There is a new 12-week online series from Harvard Business Review "exploring what's working in green business strategy today." It is an excellent venue for learning, discussing, and raising the public consciousness about the greening of America.
The initial issue, however, leads off with an article entitled, Don't Bother With the "Green" Consumer. This title makes for good theater, and it effectively provoked discussion, but was, overall, disappointing. Positioned as a counter-intuitive look at the challenges faced by marketers who have recognized the green movement, but are not sure how to take advantage, this piece cynically chose a thought-provoking, but misguided slant which "plays it safe" rather than blazing a trail.
Because the article concludes that it is better (more effective, more profitable) to not be too concerned about the green consumer, it misses an important opportunity to truly educate. The author, Steve Bishop, comes to the conclusion: Instead of focusing on a green niche, focus on green behaviors that everyone can aspire to.
That's a good notion up to a point, but this is where Mr. Bishop misses the mark. Green consumers have traditionally been a "niche" market. This is rapidly changing. Greenness is permeating the public consciousness. It is quickly transforming from a niche to a mainstream market. Mr. Bishop's advice is behind the curve.
Marketers would be much better served by advice on how to make use of the necessary and inevitable permeation of green consciousness in the public psyche. Mr. Bishop's conclusion suffers from a lack of understanding of the magnitude of the "green" market, and from short-term thinking. Short-term thinking in the business community is a primary reason why the environment is in trouble. We need to realize that we are on the cusp of determining the fate of the entire planet, and do not have the luxury to play it safe with our business strategies to accommodate our marketing campaigns.
On a brighter note, it seems that there are a lot of readers whose depth of thought on the role of greenness in marketing far surpasses that of the misguided article. It is worth visiting this discussion for this reason. There, one can find intelligent analysis of the role of "green" in marketing, and some clever insights about marketing and greeness in general. Some of the respondents convincingly demonstrate that green marketing can yield huge payoffs.
Angels bend down their wings to a seeker of knowledge. - from 'Moon Over Morocco'
The initial issue, however, leads off with an article entitled, Don't Bother With the "Green" Consumer. This title makes for good theater, and it effectively provoked discussion, but was, overall, disappointing. Positioned as a counter-intuitive look at the challenges faced by marketers who have recognized the green movement, but are not sure how to take advantage, this piece cynically chose a thought-provoking, but misguided slant which "plays it safe" rather than blazing a trail.
Because the article concludes that it is better (more effective, more profitable) to not be too concerned about the green consumer, it misses an important opportunity to truly educate. The author, Steve Bishop, comes to the conclusion: Instead of focusing on a green niche, focus on green behaviors that everyone can aspire to.
That's a good notion up to a point, but this is where Mr. Bishop misses the mark. Green consumers have traditionally been a "niche" market. This is rapidly changing. Greenness is permeating the public consciousness. It is quickly transforming from a niche to a mainstream market. Mr. Bishop's advice is behind the curve.
Marketers would be much better served by advice on how to make use of the necessary and inevitable permeation of green consciousness in the public psyche. Mr. Bishop's conclusion suffers from a lack of understanding of the magnitude of the "green" market, and from short-term thinking. Short-term thinking in the business community is a primary reason why the environment is in trouble. We need to realize that we are on the cusp of determining the fate of the entire planet, and do not have the luxury to play it safe with our business strategies to accommodate our marketing campaigns.
On a brighter note, it seems that there are a lot of readers whose depth of thought on the role of greenness in marketing far surpasses that of the misguided article. It is worth visiting this discussion for this reason. There, one can find intelligent analysis of the role of "green" in marketing, and some clever insights about marketing and greeness in general. Some of the respondents convincingly demonstrate that green marketing can yield huge payoffs.
Angels bend down their wings to a seeker of knowledge. - from 'Moon Over Morocco'
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