Eco Promotions

I just ordered a flat of organic strawberries. It's a choice I feel really good about. Not only are those berries going to taste amazing, they are healthier for me and my family, they're supporting the work of organic farmers and keeping the soil and water free from toxic chemical pesticides.

As consumers, we have tremendous ability to effect change at the very deepest level. But unfortunately, all too often we forget we have any power at all. We feel we are at the mercy of "big corporations." But, as an expert in sustainable advertising, wellness marketing, wellness promotion and as an advertising agency owner who works with eco business and wellness companies, it's my job to remind consumers of their true power. Every day we get a chance to vote with our dollars.

So the next time you open your wallet, remember if you want to leave the world a little greener, spend your own green on products or services that serve you as well as the planet.  

As an expert in sustainable advertising, wellness promotion, eco business and wellness marketing, I am often surprised that the meaning of sustainability is still so misunderstood. It is not uncommon for instance for corporate executives to balk at the term—since they believe it means their business is about to do something really good but lose a lot of money doing it.

But the reverse is true. Sustainability and profitability are not mutually exclusive. In fact, I believe true sustainability is the measure of how well you do by doing good. It doesn't matter whether you work for a publicly owned company or non-profit, goals and objectives must be met. Money must be raised. Revenue increased. And quantifiable progress measured. (Even if that "progress" means the number of activists who have signed a petition.)

The practice of sustainable marketing brings us full circle. It sustains us. Sustainability is about giving and receiving.  It's like breathing. We breathe in oxygen and breath out carbon dioxide. In return, trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. It's reciprocity at its finest. And it's a practice that keeps people and the planet as healthy as our bottom line.

  
Every time a purchase is made a consumer asks themselves three questions:

1) What's in it for me?
2) How is your product unique in the marketplace
3) Why should I believe you?

When it comes to organic advertising, environmental marketing, social change marketing or sustainable marketing—each of these three essential questions needs to be addressed before a consumer will buy.

Here's the good news. Each of these questions is easier to address when you have a product or service that speaks to personal or environmental health. Whether you're promoting organic produce, green lawn care, sustainably made furniture, an eco spa or energy efficient appliances, you have a story to tell that more conventional products can't touch.

It gets even better. Consumers of products like yours (generally LOHAS consumers) don't want to be sold. They don't want to be advertised to. They want the back story. They are hungry for data, information and proof. They want to know they can trust you. They are leery of being green washed. So you don't worry about "selling," your job is to "share." Remain fully transparent. Be authentic. And the sales will come.

One of my first clients became one of my best friends. Laurie Brown, founder of Restore Products, is an innovator, thought-leader and green entrepreneur. We began working together in 1990 when she launched the first green retail store in Mpls. And I became a key part of her messaging team as we chartered new territory in green pr, green promotion, eco and wellness marketing.

Today Laurie's company has transcended the walls of her retail store with a revolutionary new refill station that is saving millions of plastic bottles from landfills—while saving customers $1 each purchase. The quality and effectiveness of her products are not only stellar, they are completely plant-based and non-toxic. Check out her website at http://www.restoreproducts.com. 

Now as in the early days of marketing her products and refill station, we found that eco promotions were key. At the heart of our strategy were in-store demos. As is often the case, consumers find it difficult to believe a green cleaning product can do the job of a conventional cleaner. Of course seeing is believing. This high-touch, experiential marketing foundation has been vital to the decades long growth and success of Restore Products.

While some who have worked in the eco advertising and environmental trenches for decades express concern about organic going mainstream, I couldn't feel more optimistic. 

The movement toward eco awareness has been an organic evolution. The explosion of curbside recycling programs in the '90s was one of the first indicators that mainstream America was beginning to understand not only how empowered they felt by a simple act like recycling a bottle, but how GOOD they felt. In fact, while working as one of the lead creatives in Mpls. on a national advertising campaign to promote renewable energy, we leveraged that "feel-good, what's-in-it-for- me," desire to craft a direct response piece shaped like an aluminum can with a headline that read, "If this makes you think of recycling, have we got an electric company for you." 

Would this strategy be considered alternative advertising or sustainable advertising? Not really. It was simply good, solid advertising. Chinese General Sun Tzu, in 500 B.C.  said, "Know your enemy." When it comes to paradigm-shifting advertising, I say, "Know your audience."