Toyota Sees Beyond Cars

Toyota is one of the biggest advertisers in the country. And they’ve staked their huge new brand campaign (from Dentsu) on Doing Good.


They talk about creating American jobs at all the plants they have here. They talk about producing as little waste as possible, and their zero landfill targets. – (Bear in mind, this isn’t a fringe sub-campaign. This is Toyota’s new brand campaign.)

They talk about their safety innovations. Their partnership with the Audubon Society to “green” communities from Brooklyn to San Antonio. The $35 million they’ve donated toward children’s literacy. Fixing parks. Planting trees. Supporting college water sustainability standards … The list goes on and on.

It’s a lot of information we didn’t know about Toyota. And while it may not constitute total transparency, it sure feels like it. It feels like Toyota isn’t afraid to pull back the curtain and show you the factories, the parks, the people, the customers.

And it also invites viewers to chime in with their own stories, building a sense of community, participation, fandom, and in a way – crowdsourcing stories and ideas.

Creatively, my first impression of “Beyond Cars” was, Okay you see beyond cars, but if I want to buy a car I want Toyota to be really focused on that car, not some hippy tree-planting stuff.* However ...


After delving into the website, the good feelings I gained about Toyota overpowered the need for them to show me sheet metal. I already know Toyota makes great cars. Now I know a lot more. And in this case, the more I learn, the more I like them.

What other car company can say that?

* (Also, the creative is not particularly attention-getting. What is attention-getting is the mechanics of it: all the Good stuff they do, the transparency of it all, and the involvement of the website. It’s the community-building that gets the attention here, not a clever ad. In this case, the most compelling thing is to simply say the truth.)

(PS - If you want another Green car idea that's more closely tied to sales, you may also like THIS.)

Luxury Brands Go Green

The Wall Street Journal online recently had a great article about how many of the highest-end luxury brands you can think of (Tiffany’s, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Zegna) are turning to a green strategy to boost sales.

Here's an excerpt; “The luxury industry's adoption of a green message reflects the challenges facing some of the world's most glamorous brands. Once able to win customers with the promise of fine design, craftsmanship and service, the luxury business is contending with an aging core clientele and the aftermath of a decade-long expansion that has rendered exclusive brands less so than they used to be.

Those factors have purveyors of high-end fashions scrambling to re-invent their brands, in part by catering to younger shoppers who more often consider their impact on the environment than do traditional luxury-goods buyers.”

You might call it “sharing a worldview” with your customers. Or, offering “more than just a transaction.” These are some of the buzz-worthy phrases at my agency right now. And as luxury brands go green, they're making THAT their message.

Fact is, green campaigns do this, and more.

Luxury brands are often mature brands, and always rely on discretionary spending; for them it’s a great way to re-connect with people. And if you think about it, a green (or “we’re doing good”) message a great way to connect for all kinds of brands.

To read the full WSJ article, go HERE.

Fiji Water: So Good, Yet So Bad, part 2

Something weird has happened since I started this blog. A lot of people find it by searching for Fiji Water. Specifically, “fiji water bad,” and “fiji water good.”

I think these people are looking for an answer to a question like this; “If Fiji keeps claiming to be green (“carbon negative” in fact), how can it still have a controversial reputation?”

Here’s my hunch, presented humbly to you in a completely non-scientific graph.


The Fiji Water source is limited, and they’re taking so much of it as to throw the local ecosystem out of whack. Add to that the transportation impact of their water, and you’ve got a product with a pretty big enviro-impact. (Ironically, many local Fijiians have trouble finding clean drinking water, and Fiji Water has a history of unhelpfulness. So add bad karma.)

To fight that reputation, they’ve decided to buy their way out with carbon offsets. Not that it’s a bad practice, but offsets are no substitute for corporate responsibility. Their impact is still massive, and so their offset expenses are as well (a fact reflected in the price per bottle, perhaps).

By contrast, one of the most eco-friendly bottled waters is Icelandic Glacial. Like Fiji Water, it’s imported from a unique source. But since Iceland has to import most of its goods (other than fish), there are a lot of empty ships leaving the country. Icelandic Glacial can export its water on ships that would otherwise return empty. They’re not adding traffic. Their shipping is creating zero NEW emissions; their shipping impact is happening whether they export their pure water or not.

Further, the Icelandic Source is a gigantic under-island glacial “river.” A source so massive, the company’s annual output is about 1% of what flows through the source in a single day. So the water they take doesn’t impact the local environs in the least. But here’s the best part. The country of Iceland derives most of its energy not from oil, but from water. Steam. That’s right, Icelandic Glacial’s bottling plant is powered by – (wait for it) – water.

Yes, Icelandic Glacial still buys carbon offsets to account for its small impact on the earth. And that helped make it the world’s first carbon neutral product.

Fiji Water claims to have caught up, now being “carbon negative” thanks to its egregious greenwashing. Icelandic Glacial is carbon neutral, and is truly a greener product.

I just like to imagine the ad campaign they could run.

(See the earlier posts that are getting this site so much traffic, HERE.)

(PS – another fun fact about Icelandic Glacial is the mineral makeup of the water itself. It’s so pure, it’s the only water that freezes perfectly clear. Neat-o.)

WalMart’s Green Ripple

This just in. Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that WalMart’s green initiatives are becoming martial law. The retailing giant is telling its 100,000 suppliers that they MUST report their green stats to consumers on their packaging.

Holy crap. If they can pull it off (i.e. make it simple and meaningful), this move could wake up a whole lot of WalMart shoppers. They walk in for the price, and might make decisions for green reasons instead.

And, holy crap. This is going to be expensive for suppliers to update their packaging.

Good luck, WalMart. There’s nothing quite like throwing down the green gauntlet, especially if you’re the biggest retailer on the planet. This is going to wake people up, fo sho.

(Read the full WSJ article, HERE.)

Some lucky brands will be able to take full advantage of this, perhaps making their green credentials a major message in their ads.

(And stay tuned for the Saatchi S part of this equation. They are the Robin to WalMart’s Batman.)

Cisco: Welcome To The Human Network

So, there you are, one of the biggest tech infrastructure companies in the world, and you’ve got a great tag line. You’re looking at the next year’s marketing plan, and wondering if you should just keep sponsoring more golf tournaments.

Or perhaps, there’s another way. Something that engages people. Maybe there’s a way to use your power for good.

Cisco has decided to do just that. They’re re-interpreting their tag, “Welcome To The Human Network” and engaging people to go green. It’s a program called One Million Acts Of Green, and they already have over 1.7 million people signed up worldwide. (They should’ve called it One Billion Acts Of Green, since billion is the new million.)

They frame it to support their message – that there is power in this human network. (And in case anyone misses that connection, the CEO says it at least three times in the web site’s welcome video.)

They’re not asking for much. Just one little thing. Multiply that times a million, and you start having an impact.

Welcome to the human network indeed.

One criticism: the creative. A video of the CEO talking (badly) on the web site? The name of the program doesn’t use the phrase “Human Network?” It’s enough to make me think this was cooked up by their PR firm. Seriously, people. When a program is this good, let’s do it justice with some decent creative.

(PS – I committed to my one little act of green. I’ve been using paper cups for my coffee, tossing about two a day. So, I’m going old-school and from now on, using a classic ceramic mug. Less waste is a good thing. And my mug is cool.)

Check out their program, HERE.

The (More) Complete SunChips Story

More on SunChips. Again, a huge brand taking an earth-friendly position. And the ads are good. (From an agency called Juniper Park in Toronto. The cybersphere rumors them to be a spin-off from BBDO.)

They won some awards with a “solar powered” billboard.


And they also did this solar-powered newpaper ad (which is hanging in my creative director's office.)


And of course, they’re activating it all with social media like Facebook and consumer-generated content.
It all comes together on the Sun Chips website, HERE.

As BrandWeek says of the eco-angle, “This strategy has paid off handsomely as Sun Chip sales are up 17.6%, totaling $201.8 million for the 52 weeks ending June 15, per IRI.”

And as the Sun Chips brand manager told BrandWeek, “We're seeing a lot of customers and retailers interested in these efforts. This resonates a lot with them. With Wal-Mart, we had a partnership earlier this year to be one of few brands they are pushing in the environment space along with GE light bulbs and Tide cold water. … It’s so on trend.”

Read the whole BrandWeek article, HERE.

My guess is, as they continue to take "small steps" to help the environment, they'll have more great stories to tell in their advertising.

Check out Juniper Park’s website, HERE.

Mad props to all involved.

eBay: the Green Online Giant?

eBay has always been about “reuse” – one man’s trash, and all that. So in a way, they’ve always supported a “greener” way of shopping. Well, the online giant is now capitalizing on that with a new spin on the old sell.

Now they realize the world is ready to shop greener, and almost without changing anything, their messaging has changed. Same online garage sale, now wrapped in green. And you know what? I don’t mind the new message. I don’t call it “greenwashing,” really. It’s just recognizing a new reason people are buying.


(It's really just a small part of their huge site, impossible to find from their main page. And they call it their "Green Team.")

eBay’s also taking other baby steps to help the planet, with their Giving Works - a way to donate a portion of sales to nonprofit causes - and MicroPlace - a micro lending service that supports sustainable development.

Hey, if every big company like this is making incremental changes in the way they do business, that’s a good thing. Now when they promote it, they need to drastically improve their advertising creative. (See my post from two days ago, below.)

(I got this tidbit from PSFK, “inspiration to make things better,” and they got it from TreeHugger.)

Why Does “Green” Creative Suck?

I’ve been spending a good deal of time lately seeking out "good"/cause/green/belief-brand advertising. And I gotta be honest, most of it blows. It's like the companies that do good don't know how to hire a decent agency, and the decent agencies don't see the opportunity in building a brand while doing something good.

I hope there will come a day when ad geniuses will see the value in having something good to say. And vice versa – the day when companies doing good will see the value in better (much better) creative.

Case in point (yawn):

There are notable exceptions, many featured on this blog. Like THIS, and THIS, and THIS. Oh, and I also like the Dove stuff. (I'll tackle that in some upcoming post.)

Good golly, can’t we do better?

A Few Nice Sentences from The Green Marketing Manifesto (Recommended!)

If you haven't read The Green Marketing Manifesto (Wiley, 2007), I recommend it. It’s not as hippy-dippy as the title sounds. It’s written by an ad agency guy, John Grant (co-founder of one of the more groundbreaking ad agencies in the UK, St. Luke’s.) It’s not just about environmental or “cause” marketing. It’s about how for-profit companies can earn loyalty and grow by working with their customers for good. To wit:

“This book is about green marketing as a creative opportunity, to innovate in ways that make a difference and at the same time achieve business success.”

“When I say ‘green’ in the title of this book, while I do mean climate change, I also mean other environmental and social issues too.”

“In my view we should see green marketing as the next revolution (after the internet).”

“(The beautiful coincidence is) marketing and innovation examples where what is right for the environment is also good for a business. This is a very fast-moving area.”

“All three of these trends (sustainability, web 2.0, and new marketing) are based on similar tendencies: the feeling of wanting to change things, social and ethical values, community, a fascination with the future, a belief in the power of the individual and in adhocracy, advocacy and people power.”

And that’s just the introduction. More nuggets to come, I'm sure.

More helpful reviews on Amazon, I'm sure.

(Thanks to Marty McDonald of Egg for the recommendation.)

Exclusive! The M+G Blog-erview w/Saatchi S’ Director of Brand Planning, pt. 2 of 2

(continued from yesterday’s post, the rest of the conversation with one of Saatchi’s sustainability gurus. Scroll down for the first half of my chat with Cari Jacobs.)

M+G: What Saatchi S project do you think has had the biggest impact so far?

Cari Jacobs: I’ll start with the practice that I love, because I love it. We call it “sit in bliss.” And it’s one day a week across all the Saatchi-S offices, we simultaneously sit for about an hour in sort of a “mindfulness” or meditation state, and it’s a practice we’ve done together since the beginning. When you’re sitting with your colleagues around the work you’re doing, it’s a really powerful tool. And you’re doing it with your colleagues. You hear about these corporate retreats and stuff, but it’s something we really believe in.

As for the work, probably our work with WalMart has had the biggest impact. For most suppliers, WalMart can represent 25-40% of a brand’s revenue (like Coke, Pepsi). Think about the power of that. If WalMart puts out communication to their supplier that if they don’t do these five things you won’t get shelf space – or, conversely, if they do – they have a huge about of influence at the billion- and trillion-dollar level. It’s something we did with the PSP (personal sustainability project) for WalMart’s employee base. It really gives them a way to connect.

One employee had the idea to un-light the soda machines to save energy, and it saved gazillions – like a couple million dollars – hang on - (goes off phone to ask a co-worker) – it saved one million dollars. Just from unscrewing the lights in soda machines. From one employee. They also started doing this thing called a “recycling sandwich” where they bail their recyclables into big bundles, so they could turn recycling into a money-making thing.

M+G: How do you think successful brands will be doing “good” say, 10 years from now?

CJ: There’s so many questions inside that question. My first answer was going to be Free, Clean, Clear, and Good. (As in, free of bad things chemicals, additives, etc.) But I think it’s about brands ultimately being transparent, authentic, local (even if they’re global), and I’m hoping soulful in the most traditional sense of the word – like having a real soul that matches the soul-identity of consumers. And I’d hope that’s the way they design their entire revenue stream. So they increase margins not by increasing price or adding skus, but by decreasing waste. They measure growth by how much waste and excess they don’t create. Like “reverse-excess” brands, ya know? I think there’s some magic in the cottage-industry feel too. A modernized version – getting goods to people in ways that support a local community. We don’t want to retreat into our safe little caves, of course. But I’d just be happy if everything in five years was just Free, Clean, Clear, and Good. From the food we eat to the stuff we put on our skin. If everyone just did that, the impact would be unfathomable.

M+G: I get Free, Clean, Clear … but what’s “Good?”

CJ: That’s hard to define, but just operating with integrity. Like with skin care, and phthalates. Commonly listed as “Fragrance.” But it’s not. It’s what makes stuff stick. – lipstick, makeup, lotion … the beauty care category is completely unregulated. Think of your morning routine. Soap, shampoo, lotion, after shave, etc – all of it has phthalates in it. All of it. And they don’t measure the total effect of using it all. And I wish some company had the courage to take a good hard look at that.
In the EU, they have better controls on those things. … When I think of good I think of the four strains of sustainability and operating with the highest level of integrity.

We also define it as a “Blue” company, which is what we call those that go beyond green. And that really kind of covers it, doesn’t it? Those four things. Hopefully the zeitgeist is moving that way, and even “bad seed” brands will come around.

CJ: Can I answer a question I saw on your blog?

M+G: Please do!

CJ: It was something like, “Can a brand actually stand for ‘good?’” When I was growing up, I had friends that were into very esoteric studies at Berkeley and stuff. But I always believed that what I was about was trying to communicate as authentically as possible. I believe that at the heart of the brands we connect with, it reflects back into our own hearts. If I could do one thing, it would be to make that connection more important in the heart of our brands. And we both have to show up – the brand and the customer. It’s about the mom wanting a sustainable product, and knowing that her little decision is one small vote toward her own shifting identity. That’s the cultural anthropologist in me. The extent to which I can affect that, that would be a great contribution in my tiny life.

Thanks, Cari. Fantastic stuff.

Exclusive! The M+G Blog-erview w/Saatchi S’ Director of Brand Planning, pt. 1 of 2

Here’s a cool thing. I got to talk with Cari Jacobs, Group Director of Brand Planning and Activation at Saatchi S and ask her a few questions. For those who don’t know, Saatchi S is their sustainability office, with huge clients like WalMart, Frito-Lay, P&G, Dell, General Mills, etc. You can read Cari’s bio HERE, under “Who’s In Charge.” She’s a very enlightened, insightful marketer, so if there’s anything here that doesn’t make sense, it’s probably because I couldn’t type fast enough. Enjoy.

M+G: Hey Cari. How are things at Saatchi S?

Cari Jacobs: Things are good. Like all companies we are trying to adjust to the new marketplace. Luckily we’re in sustainability, so we’re trying to do that with the least amount of human impact, but the most financial impact.

M+G: What are you working on today?

CJ: Well, we’re largely a consulting firm, so a lot of it’s confidential, but … the work we do helps clients understand their “north star” sustainability goals. North stars that have concrete sustainability numbers in them, but also emotional, aspirational aspects. We work down through 3 separate channels, and find the nexus – Operations (like water, energy, waste, life-cycle), Brand Activation (like brand planning, that’s my group) cultural/anthropological studies to find how consumers will be activated – there’s no real reason to call it that other than the other names were taken at Saatchi. (And Outreach.)
For example, for General Mills’ Green Giant, the first year we were digging in deep with them, getting operations to sit in the room with marketing and PR to look at the whole picture, from packaging to farming – across their supply chain, and identify areas that might be blind spots. Like GMO – if they were to put a position out into the marketplace that was controversial, how they should do that.

Our goal is not to unseat the brand’s current position. We put the lens of sustainability over it. In the case of Green Giant – their vegetables are “as nutritious as fresh,” with flash freezing to preserve them like our grandparents used to do. It’s a misunderstood process in frozen vegetables. The Green valley is an actual, real place, and the brand comes from a farming background.

Often times you open yourself up to a massive debate – online and offline. Shoppers are talking about what they’re seeing on the shelf. So we’re facilitating the story of “stewardship of the valley” and involving the customer.
We call it “Community-built brands.” The building of a sustainable brand needs to involve the consumer, let them build that story with you. It’s similar to “brand activism” – standing for something larger than the brand itself. It needs to be blossomed out by giving the marketplace something – like little “chew toys.” We create magical chew toys that the customers can either play with or not – and that feeds into the brand.

M+G: Are you guys mainly a “green” agency? Or do you push for other causes too?

CJ: We’re 100% sustainability driven. We define it in 4 streams. Cultural, social, environmental, and economic. Of those, the two hardest to define are social and cultural.

Social is things like fair trade, fair employment, social justice issues. Cultural is more about as we globalize, how do we retain the inherent magic of individual cultures. A brand can globalize while still staying true to local cultures. How can we help a culture live on for hundreds of years?

M+G: How do you determine what is a truly “good” brand? Vs. not?

CJ: We work on huge brands. WalMart, Frito-Lay … we tell our clients that it’s not a destination we’ll arrive at, this is a journey. We look for brands that are willing to do that.

(With our Outreach group) we ask, how do you activate sustainability inside pre-set cultures? WalMart really did that. The person that’s a blackberry person is the same person that has a family at home. So the approach is based on more than traditional ROI models. The clients we work with has a handle on their own goals here. Ingredient safety, in skin care, and others – what might be “safe” today might actually be causing cancer. So we’re looking to see what companies are open to these kinds of conversations – at the “C” level. We look for a visionary, a hero in the space.

M+G: How do you connect being “good/green” with sales and profits?

CJ: We don’t think they’re mutually exclusive, and they shouldn’t be. We don’t think money is bad. We connect it through the fact that every choice is relevant. Those micro-choices, the very small sustainable choices – laundry detergent or toothpaste – are the choices that either contribute or don’t. They add up to large scale sustainability to save the planet, and also to build sales. Both factors are equally important in today’s economy. Clients come to us because they get that.
Where it gets tricky is when it’s about commercializing sustainability vs. DOING sustainability. And we’re pretty hard core about sniffing that out. We know that every client isn’t doing all they should be, but we’re willing to work with them and make that connection.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the blog-erview, with more great stuff from Cari and Saatchi S.

Building a Belief Brand: Method

Here's a video link for ya. As far as keynote speeches at ad conferences go, this one's pretty good. Mainly because it gives you a glimpse into one of the biggest category-busting stories of the new millennium. (how you like that hype?)

I stole this guy's bio from some web site somewhere (the guys gets around to speak a lot).

Eric Ryan, Brand Architect and Co-Founder, Method
BIO: Eric makes soap. Really nice smelling soap that's non-toxic and good for the planet. Soap that's really beautiful, too, that makes people want to clean. He started Method in 2001 with his high school buddy Adam and has since built Method into a $100 million brand at retail — a brand that was ranked the 16th most innovative company in the world by Fast Company in 2008, and the 7th fastest growing company in America by Inc. Magazine in 2006. Today, Method has over 100 planet friendly cleaning products that can be found in stores across America, Canada and the UK. He's been named an eco-leader by Vanity Fair, a Food & Wine Tastemaker, an eco-revolutionary by Time Magazine, PETA's Person of the Year, and one of People Magazine's Sexiest People Alive. Okay, that last one's not true, but the others are. Eric lives in Marin with his wife Ingrid and two year-old daughter Anya, whose current favorite color is yellow.

And if you don't have time to watch the whole 20+ minute video, here are a few of my favorite quotes.

“Belief brands don’t have to spend as much in paid media. They’ll get more earned media because the story is stronger.”

“Own share of culture, not share of voice.”

“It’s no longer about building a mass market. It’s about building loyalty.”

(about their book, People Against Dirty: Detox Your Home) “By marketing a philosophy, you get people to pay $15 to read our ads.”

“We're spending less and less on trial, and more and more on loyalty.”

“I do think you can find some sort of belief in just about any brand today.”

The whole video of his speech is posted HERE.

I'm sure I'll re-visit Method's story in the future. It's a good one.

Again, Where Are The Bottled Water Brands?

It’s plastic, but not.

It’s plastic made from corn, and they say it’s “completely compostable.”

Water bottles account for Carl-Sagan-sized amounts of plastic in land fills. It’s every water brand’s huge Achilles’ heel.

(For two manufacturers of these corn-plastics – cups, bottles, etc – click HERE and HERE. And a sales site, HERE.)

How big a deal is the plastic bottle problem? In marketing terms, two huge brands with huge budgets have staked their entire positioning around it. One is Fiji Water, promoting all the carbon offsets they buy to make up for their bad practices. They now claim to be the first “carbon-negative” brand. But that’s only thanks to all the carbon offsets they buy. (Wouldn’t it be better support for an earth-friendly position to not use plastic in the first place?)

This ad is HOOEY.


The other brand is Brita water filters. You’ve seen the ads. They sell against the whole category of water in plastic bottles.


The first water brand to adopt corn plastic bottles can lay claim to the true positioning of “good for the earth.” Lots of water brands cozy up to the earth – falsely. Here’s a chance to lead. A chance to use your package as media.

It’s not just about positioning. It’s about delivering.

Honda Insight TV Spot: Green Car, Green Production?

From Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam comes this spot for the Insight hybrid. Here’s the “making of” video, with the spot itself at the end.

Initial response is mixed, with many folks thinking a 1,000-car commercial is a big waste of gas and electricity in itself.

AdRants says, "After doing the work to see what was possible W+K and Honda made the decision to look at a more environmentally friendly alternative. The result was a mix of Houdini 3-D modeling software for animation precision, a small number of Insight vehicles for scale and a few hundred Insight headlights." (Full article, HERE.)

As for my thoughts, I’ll refer back to an earlier post.

EarthDay.net vs. EarthHour.org

An excerpt from an actual conversation:

“Hey, Earth Hour is coming right up.”

“Yeah! I love Earth Day. I think it’s April 22nd, right?”

“Well, yeah, Earth Day is April 22nd. But I was talking about Earth HOUR. Totally different thing.”

As one of my idealistic friends says, “One day, every day will be earth day.” I don’t think this person knows Earth HOUR even exists.

Please, someone at Earth Hour call someone at Earth Day. Get on each others’ calendars. Until you guys get coordinated, we’re all confused.

For the record, Earth Day is indeed April 22nd. And they would like you to “plan an event,” which is a pretty big ask for a Wednesday.

Earth HOUR is Saturday March 28th. They want you to turn off your lights for one hour at 8:30pm local time. (Seems like this would actually be easier on a Wednesday.)

There are many fine companies planning campaigns around these events, or at least participation. Please comment if you know of some.

The Bottled Water Race Is On

This piece of creative packaging isn't for any particular bottle water brand, but it should be.
It's such an obvious idea, it's rings like a starting gun.

A lot of water brands claim to be "earth-friendly." I can't wait to see which one adopts this packaging first.

CMOs Love Naked Models (Let’s Make This Really Simple)

Here’s a fun (yet dated) statistic from 2005:

100 “green-screened” stocks increased 97% in value. By contrast, the Russell 2000 had a gain of 23.2 percent, and the S&P 500 has had a loss of -16.9 percent. – Winslow Green Index (WGI) of Boston-based Winslow Management Co.

What do you think? Do today’s stats still favor “green” stocks?

In more recent news, Inc. Magazine reports that companies that do “good,” are doing well in these tough economic times. Why? Because nowadays “good” and “green” products are also the ones that save people money in the long run. Read their anecdotal story from 2/20 right HERE.

The point is, doing “good” attracts money. Want to be profitable? Add some Good to your marketing, and build in a way for your customers to participate. They will reward you.

“You can make money and do good at the same time. They are not separate acts."
-Tom Chappell, founder, Tom's of Maine

Steal This Idea: Why Don’t Green Products Use Greener Marketing?

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.”

What is “Societal Marketing?” (the birth of a blog)

There are a lot of terms floating around out there when companies refer to doing something good. So, to explain Societal Marketing, let’s first discuss what it’s not.

It’s not Corporate Sustainability, which is: “the practice of a company to lower its operational impact on the earth.”

It’s not Green Marketing: “the incorporation of earth-friendly benefits in a marketing program,” although Green Marketing is certainly one form of Societal Marketing.

Rather, Societal Marketing is the incorporation of a charitable end into a marketing program, be it a Green cause, an educational cause, a disaster relief cause, a hunger cause, etc.

But Societal Marketing is not Social Marketing (aka, Cause Marketing). The difference is, Societal Marketing has a goal of increasing product sales, not simply altruism. (Wikipedia has some nice definitions.)

I call it “Marketing + Good,” since Societal Marketing starts with the same goal as any marketing effort, but adds the benefit of making the world a better place. That combination is becoming more powerful than ever, resonating with today’s well-intended, globally-aware consumer. In fact, it’s often a more powerful driver of consumer decisions than price. People are willing to pay a fraction more for the feeling that their purchase will help a cause they care about. Societal Marketing leverages the emotional power of Cause Marketing on behalf of a consumer brand.

In my humble opinion, if a Societal Marketing campaign is structured well, success is three-fold. One is sales. Two, it makes the world a better place. And three, it creates brand loyalty by aligning values with the customer.

In these pages, I hope to showcase some great “Marketing+Good” work being done currently by leading agencies and brands. (And since I come from the creative side, I’ll definitely speak up – or not post – if it sucks.) By all means, send me campaigns you think fit the bill.