Eco-blogging on eco-messaging
March 3rd, 2009 | Published in Consumer Electronics, Green Technology, Technology Branding | 1 Comment
The eco-trendy trendwatching.com March 2009 Brief was released today over my eco-Apple which sits by my eco-java in my eco-office with my eco-ant problem. The trendwatchers have been busy creating eco-lingo to coin consumer behavior. With the study from Reuters asserting that 82% of consumers buy green despite the battered economy, green practices and claims have saturated popular media.
Eco-status from trendwatching.com
Some eco-rrific (sorry) trends I found compelling specifically for consumer electronics brands are the links between eco-frugal, eco-iconic, and eco-status. Eco-frugal highlights the importance of price-sensitive messaging since green is often associated with higher up-front cost. Eco-iconic is about creating visually impactful products and brands that are heavily advertised as eco-friendly giving buyers eco-status from their peers due to the highly accepted and respected eco-movement.
Although government regulations for “green” messages are almost non-existent, consumer regulation will continue to spread. Through notable sites like greenwashingindex.com, consumers are now the watchdogs for truth in advertising. New green techniques, like the NY Times article this week on solar salt, may be met with more eco-skepticism as brands over-market sustainable messages. Eco-proof will need to be prominent in marketing communication for 2009.
March 18th, 2009 at 2:23 pm (#)
I agree that eco-friendly marketing/messaging, products, and packaging are becoming mainstream — but there is one obvious hole in retailer strategy today: creating a “green retail footprint”.
I go back home to the suburbs of Minnesota and even before the economy tanked, I could see the enormous retail bubble being blown up in the guise of ginormous big box retailers that offer little value other than combining a warehouse with a retail experience which really makes little sense. It only took visiting San Francisco once to realize that they have nothing to offer other than being inconveniently big in every way but the ones that really matter.
I think that every marketing and merchandising manager for national retail chain stores should visit San Francisco’s retail environment. Besides the obviously small footprint of the Apple stores, consider the amazing experiences that are packed into small spaces like Frederickson’s Hardware store on Fillmore in the Marina — I find everything and more that I ever needed when visiting that store, and they have a tiny footprint. Going to Home Depot just seems absurd, wasteful, and irresponsible after that.
Apple must have an enormous “profit per square foot” ratio — and what’s greener than that?