This is the question Nathan Schock of the Greenway Communiqué tried to answer in an article published in the first PRSA Tactics issue of 2010: Communicate your environmental achievements in the New Year, by reaching out to the most prominent sustainability commentators, journalists and bloggers in the US.

All these interesting inputs and answers revolve around five key principles that I attempt to summarize below:

• Be transparent. This is THE golden in sustainability communications. Greenwashing has resulted in increased skepticism and green fatigue. So, be honest. “Tell us the progress, but tell us the trade-offs, too. The cliché about this being a journey, not a destination, is true here,” says Martin LaMonica, senior writer at CNET News and CBS Interactive, blogger at Green Tech. This will help make your story human…and much more credible.

• Think about the audience. “It’s a truism, but you have to craft your pitch to the journalist and his or her publication,” explains Todd Woody, contributing editor at Fortune and blogger at Green Wombat. Understand what matters to your audience, what are the top of mind issues, what the audience wants to know and read about. This often means focusing less on green features and more on benefits such as cost savings from energy efficiency, etc. depending on what means the most to your target audience, be it customer or investor. Marc Gunter, contributing editor at Fortune and blogger at Marc Gunther adds, “I’m looking for stories and blog posts that will not only attract readers but leave them feeling that they learned something new, different or provocative, maybe even something they would pass along to a colleague or friend.”

• Prove what you say with data but still keep it clear. Facts and figures are indispensible key proof points. But don’t overwhelme the audience with it. As William Brent, senior vice president at Weber Shandwick, blogger at The Search for Cleantech advises, stay specific (don’t speak in often meaningless ‘green’ generalities) while making sure you speak in simple terms (frame your story in terms that people understand).

• Provide a bigger picture as well. It is critical to put your client’s story into context, i.e. the bigger sustainability issues around it, how this fits into your client’s overall business strategy and sustainability goals, etc. “Too many PR folks spew facts without context, leaving their audience with more questions than answers and setting themselves up for charges of greenwash, or worse,” says Joel Makower, blogger at Two Steps Forward.

• Don’t “pitch” bloggers—participate! As traditional media models are struggling with fewer reporters covering sustainability and green stories (and not only) and readers are getting most of their news via online channels, it is critical to determine how social media can best meet your needs. However, be reminded about the specificities of blogger outreach! Build relationships with individuals and communicate with one-on-one, personal messages. As Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, founder and editor of Sustainablog insists, “Don’t play the numbers game with green bloggers — blasting out press releases just doesn’t work very well in this space. Find a few you’d really like to connect with, and then do just that: try to build a relationship. Offer opportunities to talk with clients and have your client prepare for a genuine conversation, rather than a presentation of a scripted message.” This is also true for traditional media relations. Be a helpful resource to reporters or bloggers.

• If you do participate, be ready to go a step further. Jeffrey Hollender of Seventh Generation says it all: ‘The leaders will be companies willing to talk about the things their competitors are afraid to talk about.” This is probably the only way to truly cut through the clutter, isn’t it?

Image Credit: Getty Images

This was without GoodGuide’s latest innovation, which makes it an even more powerful concept: thanks to a newly developed Iphone application (which is free!!), consumers can scan a barcode in the supermarket aisle and immediately see detailed and independently researched ratings for health, environment and social responsibility for over 62,000 products and companies right on the phone.

The presence of too many eco-labels, their complexity, and the inability to discern what’s authentic from what is not are often mentioned as the main barriers to consumer’s ‘ecopowerment’.

Well, now it seems that this application can make it easier. Helping consumers make informed decisions, real time, and all the time. Everywhere, anywhere. This will have major implications for retailers and brands.

Definitely a trend to watch. To download the app., click here.

Credits Image: GoodGuide

Sources: Treehugger

]]> http://www.sustainabilityconversations.com/2009/11/24/geek-and-green-goodguides-new-iphone-app-to-scan-products-get-product-info-on-the-spot/feed/ 1 http://www.sustainabilityconversations.com/2009/10/20/when-brands-are-not-succesfully-talking-the-walk/ http://www.sustainabilityconversations.com/2009/10/20/when-brands-are-not-succesfully-talking-the-walk/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:06:02 +0000 admin http://www.sustainabilityconversations.com/?p=748 Grail Research, a global strategic research and decision support firm, has published a new report late last month, Green Revolution, showing (among other things) that the majority of (U.S.) consumers are unaware of major brands’ sustainability initiatives.

Probably as a result of a ‘sustainability noise overload’, greenwashing-induced skepticism, eco-fatigue … or simply ineffective communications, it appears that the great majority of consumers (in this case 85%) have no idea about what pioneering companies such as Estee Lauder, Hewlett Packard, Unilever, Nestle and Intel  are doing in terms of sustainability and CSR.

Surprising? Not really. While corporate reputation and brand image are converging, the gap between a company’s responsible initiatives and consumers’ perceptions and … ultimately decisions still remains important. And not properly addressed.

While companies have been pressured to practice what they preach, i.e. ‘walking the talk’, it is also critical to be effectively able to ‘talk the walk’ as well:

• By being transparent and authentic: 63% of consumers rely on product labels as their primary sources of information about green companies and their products, only if product labeling does not lead to confusion.

• By leveraging the right communications channels (as well as the right messages), that engage consumers, leverage their experiences and interactions with brands and encourage peer-to-peer evangelism, through word of mouth conversations (both online and offline), which are considered as more trusted sources of information (45%)  than advertising (38%) or company websites (18%).

So in the end, isn’t it more a question of ‘are we allocating marketing & communications budgets properly?‘ What are you thoughts?

As the Ecofont guys funnily say it, “After Dutch holey cheese, there now is a Dutch font with holes as well!”

Free to download (link here), free to use. Your ink cartridges (or toner) will last longer, and you will use less chemicals and packaging! Very cool !! (but only if combined with double-side printing).

Thanks @heatherannehunt for pointing this out!

Few thoughts:

• Such data shows that people in general, whether consumers or citizens, are getting more interested in green issues, I see it as a proof that ‘Green’ is getting more mainstream. Perhaps the political agenda in the US, i.e. the Waxman-Markley bill which has largely dominated the news, can also explain that?

• As ‘Green’ is an increasing topic of interest for netizens, it inevitably becomes one on Google as well. Because Google is now companies’s new homepage, and because most of the online conversations between an organization and its stakehodlers start with search, this is definitely an area to keep exploring to further engage people on sustainability issues.

Even though beauty/fashion/style and teens remain the top centers of interest for web-users in absolute terms, such a growing trend in Green is to follow, and to check in the next months to come.

Does anyone know where I can find the same type of data for other geographical locations, i.e. Asia & Europe?

(Stats initially found on Thomas Crampton’s blog here)

Image Credit: David Muir

The other day I was reading that 113 billion searches were made worldwide on Google last July, far outstripping its rivals Yahoo, Bing and Baidu, the growing Chinese search engine. Quite an impressive record number!

Search engines have clearly become an integral part of our lives. We turn to them whenever we want to know something about anything, that could be a brand, an organization, a product, a cause or an idea, and whether we are a student, a prospective employee, a consumer, an NGO, a journalist, a business partner… or just a curious citizen.

Search Engines are King…and Companies’ New Homepages

Today, instead of turning to official company or brand web sites, we turn directly to Google through search, meaning that an organization’s homepage is no longer www.organizationname.com, but is google.com, and even twitter.com with its real-time search interface which is indexed on Google.

The results that comes out of search have therefore an increasing capacity to impact the reputation and brand image of companies, as the search results not only aggregate content from the organizations’ website and news, but also various content from blogs, micro-blogging platforms, video-sharing websites, etc…

Whether they like it or not, organizations are getting “naked” online, and this  of course includes  their social and environmental impacts, such as greenwashing practices or corporate misconducts that cannot be hidden from the public.

Google Suggest: Greenwashing & Corporate Misconducts Can Be Spotted As The Search Query Is Being Made

In July, Google  started rolling out ‘Google Suggest‘ into its main engine, by removing it from the ‘Google Labs’. Now, anytime you are doing a search, Suggest essentially feeds you suggestions in real-time as you type, based on the most popular keywords (and not those that bring most of the results) associated with your query.

After playing with the tool few minutes, several company names I was searching were associated with words such as “greenwashing”, “pollution”, “pesticide”, etc.

Below, are few (and easy) examples, demonstrating what type of information Google Suggest can potentially reveal to potential consumers or recruits/employees:

• I am a young consumer and I am looking for a sweater… In my search, I will start by typing the name of an apparel brand and then, as I will start writing “sweater”… there are great chances that “sweatshop” will come first and “sweater” second.

• I am a young graduate and I am looking for a job abroad, and more specifically in emerging markets … when searching certain brand/company names in association with geographical locations, i.e. China, India, Brazil, etc., environmental and social misconducts can easily come up as ’suggestions’

• Etc..

I believe this shows one simple fact: As companies’ social and environmental impacts are increasingly influencing stakeholders’ opinions and decisions, companies have no choice but finally taking CSR & Sustainability seriously, i.e. not considering this as a ‘nice to have’ or ‘add-on’ but something that is an integral part of their strategy aimed at maintaining their license to operate, both online and offline! Do you agree?

]]> http://www.sustainabilityconversations.com/2009/09/12/search-sustainability-why-google-is-something-to-take-very-seriously/feed/ 3 http://www.sustainabilityconversations.com/2009/08/29/ad-of-the-day-8-lets-trash-the-beach-actually-no-but-great-humor/ http://www.sustainabilityconversations.com/2009/08/29/ad-of-the-day-8-lets-trash-the-beach-actually-no-but-great-humor/#comments Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:24:21 +0000 admin http://www.sustainabilityconversations.com/?p=396 During my holidays in France, I spent a week down South, by the sea and I could see a lot of campaigns aimed at encouraging tourists and other summer visitors to be responsible while at the beach and protect the environment.

However, such education campaigns often come off as boring and preachy – such kind of messages that end up in deaf ears as people just want to relax, enjoy the sun, play with kids and family all day long!

Well, it seems that an NGO based in California, Keep California Beautiful, has understood that and came up with the off-the-wall PSA below, which is challenging the litter lifestyle associated with fun, flirt and BBQs of summer parties.

I particularly like the tone of this ad: retro 1960’s style music and dance, “cool and hot people” that are at the core of the California brand, and a lot of ironic discourse, such as “It’s more fun to build a garbage castle”! Enjoy!

Credits: Advertising Agency: BBDO West // Prod Company: Tool of North America // Director: Geordie Stephens // DP: Ross Richardson // Production Designer: Peter Benson // Editorial: The Whitehouse Post // Music: Human Worldwide // Aired: July 2009

Tappening

The campaign is raising awareness but at the same points out to the practices (why not greenwashing? huh) of the bottled water/packaging industry. Pretty interesting, especially as the bottled water industry recently faced huge criticism and backlash in the US.

The ad series include:

*Bottled Water: 98% Melted Ice Caps. 2% Polar Bear Tears

*Bottled Water is the Primary Cause of Restless Leg Syndrome

*Bottled Water Causes Blindness in Puppies

*Bottled Water Makes Acid Rain Fall on Playgrounds

Advertising Agency: DiMassimo Goldstein, USA
Creative Director: Mark DiMassimo
Art Director: Chris Carlberg
Copywriter: Justin Prichard
Illustrator: Jan Kallwejt
Published: July 2009

Tappening’s campaign is largely viral in nature: it includes a Web site which enables users to share their own water-related lies and view the four Tappening ads above and ’share the lies’ via Facebook, Twitter, Digg or Email with their friends and family. Tappening is using the power of the internet and social media to spread the world with only $535,000 as campaign budget.  Other elements include wild postings in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Las Vegas.

Before this current campagin, Tappening’s activist ad men released politically themed ads as the U.S. presidential race heated up:

The campaign was attacking the candidates bad habit of drinking bottled water wherever they went with this campaign.

According to the survey, consumers in both developed and developing markets ‘buy green’ not only because of  eco-friendly product features but mostly because green credentials relate to corporate reputation and are another proof of companies’ and/or brands’ honesty and trustworthiness (i.e. transparency, accountability).

This shows pretty well that corporate reputation and brand reputation are now inextricably linked. For consumers, it is less about the products and more about the brands. Consumers are questioning existing brand behaviour and asking whether they believe in brands and/or companies’ overall practices (which comes down to corporate DNA, values and strategic priorities).

The advantages of going green are not in increasing sales but rather in reinforcing corporate reptuation, enhancing relationships and/or rebuilding trust with key stakeholders such as employees, etc.

Therefore, I believe the graphic below can be understood as an assessment of the some of the most trusted  corporations as well as the greenest brands in each given market.

And you, what do you think?

Today everybody is indeed trying to understand how domestic consumption is unfolding in China as consumer demand in the West is shrinking and exports in China are suffering due to the world economic crisis.

A lot of these reports point out to the rise of green consumption, across all types of consumers in China. However, do we really understand what this is all about, what the Chinese consumer sees as ‘green’ and why eco-friendly attributes of a product or services would be a decisive purchase criteria?

:: Defining green consumption is not as easy as it seems

When researchers ask consumers whether they would prefer to buy environmentally-friendly products , they invariably answer in the affirmative as it makes them feel more virtuous and gives them a certain ‘good feeling’ . However such stated intents rarely aligns with actual behaviors in reality, for many reasons:

• Chinese consumers are still highly cost-sensitive and the premium put on being green is not as high as in Western markets. Beyond cost and price, brand name and image is also a key purchase criteria as it is often seen as a proof of quality and safety, as well as a ’social status symbol’.

• Chinese consumers are not as concerned about climate change and a deteriorating environment as their Westerners counterparts are as their level of awareness and education on these issues is not as high, even though there has been relatively some progress. At the moment environmental concerns directly affect the purchasing decisions of only a small proportion of Chinese consumers: “the wealthy, the ones living in the main cities, the better educated”

• The information needed to make the environmentally-sound or socially-responsible purchase decision is therefore not always easy to find, or to understand (and therefore to trust).

What is key to understand is the fundamental difference between Chinese and Western views on what green or eco-friendly means. For Chinese consumers, it means ‘honest and trustworthy’, ‘innovative’, ‘modern and developed’, ‘well-organized and well-planned’, ‘high quality product and services’, ’safe & healthy’ which is very different from the Western ‘back to nature’ perceptions (for some more takeaways, please check this study published in 2008 here).

Two key takeaways:

• When fine-tuning green marketing strategies and messages, it is therefore key to associate and link ‘green’ with ‘personal health’ and health-related product safety, rather than a much broader ’save the world’ type of messages. Messages have to be ‘audience-specific’ and talk directly to your consumers’ concerns or needs in a human, simple and compelling way (i.e. it is all about ME, rather than a broader US).

• The way Chinese consumers value ‘green’ goes beyond product attributes to relate directly to a company’s reputation.

Product safety & quality issues remain at the top of Chinese consumers’ concerns (i.e., recent melamine-milk crisis), which created some of sort of ‘presumption of guilt of corporations’. Brands and companies can therefore leverage the green credentials of their products and better communicate with their customers to ease tensions and doubts caused by asymmetry of information.

However, it is important to remember that this is a doulbe-edge sword that can potentially destroy brand and reputation: any ‘greenwashing’ type of accusations can be voiced and channeled not only by activists and NGOs, but also by millions of consumers online.