Green Marketing Demystified: Advancing The Message Of Sustainable Design
By Nick Glenn, The Green Ad Agency
Along with lowering the lifecycle costs of the building, say building owners and Architect / Engineer / Contractor (AEC) Firms, the most important factor for engaging in green building is being part of an industry that values the environment. And getting that message across is where Green Marketing comes in.
The Green Movement isn’t a fringe element of tree-hugging activists – it’s mainstream, and developing more momentum every day. As emphasis grows on environmental awareness and issues such as design sustainability, it’s clear that those who recognize this fact, and who adapt their product offerings and business practices to reflect this emphasis, are on the right path. But in a marketplace as fluid as the developing Green Market, exactly how to position your company for success on that path may not be so clear.
Fully understanding the area of design sustainability and its relevance in your product category generally requires outside help. These are specialized areas and they call for specialized knowledge.
Understanding certifications is essential. Anyone can make claims regarding their company’s green viability, but without the credibility and validation of third party certification to back it up, those claims can run the risk of being considered mere “greenwashing” – an attempt to use unsubstantiated or vague claims to superficially ride the wave of the environmental movement.
Currently, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the most important certification to consider. Their strategy from the beginning was to be the certification for the “greenest of the green,” the top 25% of the green market, and as the market goes deeper green their certification carries a lot of weight.
As the market continues to grow, other certifications and factors will undoubtedly emerge, so there’s a real need for specialists to help you gauge how your product fits in the marketplace, and how best to position it. Concepts such as “cradle to cradle” and the complex nature of a constantly evolving market make it clear that expertise across multiple disciplines is an absolute necessity if you’re going to effectively communicate your products' "green attributes" and value-proposition to your target audience.
In a nutshell, the green market has quickly moved through the innovators and early adopters stages into the majority phases. Those who fail to get in step with this ongoing phenomenon will lose business. Careful consideration of all the dynamics of the market through a multidisciplinary “Think Tank” approach to discerning where your market base lies and how best to reach them is a crucial factor for enabling the development of both an immediate, short term approach and also a more comprehensive, long term competitive marketing strategy to grow your business over time.
Nick Glenn is President of The Green Ad Agency, which formed as an offshoot of The Ludlow Group, a Virginia Beach, Virginia based advertising and marketing agency with a 15-year track record of selling into the A/E/C community. He can be reached at (757) 463-4703 or by email: nick@thegreenadagency.com.