Shorter Showers Are Not Awesome: Green Marketing Goes under the Microscope
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …Brand marketing, as it turns out, appears to be more than just a function of budget and “having a good story to tell” – and there’s considerable evidence that the custodians of the overall “biofuels” brand have struggled and failed to sustain a case in the public eye.
…A thought-leader on all things sustainable – who recently trained her sights on energy and bio-based materials – is Suzanne Shelton, who in recent years has parlayed her considerable body of knowledge on all things sustainable into a thriving Shelton Group marketing practice whose clients include Boeing, Toshiba, J&J, Bayer, Georgia-Pacific, Lowe’s and the USDA – just to name a few.
…70 percent of respondents to her landmark and regular consumer surveys say that green is a very important factor for them in their brand choices.
…“The issues are always price and performance,” she noted, “when it comes to understanding why people might express an interest in a product but not make a change, or not stay with a green product they have tried.”
…The #1 attribute is “made in USA”
…“Generally, they have no idea of the difference between biodegradable and biobased. 60 percent can’t define sustainability at this point in time. You are going to have to communicate. for now, at a 4th grade level, and your customer will learn more later.”
…“To create real behavior change,” she answers, “we have to move people from automatic behaviors to conscious choices, make the problem visual, make the problem uncomfortable, and give them a specific, simple action step.”
…“You have a lot of advantages,” Shelton says. “You have some good, clear messages available to you. The ones that matter? Energy independence, made in the USA, healthier, and saving money.
…The point of impact for the industry? Well, that would be, for fuelmakers, the pump. READ MORE
