A digital ad campaign for Clorox Green Works mocked people who are conscious about their impact on the environment and the products and services they buy. If you’d like to see the ad, check it out on the Internet.
While many sustainability professionals are calling for boycotts of the product, perhaps what needs to be looked at more closely is the publicity people. They need to be better informed about what eco-friendly products are really all about.
There’s no reason why environmentally-friendly product manufacturers can’t involve some humour in their marketing but when the publicity team is just simply uninformed marketing won’t achieve the results they expect. Campaigns fall flat. worst of all, it can create resentment towards the product or brand.
It’s one thing insulting conscientious consumers, yet quite another thing having a little bit of teasing and fun.
But the deeper issue, as I see it, is to be “creative” in marketing at the expense of selling the benefits and performance of the product. I’m much more interested in how this environmentally-friendly cleaning product actually achieved the status of being “environmentally-friendly” in the first place. I see just too many claims of products being environmentally-friendly, organic, biodegradable and recyclable yet quite often there is not enough evidence to support these claims.
What a difference a genuinely artisanal product makes in this claim-cluttered marketplace. I recently visited an artisanal bakery in a village in Noordhoek, Cape Town, where I used to live. The baker, who I’ve known for years, makes these hand-crafted seed loaves and breads with stone-ground flour and natural ingredients. Just one bite will convince you of the different that authentic products have over the mass produced-factory variety (I’m talking about foods here).
As “green” and eco-friendly” are going mainstream more consumers are taking interest in these products. And it’s not some kind of elitism that’s propelling this movement. Many people believe that efforts to ease the burden on the environment really count. A website called ecosnobberysucks.com is a counter to those who feel consuming enviro-friendly products is for the trendy or rich.
I visited a green trade show towards the end of last year and was pleasantly surprised at the number of eco-friendly products emerging from committed small manufacturers and other producers. They’ve come a far way in making products available to consumers that are far friendlier to the environment and people. I didn’t see any over-blown marketing campaigns but a sincere effort to communicate the benefits and value of green products to environmentally conscious consumers.
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