The subject of sustainability can get complicated. This video offers a quick and simple overview. Watch the video. What marketing examples have you seen that promote sustainability? What are some examples that promote unsustainable business practices? Do firms have a responsibility to be more sustainable? Should this be enforced with greater government regulation? If not, how?
I enjoy Seth Godin’s pearls of wisdom. In his recent blog post “The ethics of sunscreen,” Godin makes a case that many marketers — using sunscreen as a prime example — lack in ethics. Not that original of a claim, but one that we marketers don’t like to believe is true (at least not all the time). This lack of ethics raises the need for government regulation. For a contrary view, check out “The ethics of sunscreen” at Often Wrong Never in Doubt (June 27, 2011).
Personally, I think Godin’s arguments make the most sense for certain types of products. For example, I think it works best for credence goods (a product for which the utility is almost impossible for a consumer to assess – even after consuming the product).
What side do you come down on? Should there be greater regulation of marketing claims? Is this relevant for all products — or just certain types — or none at all?
Is marketing good or evil? Certainly there are examples of both. Here are two very powerful examples of how marketing can make the world a better place. The first one (an ad created by Ogilvy, Dublin, Ireland) is especially hard to watch — but as you will see that is the point. I don’t want to say anymore, because the ads need no introduction. After viewing, share your thoughts on the two ads.
A growing concern for global warming and our environment began about four years ago and fueled the growth of brands like Method and Clorox’s Green Works. Then – bam! — the economy tanked. Now consumers have a decision — do they pay a bit more for a greener product? It appears that the economy is winning out. Sales for “green” products have slowed or declined in the last couple of years. Read more in “As Consumers Cut Spending, ‘Green’ Products Lose Allure” (New York Times, April 21, 2011).
How has the economy affected your buying habits? Do you buy green now? What if the prices on green products were higher, would you still buy green?
The often provocative and always interesting Dan Ariely, James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University, wrote a very interesting short article in the Harvard Business Review (May 2011), “The Upside of Useless Stuff.” This link goes to Ariely’s blog where he reprints the article. While critics contend that marketing just makes people buy useless stuff, Ariely argues that the desire for useless stuff may fuel innovation.
What do you think of Ariely’s thesis? It takes a bit different perspective than many on social responsibility.
Terrachoice Environmental Marketing has released its third annual report on greenwashing – “The Sins of Greenwashing: Home and Family Edition, 2010.“ The report finds, among other things, that more than 95% of products making a green claim were found to commit at least one of the 7 sins of greenwashing. If you are not up for reading the whole report, you can read highlights of the report posted at Greenbiz.com.
Consumer interest in making sustainable choices may be limited. Sun Chip is ditching its environmentally-friendly compostable (but apparently much noiser) bag. Sales of the snack dropped after the new bag was introduced (“It’s Better for Whose Environment?“, Wall Street Journal, October 8, 2010 – note this link takes you to a back door for non-subscribers). This sentiment is also expressed at Adweek, “Consumers Don’t Warm to Eco-Friendly Products” (October 12, 2010).
Is there only a small segment of consumers interested in sustainability? Is the “price” for making socially responsibly purchase too high? What can firms do to make sustainable products more appealing? Should the government get involved to help promote this behavior?
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