
Companies keep developing products that are easier on the earth. And that’s fantastic. Then they start the marketing, and it’s the same old plan, same old techniques.
My question is, if a product can have Goodness designed into it, why can’t a marketing plan?
The same innovation that makes that Hybrid get 45mph, apply that end-goal thinking to the marketing. It makes sense: if a customer wants to save the earth, they’re interested in this product. So how about structuring the marketing plan so that the very purchase of a Hybrid does even more to help the earth?
One way to do this is incentives. “Buy a Hybrid from our dealership, and we’ll pay to carbon-offset the rest of your life as well.” If I were a Hybrid shopper, I’d think that was pretty cool. I may even put a bumper sticker on my car about it. But it would definitely give me a reason to check out that dealer instead of buying a used car from my neighbor on Craig’s List. The dealer wins with a sale, a customer that may tell their friends about it, and there’s another Hybrid on the road.
It sure beats “Saved By Zero.”