Take the Green Marketing Challenge – Natural Clothing Company

This post is part of our TAKE THE GREEN MARKETING CHALLENGE series. Here’s how it works: Send us your green message (logo, tag line, graphic, copy), and we’ll evaluate it. That means a green team of three (Art Director, Copywriter and Account Manager) will thoughtfully assess your brand and we’ll post the results here on our Green Marketing Blog. Then you can join in on the conversation too with your comments. Here’s ours…

Our next challenge taker is the Natural Clothing Company. We’re glad you did because you need our help and it starts right with your name. Natural is a word that we think has completely lost its meaning and become generic.

We Googled “natural clothing” and got 97,000,000 hits. That’s proof that the term has become a bit overused. Now your tag line says “Organic clothes – great for you AND the planet,” so the question is: Are you selling natural or are you selling organic? If your clothes are truly organic, then be that. But you’re going to have to educate us why organic is better than natural. Consumers are still confused. And generally, people don’t know what organic clothing is. Education is everything here.

Tell us that cotton production uses vast amounts of pesticides and chemicals. Then go on to say how those pesticides and chemicals are brushing up against your skin, the largest organ in your body, when you wear conventional cotton clothing. Remind us that what we wear is as important to our health as what we eat. We think that is a story that needs to be told and can never be told enough if you want to change consumption patterns. Now most importantly, entice us with some fabulous organic fashions that we’ll want to eat up!   

NICOLE:  In terms of your visual logo, we were trying to figure out if the leaf (is it a leaf?) with your company name embedded is your logo or just the type treatment of your company name? Why repeat the company name twice? It shows indecisiveness. Pick one. Also, the type that is embedded in your leaf logo is hard to read. Your brand needs to be consistent and clear – and needs to be concept driven. Bottom line: Go back to the drawing board and figure what you are. 

In terms of your website copy, that needs a rewrite. It needs a personality and an ownable point of view. We think there is a lot to talk about. Take the leadership position on why organic fabrics and fibers are so important to the customer as well as the planet. You need to break out of the pack and say something new, exciting and real. What’s your company’s point of view? Here’s an idea for a position: “You are what you wear.” Now build on that.

IRV: Your copy says, “Look fabulous in 2010 and help protect earth with natural, organic clothes,” but you never show me anyone looking fabulous. Fashion (organic, natural or otherwise) is still fashion and people want to look great. Your photos and your models don’t look fabulous. Get a photographer who knows fashion and how to photograph people. What they are wearing will jump off the page. Fashion is always an emotional sell so excite my emotions.

Why not make the experience of shopping on your page fun and exciting? For example, why not be able to change the clothes on the models so you can mix and match? Allow your customers to choose dress pants with blouses. Use a cool display mechanism on your site to show your wares so your shoppers can create their own outfit. This will also showcase your large clothing selection.  Whatever the theme is, make it alive. Highlight your eco-fashion show by putting it up front and ditch the visual of the field. It’s all about the clothes anyway.

CAROLYN: Have your faithful fashion friends join in on the fun. Launch a “You Are What You Wear” contest and have your customers send in photos of themselves wearing your fashions along with a statement on how they are what they wear. Post that on your homepage and FlickR, and give out gift certificates for your new summer fashions as prizes. You bet they will spread the word for you. Word of mouse is the strongest advertising in the world.     

One last note, change your tag line. It’s as old and overused as yesterday’s fashions. People don’t buy clothing to save the planet; they buy it to make themselves feel and look great. Do some drilling down and we’re sure you can come up with a line that makes us all want to dress naturally and look great doing it. If you need some help, you know where to find us. 

Thanks Alina at the Natural Clothing Company for stepping up! 

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