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Brands: What Do You Mean By Green?

Wed, 06/18/2008 - 01:00 — anne

Green branding is a topic that many marketers have been grappling with---not only how to incorporate a green story in their brand positioning---but to understand exactly what it is.

The problem is that while ‘green-ness’ means one thing to you, it might mean something totally different to your customers, since it is used to describe a broad range of strategies and activities from environmental sustainability and organic ingredients to carbon neutral energy consumption and reduced waste. It’s all in how you choose to define it.

So here’s a ‘cheat sheet’ to help you understand a few of the many, varied meanings of green. And don’t forget---the most important meaning of green is how your customers define it, so be sure you’re in touch with how they view it before you make significant changes to your brand.

Some of the varied shades of green:

Recycling
Wind Power
Energy Efficient
Sustainable
Quality
Reduced Environmental Impact
 Trash Reduction
Organic Foods
Frugality
Natural
Simplicity
Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Biogas, Biomass and Low-impact Hydro Resources
 Water Conservation
Environmentally Friendly
Reduced Shipping
Purity
Reduced Carbon Footprint

 

 

Brands: Doing Well By Being Green - Innocent Drinks, Inc.

Thu, 04/24/2008 - 06:30 — anne

I learned about Innocent Drinks in a recent post by Mack Collier on Viral Garden. The UK  beverage company manufactures ‘Natural Drinks That Taste Good and Do You Good” --- aka smoothies made from 100% natural fruits and “traditional/homemade recipes."

The highly successful Innocent Drinks sells $2 million smoothies per week across Europe, building a 72% market share in the 8 years since they were founded in 1999.  The brand is infused with curiosity, fun, and compassion, contributing 10% of their sales to charitable organizations.

One popular public relations program, “The Big Knit,” enlisted people to knit tiny caps which were placed on bottles of Innocent Drinks. The company then donated a portion of every purchase of a capped bottle to an organization that provided warm clothing to elderly citizens.

The company positioned the program as multi-generational by showing one of their younger employees take knitting lessons – yes, Innocent Drinks actually made knitting cool. In 2007, the campaign went viral across Europe: “…more than 400,000 hats were sent in, while customers posted photos through photo sharing site Flickr and met up through online communities.” The program generated a significant contribution to the charitable organization and resulted in a 100% lift in increased sales.

Click on the video in our left sidebar to highlights of this wonderful program. (If the video isn't visible on this page, you can view it here on YouTube.)

So, what are some of the brand strategies that have contributed to the company’s success?

First and most importantly, Innocent Drinks provides a healthy, good tasting product that focuses on benefits that people are actively seeking. Natural is a key component of their positioning, but it’s a feature of the product that provides a reason to believe/support to the positioning rather than a benefit. In general, benefits resonate more strongly with customers than features because they link the product to customer needs.

‘Green-ness’ is a core value of this company. Many would-be green brands are so focused on telling a ‘green’ story that they forget that ‘greenness’ isn’t, in and of itself, a benefit, no matter how sincere or authentic their brand may be. The smart strategy is to first make sure that you have a product that your target audience wants to buy, and then communicate how being green contributes to its benefits.

It takes the combined efforts of every area in the company to ensure the strategy is a success Everything the company does reflects their vision to leave the world a better place. Their completely natural ingredients, sustainable packaging, carbon neutral energy practices, etc. are authentically green right down to their fruity core.

Success isn’t without its challenges. When Innocent Drinks tested its products in McDonald’s stores in the UK it angered some avid brand users who accused the company of selling out.  Company officials assured them that was not the case and provided opportunities for ongoing dialogue, illustrating that the more successful a company is in facilitating a brand’s development; the more engaged they will be with brand followers.

Images: InnocentDrinks.co.uk

Matter Network

Matter Network “examines the strategies, technologies and products that are powering the shift to a sustainable economy.” Readers are entrepreneurs, consumers and investors who share a passion for – and feel compelled to embrace -- opportunities to shape a meaningful, sustainable future for themselves and the world.

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