Get Your Green On

The green world isn’t just about things that are green.  It’s about the values that come along with caring like social justice; and people and planetary safety around the globe.  All of these are green thinking.  What better way is there to reach your market than by reaching out?

An integral part of green marketing should be an alliance with a worthy cause.   Advocate for one you believe in and if possible, one with a link to your overall message and positive image.

For instance, Patagonia, the outdoor clothing manufacturer, is all about protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (http://www.patagonia.com/usa/patagonia.go?assetid=1809), Stonyfield Yogurt is for supporting family farms and organic agriculture (http://www.stonyfield.com/EarthActions/) and Timberland, the foot ware company, is about cooling global warming http://www.timberland.com/corp/index.jsp?page=csr_env_stratgic_partnership).

These causes and they way they work with them are displayed as prominently as their products are on their website.   

There is no great shortage of great causes to align with, from the global to the local.  But it has to be authentic or don’t bother.  The green consumer will see right through it.

Now your social responsibility doesn’t end there.   Examine your own practices.  Are you carbon neutral?  Are your facilities toxin-free?   Is there a better way to do what you’re doing?   Are your working conditions safe and fair?   Not only are these worth supporting, the cost of not supporting them in the hearts and minds of the green consumer can be even more costly.  

These are all necessary parts of your green communication but first see what you believe in and what you can do better.   Then communicate it.   Walks gotta go with the talk.

How are you walking the talk?  We’d like to know!

Women and men have very different environmental concerns.   Women tend to be naturally closer to nature because of child bearing and other reproductive functions.  Women are also traditionally the nurtures, healers and gathers.   They are 15% more likely to rate the environment a high priority and represent two-thirds of the voters who cast their ballots around environmental issues and support increase government spending for the environment.

Men on the other hand tend to focus on environmentalism as energy independence.   The solution to our addiction to oil is the advancement of technology - solar, wind power, biomass.  For men, global warming is primarily a tech issue.  For women, it’s mostly a personal issue.   

Journalist Thomas L. Friedman in a cover story for the New York Times wrote that America should redefine green to make it more “muscular” and transform its characterization by opponents as “sissy,” “girlie-man,” and “vaguely French.”   He said, “Green isn’t some ‘wussy’ tree-hugging thing.  Green is patriotic.  Green is strategic.  Green is the new red, white, and blue.”

Four decades ago, Rachael Carson, the “mother of the environmental movement” wrote that “we’re challenged as mankind has never been challenged before to prove maturity and our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.” 

These differences have significant impact on the focus of your green message.   Don’t just know what you’re marketing, know what you’re offering and who it appeals to.   

The bottom line is all of us have both feminine and masculine qualities in us.   Smart green marketers recognize this and know how to craft their message to skillfully keep the balance.