Five sins of green marketing

Ellen Neuborne

Scepticism is growing in responses to green marketing. This article advises against five common mistakes: making green technology too hard to understand, not making green a core priority, missing the bigger picture, dishonest or poorly researched green claims and a lack of specificity in what makes a product green.

Five sins of green marketing

Ellen Neuborne

On the surface, it would seem smart to align your marketing with the growing consumer concern about environmental issues. Consider a recent consumer report by the New York–based marketing and branding firm BBMG, which found that Americans are more likely to buy from companies that manufacture energy-efficient products (90 percent), promote health and safety benefits (88 percent), and commit to environmentally friendly practices (87 percent). But, as many major brand marketers have learned, it's not easy being green.

In fact, being environmentally conscious can be downright dangerous. “In focus groups we conducted...

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