DIGITAL MEDIA GHOST
  • Publication
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About
  • Publication
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About
Search

2 Green Marketing Fails And Where They Went Wrong

2/3/2017

0 Comments

 
by Mary C Long

Green products and initiatives are already a tough sell for many audiences, but marketers make it harder when they ignore or assume facts, or are simply unaware of certain dos and don’ts.
​
From over-estimating product worth to overestimating one’s own awesomeness, two green marketing campaigns which could have performed better follow – along with ways you can learn from their mistakes. Hopefully these lessons will prevent your campaign from landing on a similar “let’s review where they went wrong” list!


Clorox “Green Works” Line
In 2008, Clorox unveiled Green Works, a line of cleaning products to compete with the likes of Method and Seventh Generation. 

With an endorsement from Sierra Club, and list of eco-friendly product ingredients on the label, Clorox believed their new natural and organic products were worth a premium price. But consumers didn't feel the same way.

Clorox failed to recognize that "green" isn't something most consumers are willing to pay more for. Studies have shown customers are more likely to pick an eco-friendly product over a non eco-friendly one if they have the same price. 

Marketers need to be aware of such studies. They also need to have a clear understanding of their audience, and what they want from brands. Social analytics software is one way they gather insights on consumer sentiment, to know how to market their product without having to change course later. And “The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Social Listening Platforms, Q1 2016” report evaluates the 12 most significant enterprise social listening platform providers, including Brandwatch, Cision, Clarabridge, Crimson Hexagon, NetBase, Networked Insights, Oracle, Prime Research, Salesforce, Sprinklr, Synthesio, and Sysomos. “This report shows how each provider measures up and helps B2C marketing professionals make the right choice.”

Clorox would have benefited from using one of those tools. Instead, after declining sales, Clorox eliminated the premium price on their Green Works line at the beginning of 2013.


Phillips “EarthLight” CFL Bulb
Phillips’ EarthLight was an energy-efficient CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulb. Introduced in 1994, EarthLight was everything the ecology movement is about.

However, the bulb came in an unclear package and had a bungle-some shape that made it incompatible with almost every conventional lamp at the time. With all the energy-saving benefits, this didn’t really bother the “deeply green” consumers. But to mainstream consumers, EarthLight didn’t justify its $15 price, nor the cost of new compatible lamps, especially when compared to the versatile 75-cent incandescent bulbs they were already using.

Green products need to be easy to integrate, or no amount of marketing will inspire wide adoption. If you’re a company, you must be sure you’re “eliciting the stories from your target audience that lead to insights, instead of making assumptions around what they want.” And as design and innovation firm, Altitude, shares - the typical research that goes in to understanding a consumer segment ahead of even talking to your target audience (which is also essential) is anything but (typical) and can include, though is not limited to:
  • Competitor info
  • Thought leadership
  • Customer surveys and other path to purchase data
  • Company mission and benchmark info
  • Organizational structure and key stakeholders
  • Previous attempts at innovation
  • Obstacles that get in the way of a specific team’s objective
  • Obstacles that get in the way of the company’s overall objective
  • Current appetite for innovation (stay relevant or change the game, and everything in between)

But back to Phillips. 

In 2000, Phillips reintroduced EarthLight as “Marathon” with an emphasis on its five-year life-span. Marathon had a design that featured not just a nice new look but also the versatility seen in incandescent bulbs. This, coupled with the 20% savings in cost promise, and the credibility provided by the Energy Star seal on the package, saw a 12% surge in sales.

Is this something they could have discovered much sooner with the right research? Certainly. 

So the lesson here (and overall) is this: When designing your green product and campaign, you need to consider mainstream consumers as well as the die-hard green ones, and sort out a way to satisfy both, if that’s your target audience. Or be prepared to either narrow that focus to capture a piece of the market, or throw something you’re “pretty sure they’ll want” out there and lose lots of money.



This post originated from MediaPost.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Become a Ghostwriter!
    Picture
    Contribute to DMG
    Picture
    BECOME A GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
    Picture
    PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS BY GUEST POSTING
    Picture
    ARE YOU A GHOSTWRITER? WE WANT TO KNOW!
    Picture
    DO YOU HAVE A GHOSTWRITING BUSINESS?

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Agency Spotlight
    Business
    Digital Marketing
    Ghost In A Flash
    Ghostwriting
    Media Relations
    Privacy Concerns
    Social Sabotage
    Technology
    Writer Spotlight
    Writing

    Advertising Disclaimer

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

Find your domain and create your site at Weebly.com!
Digital Media Strategy
Content Marketing
Law Firm Marketing
Search Engine Optimization
Social Media Marketing
eBooks
Writing
Becoming a Ghostwriter
Blogging
Content Marketing
Ghostwriting Services
Guest Post Guidelines
Media Relations
Online Crisis Management
Personal Brand
Public Relations
Reputation Management
About
Our Team
Our Results
Testimonials
Contact Us
Locations:
New Orleans, LA
Nashville, TN

DMG University
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Cookie Policy
Digital Media Ghost  @2020
  • Publication
  • #GhostsWriteIt Spotlight
    • Writer Spotlight Submission
  • Services
    • Digital Strategy
      • Content Marketing
      • Law Firm Marketing
      • Social Media Management
    • Ghostwriting
    • Public Relations
      • Social Sabotage & Online Privacy
        • Social Media Policy Template
  • About