You are currently browsing the ORCA Marketing & Consulting BLOG weblog archives for July, 2009.
8. July 2009 by admin.
I have been doing some reading and research to learn more about how eco-conscious companies are incorporating and translating their values and mission into their marketing efforts. It has been an eye-opening exercise as I discovered the fine line “green marketers” have to walk in order to be relevant, credible and compelling to an increasingly skeptical public.
Andrew Shapiro, CEO of GreenOrder is quoted “We are hearing more and more that consumers and activists are pointing out the irony that a company may spend twice as much promoting a green achievement as they did on the achievement itself…an effective message is not always one that’s marketed with the most dollars.” (“Strategies for the Green Economy” by Joel Makower.) Shapiro points out that “it is critical for a company to align its sustainability initiatives with its core business objective and growth trajectory….(so that) it can leverage and use sustainability as a source of value creation as opposed to simply something that is a marker of good citizenship.”
So I have decided to look for best practices by small companies in the category of “green marketing” and share them with you as I discover them in hopes of inspiring and maybe igniting new ideas for your own business.
I do not drink beer but their “Tour de Fat” caught my attention and as I learned more about the company it was obvious that they do it “right”. They are demonstrating the power of a consistent marketing message delivered at all customer touch points with relevance, credibility and a good story.
I invite, encourage and welcome your contribution to this effort by sharing your green marketing story.
Green Marketing Case Study 1; New Belgium Brewing Co., brewer of Fat Tire beer
As a typical entrepreneur, Jeff Lebesch started New Belgium Brewing Co. in his basement….his wife Kim Jordan was New Belgium’s first bottler, sales rep, distributor, marketer and financial planner.
Jeff and Kim have grown their company to be one of the most respected in their industry for not only the quality of their product but also for its progressive environmental and workplace practices. It only takes a few seconds when visiting their website (http://www.newbelgium.com) to “get” their story. The culture and core values of the company are impregnated throughout. Notably the “sustainability” page outlines their commitment to the cause and lists specific actions they have or will implement in this pursuit, including Sustainable Eventing & Actionable Advocacy. These are green marketing best practices:
Sustainable Eventing
We try to minimize the environmental impact of our events at every turn. Our philanthropic bike festival, Tour de Fat, celebrates bicycling as a viable form of alternative transport. A solar-powered stage provides sound for the day, beer is served in compostable cups and our overall waste stream diversion rate is better than 85%. Tour de Fat
Actionable Advocacy
We’re members of 1% For the Planet, which means that, through donations and fund-raisers, 1% of our revenue goes to environmental non-profits.
Team Wonderbike, our bicycle commuter advocacy program, has more than 10,000 members who have pledged to offset more than eight million car miles by riding their bikes more over the next twelve months.
Public speaking/education: Because we make and sell beer, people are interested in our story. We’ve been very successful while being values-driven, and we strive to be a business role model.
To encourage sustainable transportation, every employee gets a custom cruiser bike after one-year of employment.
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6. July 2009 by admin.
The most frequently asked questions at all the Social Media Marketing seminars and presentations I have attended is: “How can my company have a presence in the social networking sites without risking employees misrepresenting or tarnishing the brand by sending and posting the ”wrong” messages?”
Paula Bergs, Manager of Emerging Media at Southwest Airlines share how her company is successfully rising over that challenge in this interview with Mike Volpe, VP of Inbound Marketing.
“Southwest is a fantastic example of a company that does not limit its social media activity and community engagement, regardless of the company’s large size. At Southwest, the Emerging Media team manages the company’s social media presence. Each person owns a particular channel and decides how they can best vocalize Southwest’s messaging to fit the channel.”
Please click on this link to see the interview: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4803/Managing-Social-Media-and-Encouraging-Employee-Individuality-with-Southwest-Airlines.aspx
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