Green marketers have to now be a bit more careful in their campaigns. The FTC may shortly impose guidelines on how far a company can go in classifying themselves or their products as green. The article in AdAge details the proposed changes and the implications for marketers. One issue at hand is defining what it actually means for a company/product to be sustainable.
This recent movement is great evidence that being green is profitable for a company. There is a desire to brand oneself as green for profit purposes but the FTC is taking steps to ensure only truly sustainable businesses and organizations obtain the benefits of being environmentally responsible. There has been a great surge of green marketing campaigns occurring but new regulations will make it interesting to see how many companies can still truly call themselves green.
What can your business learn from this recent development? First, you can see that going green is a great marketing tactic for your business. If it was not, then the FTC would not be considering putting regulations on green campaigns. Next, you can see that it is crucial for your agency to be truthful about going green. Lying to consumers about your sustainability efforts taints your image and will eventually be revealed. Third, your business can realize being sustainable is important to consumers. Consumers want action –not talk. While it is true some consumers may shop green just to say that they are being green, the majority shop green because they want to protect the environment.
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