Posts Tagged green
Eco Friendly Products – Easier Going Green
Posted by Gallant in Promotional Ideas on September 24, 2008
Eco-Friendly Promotions – It’s Getting Easier Being Green
Years ago, if a client wanted a green promotional product, the first question was “lime or kelly?” Nowadays, environmental friendliness has ushered in a whole new set of questions: What qualifies as a green product? Can I provide a wide range of options to clients? How can I pitch the eco-friendly angle without making customers feel guilty for their non-sustainable product choices?
Earlier this year, when I received “eco-lifestyle 2008” from Logomark, a lot of my questions were answered. As much an educational resource as a product catalog, eco-lifestyle is filled with solid educational information about the green movement. Neat and easy to understand, Logomark breaks products into five categories with great facts you can share with your clients:
*Sustainable
These resources are naturally replenished at the same rate that they are consumed and include products made from organic cotton, cotton canvas, bamboo and corn. Sample bamboo items include blankets, kitchen utensils, key tags, cutting boards, desk supplies and frames. Renewable corn plastic – which comes from corn resin, also known as polylactic acid or PLA – is being used to make pens and golf tees.
*Recycled
Made from recycled plastic and paper, these items keep trees from being cut down and save additional energy that typically goes into harvesting non-recycled materials. Of special interest are totes and bags made from recycled plastic bottles (denoted by the number 1 or “PET,” the abbreviation for Polyethylen-terephthalat). Approximately two to three 600 ml. plastic bottles are used to make one average-size tote bag.
*Recyclable
“Paper or plastic” sounded so liberating when it first hit grocery stores, but plastic shopping bags have become a real pain. The average family of four accumulates 1,460 of them a year – and it can take up to 1,000 years for a single bag to break down in the environment. Bags made from non-woven polypropylene (or PP) material allow for repeated use and are recyclable.
*Energy-Saving
These products reduce or eliminate battery or electrical use in favor of alternative non-harmful resources such as dynamo power, solar energy and water energy. Choices range from clocks, lights and calculators to radios and emergency cell-phone chargers.
*Reusable
One great suggestion for clients who haven’t totally warmed up to green is reusable products that replace throwaway items. Practical items that reduce waste through reuse include lunch sacks, coolers, picnic sets and beverage containers. Americans throw away 25 million Styrofoam coffee cups every year – and it takes 500 years for a single cup to dissolve. With that info, who could turn away a reusable coffee mug?
As I survey the promotional products landscape, I’m pleased to see an increase in the amount and quality of green options. As the trend becomes the norm, the suppliers providing not just products – but quality education – are sure to find themselves among distributors’ favorite “reusable” natural resources.
Eco Friendly Promotions – Become an Expert
Posted by Gallant in Promotional Ideas on September 24, 2008
Becoming Your Client’s Eco Promotions Expert
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve noticed the green trend sweeping the promotional products industry. Every industry show is inundated with green options, and many distributors have created end-user green catalogs. It’s no longer just a fad.
Ms. Chandler, a nationally renowned green and LOHAS marketing, communications and trends expert, says the green lifestyle appeals to a group of consumers wielding a $230-billion market share. Chandler, helps companies better understand environmental and health trends so organizations of all sizes and types can position their green brands.
In lay terms, Chandler is referring to the group we think of as eco-friendly consumers who generally aren’t making purchase decisions based on convenience or cost. These are the people who shop farther from their homes to purchase organic foods and pay more to buy recycled or fair-trade products. It’s important to remember that LOHAS consumers’ preferences extend beyond environmental concerns to social justice, fair trade, inclusion and other key social issues.
These consumers are quickly becoming a major force in today’s market. They may be prospects that were previously unreachable but have come within reach due to the eco-friendly products and services your clients now provide. Your clients will appreciate the time you take to educate them. Many may not be aware of LOHAS or the terminology surrounding this group. Consider compiling a resource and presentation tool that contains common vocabulary — everything from LOHAS to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. Also, if you do not have a green catalog, put together a small sampling of products to share with them at your first appointment. By educating clients, you are demonstrating that you bring value to the table.
As you know, understanding what makes your target end users tick is one of the most crucial elements of a successful marketing campaign. When promoting an eco-friendly initiative, you first need to identify and reach the audience. You’ll need to know the behaviors and preferences of audience members to ensure communications are well-received. One challenge many distributors currently face is finding detailed information about LOHAS audiences or those audiences you can influence with a green message.
Imagine the reception you would get walking into your client’s office armed with specific demographic information for the audience he or she wants to reach; you could quickly rise from a promotional products provider to a marketing expert who is able to recommend the best media vehicles, messages and eco-friendly promos. Make use of free educational resources, and consider attending more educational events. Gaining audience knowledge will place you a step ahead of your competition and make your client’s eco-friendly promotions more effective.
As a marketing consultant, you should ensure your client is making the best decisions about eco-friendly promos and communications — and not greenwashing. Viewed negatively by the LOHAS crowd and others, greenwashing is any practice to make something appear environmentally friendly when it is not. “You can equate this to false advertising,” Chandler explains. When people buy products or services based on false or misleading attributes, they tend to question their faith and loyalty to the company, she says.
LOHAS consumers are especially sensitive to authenticity concerns. “Green individuals are a little less trusting and will investigate companies to see if they are greenwashing,” Chandler cautions. When they discover companies are greenwashing, these comsumers don’t hesitate to pass the word through their communities, the media and more, which can destroy a company’s credibility.
Many companies do not understand what it means to be green and are unaware of the potential to turn off consumers. “They think something such as recycling allows them to say they are a green company, where it’s really just a first step in an overall process toward becoming more environmentally friendly,” Chandler says. “Green is not a marketing, PR or advertising tactic; it’s a lifestyle for many consumers. They expect companies to understand that and support their lifestyle with products and services they can believe in.”
A critical part of being a green expert is doing your due diligence to ensure you’re selling truly eco-friendly products. Many times, greenwashing happens outside the knowledge of companies trying to communicate their eco-friendly initiatives, Chandler points out. “While industry suppliers are advertising eco-friendly products left and right, on occasion, those products are not as eco-friendly as they seem,” she says. For instance, a product made of a sustainable material [such as bamboo or organic cotton] may be less than green if the manufacturing process creates more waste and toxins than the non-eco-friendly alternative method. Or, there’s always the possibility of a supplier misrepresenting its product as green, even if they really believe it is so. You could lose clients if they hear from one of their end users that the product you sold them really is not eco-friendly.
Due diligence means asking for certification or other forms of documentation from your supplier stating that the product meets green standards. Always probe a little deeper to ensure that products are what they claim to be, and share the proof or certification with your clients. They will appreciate your expertise and feel more confident purchasing eco-friendly items from you if they know you do your homework and protect their interests.
The more you know about eco-friendly promotional products, LOHAS consumers and best green business practices, the more value you can offer your clients. If you take these five tips to heart, you can position yourself as an expert and set yourself apart from the competition in green promotions.
A company — we’ll call it ABC Co. — was excited to launch its brand-new, eco-friendly product. The marketing team sent releases to media outlets and consumers of ABC’s products. A blogger covered the launch and gave it rave reviews. The company decided to send him a small thank-you gift to help foster a relationship.
The blogger received the package a few days later. Much to his surprise, the package was shipped through a common shipping company via a city more than 100 miles away, despite ABC being only blocks away. He marveled that ABC, with its new eco-friendly product, didn’t think to hand-deliver the package to save fuel and carbon emissions from the shipping. When he opened the package, he saw it was packed with Styrofoam peanuts.
The blogger was displeased that ABC promoted a green product with very un-green means. He roasted the company in his next blog, pointing out ABC’s environmentally unfriendly business practices and effectively alienating many LOHAS consumers who were interested in the new product. Branded as a greenwasher, the company lost potential revenue from the new product when intensely loyal LOHAS consumers refused to purchase from a non-eco-friendly company.
The LOHAS Demographic
Empower your clients with details on LOHAS consumers.
Eco Friendly Promotional Products
Posted by Gallant in Promotional Ideas on August 19, 2008
The Promotional Life of the Eco-Friendly Movement (Go Green, Go!)
By Debrah Rosen 08/13/2008
It’s Getting Serious
“The demand for authentic, responsible products has grown,” says Michele Petruccelli, director of product development at Leed’s in New Kensington, Pa. “The green trend is going much further than just products that are made from recycled materials. And forget about items that are reusable but have no recycled contents — those are completely passé.”
Kurt Rothacker, marketing project manager has noticed a similar trend. “As people become more environmentally conscious, they have also become educated regarding products, materials and processes utilized in the industry,” he says. “It is the informed salesperson who makes the most impact with these products by understanding them and being able to communicate their knowledge to the buyer.”
Heightened awareness to the green movement has also led to increased markets for these goods. At Santa Fe, N.M.-based Symphony Handmade Seed Papers Inc., president Laura Sjoblom has noticed a change in her customer makeup. At past trade shows, about 80 percent of her prospects were female. In fact, “I was swarmed by women in the booth at all times,” she recalls. “Now we get requests to develop direct mail pieces and create custom shapes, and it is all over the board — male and female.”
As with any fledgling product category, demand leads to innovation. Jennifer Grigorian, director of advertising and marketing for Sweda Co. in City of Industry, Calif., expects eco-friendly offerings to expand into every product category — including more solar electronics and water-powered goods — despite its beginnings primarily in recycled bags and paper products. “Now that we are all adapting the green theme into our lives at a much more aggressive pace, we are learning that green is more than just those product categories,” Grigorian says. “It is no longer just a trend; it is a new way of thinking and conserving for our future and the future of our planet.”
Many industry top-dogs are setting an example by expanding their green options. “In 2009 look for Leed’s to introduce products that support an environmentally responsible lifestyle,” Petruccelli says. The company, which started smaller in 2007 with “cut and sew” pieces, including bags made from recycled materials, has since expanded green offerings, adding stationery, drinkware, writing instruments and growables, such as plants. In July 2007, Gemline in Lawrence, Mass., introduced its Eco-Choice line featuring nine products. Now, the line includes 39 products, says Wendy Farrell, the company’s marketing manager. Tustin, Calif.-based Logomark started its green line off with a bang when it introduced the Eco Lifestyle catalog in May featuring more than 100 Earth-friendly items. And Prime Resources even developed the Eco-Responsible numbering system to serve as a comprehensive guide so distributors know what makes each of the company’s products environmentally friendly.
Suppliers are also sourcing new options to expand their green lines. Pam Myers, director of marketing at Digispec in Las Vegas, says the company looked into offering a recycled version of the company’s popular MousePaper mouse pad, which began with careful research and print testing. “Once that was complete, we had to look at the difference in cost and decide if it was an acceptable alternative for our customers,” Myers says. “It was, and the green MousePaper was added to our product line.”
From here, there’s nowhere to go but up. Demand and product offerings are continually on the rise, and the future holds even more potential. “A few years ago, requests for recycled materials surfaced randomly from the west coast. After launching our Eco Lifestyle catalog this year, which merchandises products into recycled, recyclable, sustainable, reusable and energy-saving categories, we are seeing an increase in the number of opportunities we have to partner with our distributors to source green products for their end users both in event/spot orders as well as program business,” reports Anne Dapremont, Logomark’s vice president of sales.
Perhaps one unintended positive consequence of the green movement is how it can save people money in the long term. Logomark fulfilled an order of mugs for a tech company with 300 employees. The company conducted a cost analysis and determined that they were spending too much on disposable cups. By providing each employee with a “work mug,” they were able to recoup their investment in two months by not buying disposable cups.
For more ideas on encouraging the eco-friendly trend, check out these hot case studies to the right.
A great success story recently was with our new 4-in-1 Shopper’s Bundle Bag set. A local charity was having a clothing drive. They purchased the 4-in-1 Shopper’s Bundle in a partnership with several restaurants, yogurt shops, beauty salons and other local businesses. The bundles were on sale at these locations prior to the drive. Every tote full of clothing you donated would earn you a discount or coupon from one of the participating stores. For every full bundle pack (four bags) of clothing you dropped off, they gave you another 4-in-1 Shopper’s Bundle for free. It was a very exciting event for the charity and the participating stores, as well as the hundreds of people who attended the event. Sweda Co.; City of Industry, Calif.