers across the globe have observed that now it’s “Me first, Planet later.” And that shift of emphasis has deep implications for marketers who need to rebalance and recalibrate their messages to include the wider market. The fundamental question now is: How do you create effective marketing messages that motivate, educate and communicate a true promise-of-value and values to the 81% of the population that are interested more and more in earth-friendly products and services? 

In this free webinar, Carolyn Parrs, Principal at Mind Over Markets, a dedicated strategic green marketing communications company, will share insights that will help you refine and target your message, create effective materials and balance your messages’ economic gain and ecological benefits. You’ll learn:

How to bring your marketing message from the planetary to the personal, from cause to because.

The importance of relevancy in your marketing message.

Why education is everything when promoting green products and services.

The relationship building power of social media.  

This presentation includes case studies and examples of successful and unsuccessful green marketing messages.

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Even though the dictionary says there are only two E’s in green, when speaking about green marketing, there are actually three.

The first “E” stands for ecology.  Ecology and planetary concerns.  It’s the initial engine that got the whole movement started in the first place.

The second “E” and equally important is economy.  There isn’t anyone standing with a gas nozzle in their hands that isn’t thinking hybrids and alternative energy sources.  Just the other day, there was a package of $2.99 corn I saw in Trader Joe’s that made me think that the price of corn is spiking as quickly as oil.  Then there’s the unknown effects this year’s weather will have on the fall crop yields that we’ll all be paying for soon.

Take note green marketers, the economic benefits of green products is the great story that needs to be told as bank accounts shrink faster that glaciers.

The last “E” in green is efficacy.  Green doesn’t only have to do good, it has to work good.  Think of the clever naming of the new line from Clorox called ”Green Works”.  That makes sense because many early adapters to green products gave up a lot of performance for their conscience.  But that’s no longer true.

If you want to successfully sell green products in a market governed by today’s realities, you have to get your priorities in order and balance your message accordingly.  Grand-dads in trout streams, Kermit the frog, lofty lyrics and make-believe messages aren’t going to do it.

Tell me how you’re going to respect my needs, my values and my intelligence first.  Then we can talk.   

Irv

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In the green world, miscommunication is often worse than no communication at all.   If you’re going to communicate with this demographic, here are five “no-no’s” no green communicator should ever commit.  

1. Underestimating the intelligence of the audience.  

According to the New York Times, the green consumer is more inquisitive, less trusting, more experimental and better informed than any group of consumers have ever been before.  They think about their values every time they make a purchase.  Make sure you appeal to their head as well as their heart if you want your message to appeal to them.

2. Making and disseminating vague or misleading environmental statements. 

When Ford launched its “Kermit the Frog” advertising campaign a couple of years ago for their Ford Escape Hybrid, they tried to convince the public of their commitment to the environment.  One print ad read, “Green vehicles.  Cleaner factories.  It’s the right road for our company, and we’re well underway.” 

Meanwhile back at the plant, Ford only planned on producing 20,000 of its Hybrid SUV’s per year, while continuing to produce almost 80,000 of their gas guzzling F-series trucks per month.  That campaign backfired and the term “Greenwashing” became synonymous with their name.   Greenwashing is a term describing misleading instances of environmental advertising.   A definite “no no”.

3. Relying on sweeping generalities about the green consumer.  

The green demographic is not one thing.  It ranges from deep greens (19% who are totally committed) to medium greens (33% who are open and willing) to light greens (16% who will buy green only when it makes economic as well as ecologic sense).  Make sure you know who you are talking to before you start talking.

4. Committing sins of omission.  

Transparency is everything in this market.  When Horizon Organic Dairy advertised happy cows, the green consumer found out they weren’t so happy and they organized a protest against them.   All the great PR in the world won’t undo that.

5. Underestimating the power of the Internet. 

News spreads like a virus on the internet.   In a nano-second, millions of consumers can reach each other.  Be sure what you say (and don’t say) you want everyone to know because with the click of a mouse, they will.

The green market is estimated to reach $1 trillion in the next five years.  If you want to be part of that growth, you have to be as smart, as aware and as authentic as the consumers you want to reach.  Not being is the greatest flaw of all.

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