• by Michael Martin , June 8, 2011

Last week, Joel Makower, editor of Green Biz, wrote a piece titled, "Green Marketing Is Over. Let's Move On." Joel's basic point is that green marketing has failed. He writes, "...consumer-focused green marketing is just not working. It never really did. It was a noble experiment in social and market transformation. It has largely failed. And continuing to think it will somehow make a difference isn't just folly, it's counterproductive. It's time to declare defeat and move on."

There are many examples of very successful green products that use green marketing to appeal to consumers: Toyota Prius, organic food, compact fluorescent light bulbs, Seventh Generation and its continued growth, etc. I think we can all agree that green products using green attributes to appeal to green consumers is not the issue here.

If Joel's definition of green marketing was marketers pursuing the goal of adding a green veneer or attribute to an otherwise non-green product, then I agree with him. That doesn't work. It's simple greenwashing.

Likewise, if the organization's sustainability efforts are relegated to just one slice of the business process, marketing, then it is doesn't work.

For "green marketing" to work, it has to be real. It has to be transparent. It has to be meaningful. Marketing a sustainable attribute must incorporate the following: leader's ownership, organizational embrace, need fulfillment, communication and social change.

Leader's Ownership. For a green campaign to truly work, the leadership of the organization has to believe in the importance of the initiative and product and understand the role his or her business plays in the bigger picture.

Organizational Embracing. The company must embrace sustainability throughout its operations, not just for one marketing initiative. If all companies did this, cost-savings alone would lead to greater profits. Smarter green marketing would lead to greater revenues as well.

Need Fulfillment. It is essential that the product fulfills a need in the marketplace and performs as good as or better than its "non-green" competitors. If no one wants or will carry a reusable towelette so they do not have to use paper towels to dry their hands, that product will never be successful.

Communication: It is essential that the communication and marketing is consistent with the above three points. It is a disconnect for many educated people when Shell Oil says they are green or when the coal industry says there is such a thing as "clean coal," or the nuclear industry has ads saying their energy is "safe" after the Japan nuclear disaster.

Social Change. Marketing green products must incorporate a real social change component into the marketing mix. Not just cause marketing, but real social change because of your marketing. Some products have this social change already baked into their products (organic food, hybrid cars, fair trade coffee, compact fluorescents). Just by buying these products you are creating positive social change. Others can use their marketing platforms to create social change. The RED Campaign is a great example of this. UPS's new initiative with Live Nation promises to create social change via the marketing campaign.

So, to answer the initial question posed by Joel: "Is Green Marketing a Failure?" All in all, green marketing is not a failure when done properly. The issue is there are many nuances and subtleties that need to be addressed to effectively create a powerful, credible and ultimately profitable green marketing platform. A powerful and consistent focus on the social change issue must run throughout the entire process and organization.

If your CEO comes to you and says "I want to add a green component" to our product or service, run screaming. If s/he wants to change the company to fully embrace a green or social change mission, the sky is the limit.