♻️ Green Marketing
About the responsibility that marketing has for our future
Hello 👋 My name is Florian Schleicher and this is the FutureStrategies newsletter from FutureS. I'm glad you're reading along 💚 If you want to learn strategic marketing, my Simple & Sustainable Marketing Academy is just right for you.
Kermit was very right to say that being "green" is not easy. And that's especially true for companies doing something "good."
It's about much more than a big announcement - sustainability has to be lived in every fiber of a company for it to be truly authentic.
The fact that we're not there yet is also shown by the fact that while 86% of companies have a "purpose statement," 83% of them have no idea how to translate it into clear goals.
🔥 Hot in the city
In the summer of 2022, Europe is experiencing a heat wave that not only makes us sweat, but also makes us think (or should make us think): How do our actions, consumption, or energy use contribute to the climate crisis? And what do we want to change so that our lives remain worth living?
Already, 14% of the world's population is in a climate emergency.
I'm not a climate scientist or an expert on sustainability, even though I privately try to find the most sustainable option for every decision I make.
That's why I write about what I know about:
🕵️ Marketing, green marketing
What is green marketing or impact marketing actually?
Green marketing is the marketing of products or services based on their environmental friendliness. This environmental friendliness can come from the product itself, the production, or even the packaging.
For more and more consumers, sustainability is becoming an essential factor in their decision-making - and thus the potential of green marketing is growing:
The much-vaunted LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability), for example, is all about full enjoyment - but with a clear conscience,
51% of Gen Z first research the CSR attitudes of brands before buying anything, and
52% of all consumers choose brands that represent their personal values and stand for something bigger than just their products and services.
At the beginning of any marketing consideration is an insight, that is, a deep understanding of people and their needs. A very nice starting point for this is the thought of Andres Colmenares:
“At the core of these crises is a collective identity crisis. Who are we? Are we superheroes that can save the planet or the evil species who are killing it?”
Together with the very esteemed Mario Eckmaier, I also recorded a podcast episode around Green Marketing (in german) and talked about how companies can address exactly that (read more in this post about Green Marketing with Strategy).
🌍 Planet Earth first
As marketeers and entrepreneurs, we must be aware of our responsibility to help shape the development of our own environment and future on our small planet. And with every decision, weigh up whether it will harm or benefit.
This is Impact Marketing - where we combine Planet, People, and Profit.
It's also about how we advise our customers, whether we consider the well-being of our planet, and also in our careers, who we actually give our time.
“The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads. That sucks.”
Jeff Hammerbacher, one of the first 100 Facebook employees
But if we simply want to act on the potential in the short term to make a quick profit, then we call that greenwashing, which I have written about here.
🤝 Your mission, should you choose to accept it
The challenge we face in impact marketing is not just getting people excited about solar panels, organic cotton, e-mobility, plant-based meat or oat milk, but creating excitement about changing our lives - for the better.
Can we get people to be excited about using public transportation? Can we get people to be thrilled about repairing and sharing products as much as they are about buying new ones? Can we get people enthusiastic about food that does not require the degradation of our ecosystems?
Raz Godelnik, School of Design Strategies
This is our task in marketing: away from the story about renunciation for climate change - towards a brave new world.
Will green marketing be the solution to all the problems of the climate crisis?
No.
But there is a nice story by author Octavia Butler about it:
A young man once asked the visionary science fiction novelist the answer to ending all the suffering in the world. “There isn't one,” Butler replied. “So we’re doomed?” he asked, confused. “No,” said Butler. Then she delivered the words that would remake my understanding of the future: “There’s no single answer that will solve all of our future problems. There’s no magic bullet. Instead there are thousands of answers—at least. You can be one of them if you choose to be.”
If you enjoyed this post, I recommend:
🤑 Greenwashing in marketing - What it is, why it's bad, and which brands are "greenwashing."
🌍🔜 The future is impact marketing - How will sustainable impact on planet, profit & people shape companies in the future and what is impact marketing?
✅ Green marketing with strategy - What does it take for strategic green marketing and which companies are doing a good job?
PS: You can also read this posting in German.