“Green” rhetoric is everywhere—political speeches, articles touting “green” initiatives by various cities and states, movies and television, and yes, ubiquitously in marketing and advertising. While a more environmentally conscious society is certainly desirable, the push of this rhetoric can be overwhelming and may even have the opposite effect: desensitization. In business, going green clearly offers potential benefits for your corporate culture, community relations, and, of course, the environment. But if your primary motive is profit—well, it’s far from a proven strategy. Further, if your company is perceived as “greenwashing”—talking the green talk in an effort to boost sales but not necessarily walking the green walk—your brand value, and ultimately your profits, may actually suffer.
An article in the April 30 issue of Advertising Age—“Going Green? Plant Deep Roots”—presents varying reasons why companies do not necessarily benefit from green campaigns and may lose money and damage their image for their efforts. Going green is “a perilous business,” the article warns, “especially for those whose actions aren’t as substantive as their ads.” It points out that perception concerns drove the low-key approach taken by Levi’s in the launch of its “Eco” organic cotton line—concerns validated by the backlash companies like General Electric and Wal-Mart have experienced when they’ve marketed their green-ness more aggressively. Clearly, one challenge of claiming “green” is that you invite criticism from those who will say you’re not “green enough” to make such claims.
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