Also known as environmental or ecological marketing, green marketing is the promotion of various types of goods and services that are considered to be environmentally safe. These products are normally designed using natural or recycled materials, and are said to have little to no negative impact on the ecology of the planet. Many goods that meet this criteria are biodegradable, meaning they actually help replenish the planet rather than create an added burden to nature.
The idea behind green marketing is to find ways to connect consumers who want to live a lifestyle that is as ecologically responsible as possible. This involves identifying the proper mediums to reach those consumers. For example, a green marketing campaign may involve the use of online advertising, since this approach does not require the use of paper products to create hard copy ads in newspapers or magazines. In the event that print media is used for advertising, the green marketing campaign may choose to place ads only in printed publications that make use of recycled paper.
As with any marketing strategy, green marketing will attempt to convince consumers that the products featured in the ads are actually environmentally friendly. This often involves pointing out the lack of chemicals or the use of synthetic materials in the products. At other times, the ads may call attention to the use of recycled materials in the making of those products. With services, the approach is often that using a given service makes it possible to accomplish the same ends without leaving a footprint on the environment.
For example, a teleconferencing bureau may present itself as a green product via a green marketing campaign. This is accomplished by pointing out that by using teleconferencing to hold virtual meetings, there is no need for attendees to spend time and resources traveling to a common location. By holding the meetings using a conference call, each attendee uses less gasoline, which in turn decreases the demand for petroleum products and results in fewer emissions into the atmosphere.
Green marketing, like any other form of marketing or advertising, must comply with the standards set by the jurisdiction where the ads are made available. This means that the content of any ads produced by the marketing campaign must be honest in their claims for the goods and services features. Should the marketer present information about the featured products as factual, when that information is actually anecdotal evidence or opinion, chances are the agency that prepared the marketing campaign will be fined. There is also the possibility that the manufacturer of the product or products involved with the campaign would also be subject to fines, as well as face lawsuits and other punitive measures.
