PHILADELPHIA - (Business Wire) Don’t try to fake your way to Green. That’s according to a recent post on BrandDrive Rant by Steve DiNardo, principal of BrandDrive. “It’s scary. Some sophisticated marketers think they can promote their brand as ‘green’ just because they recycle, encourage carpooling or use bio-degradable inks,” DiNardo said. “I’ve had a few significant global brands try and shift their positioning to a ‘greener’ platform, when they didn’t have enough to back it up with.”
While the number of companies claiming to be green has exploded in recent years, the desire to cash-in on popular environmentalism has tempted many to “greenwash” – the disingenuous spinning of products and policies as environmentally friendly.
“People take it very seriously,” DiNardo said. “You can really damage your brand by trying to fake it in the green world.”
Dozens of examples of companies labeled Greenwashers can be found online. Just look at those excoriated on Webecoist.com and PRWatch.org and you’ll get the idea.
For companies that truly want to commit to being environmentally friendly, DiNardo has some advice: separate being responsible from being green.
“We all have a daily responsibility to be smart about the environment,” DiNardo said. “But that’s not enough to build a brand. Having a green brand takes an enterprise-wide commitment, with significant investments in real estate, employee education and support for environmentalism.”
He adds that it’s really about being transparent and about making a true commitment.
“Don’t try to be something that you’re not,” DiNardo said. “If you really want to be green, you have to build a corporate culture and business practices that live it. Otherwise, you’re just looking for trouble.”
To read and comment on greenness, or building a brand, please visit BrandDrive Rant.
BrandDrive provides branding, business consulting and marketing support to companies in a variety of industries including financial services, healthcare and food and beverage. For further information, visit www.branddrive.net.
BrandDrive
Doug Barry, 215-689-4844
