Slow Business: A Manifesto for Reclaiming Our Lives

Thu, 28 May 2009 10:53:36 GMT

Image credit: A(lpha) Whale of a Good Time Business as usual is destroying our lives (and the environment) On May 14, 2009, the business world was thrown into a tizzy when Gmail and Google's news site were reported as "sluggish" for "about an hour." The BBC swiftly cited pundits proclaiming that the temporarily slow Google was "bad news for Google's efforts to build up Apps, and to a less extent, Gmail, as critical business tools. If the mighty Google can stumble, then who can be trusted?" Erm-- since when did an hours outage of anything, except maybe oxygen, become a major issue? It's time we slow the heck down, people. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Staying Ahead in Green Business: What Makes You Special?

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:30:11 GMT

Image credits: Denbompa and MedicMedia Selling Green Products vs Selling YOUR Green Products On the TV show, "Mad Men," ad man Don Draper saves Lucky Strike cigarette account by ignoring research about cigarettes causing disease (he literally throws it in the trash) and instead playing up the brand's "Toasted Tobacco" flavor. But wait, what does this have to do with green branding? ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Effective Communication for Green Brands: Say What You Do!

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:56:18 GMT

Image credit: Erento's blog Professionalism Equals Practicality A sustainable construction consultancy contacted my brand creation agency. We responded as if they were a sustainable building supply company. How did we make this kind of mistake? Because nothing on they're web site stated what they actually did as a business. They did manage to use the word "solution" 8 times, offer a "knowledge library" and provide a section detailing 4 principles of sustainable construction. They also have a series of information-rich brochures about building sustainability - none of which actually say what they do. (This is perhaps most frustrating because what they do is offer a vitally important service to homeowners looking to make sustainable decisions!) Here's how to avoid the same mistakes:... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Transparency for Green Brands - to Biodegrade or Not

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:13:17 GMT

Image credit: The Change Transparency Means Openness About Everything - Warts and All The goal of sustainability is clear. The means are debatable. This creates challenges for marketers (my company, The Change, works on brand creation and design for green businesses and nonprofits). Traditionally, brand value is created with confidence, not uncertainty. But the sincere pursuit of sustainability requires reviews and readjustments - all while maintaining forward movement. If you're a business in sincere pursuit of sustainability, you're going to have to make frequent course corrections. We've experienced this ourselves - and it's up to us to share our decision making process, even when the reality is not what we might hope it was. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Green Branding for Major Corporations

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:07:34 GMT

Green Without Greenwashing My posts about green branding and design have been generating some great discussion and traffic. But I recently had a complacency check courtesy of the folks at CSRWire, who raised concerns about the relevance of my content to a critical audience -- sustainability officers at more traditional corporations. It's all very well talking green branding for start-ups, non-profits and solar companies who are mission driven at their core - but what about those working to create change from within "the system." ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Green Branding: Free Your Inner Activist - Business Will Follow

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:49:48 GMT

Green Branding Brings Freedom to Act A "brand" is business-speak for your standing in the community. And that standing is based on the sum of who you are, not just what you say. If someone in your neighborhood leads protests against a new coal plant, rides her bike to work everyday, and coaches a community soccer team - you're going to have an impression of her as a someone who cares. However, the larger a company is, the more branding tends to get confined to the realm of communications. The reason for this is twofold. The first -- as businesses get larger, they hire outside communication agencies that are empowered to create messages, not policy. The second reason is that most of the things that people admire about companies stand in direct contrast to the kind of cost-cutting, stockholder-pleasing actions big corporations tend to take. Laying off employees and switching to a 12-prompt voice mail system are NOT the kind of actions that inspire people. The difference between what compels large conventional companies and what motivates dynamic mission-driven companies confers advantage on the latter. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Green Branding: Why Originality Matters

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:45:36 GMT

Sustainability Must Go Mainstream Punk rock wouldn't be very punk if everyone listened to it. This isn't the case with the sustainability movement - which, as we argued in our first guest post on why green branding and marketing is important, isn't going to "sustain" anything unless everyone gets on board. Good-for-the-world businesses need to express sustainability as the vibrant, exciting, game-changing proposition it is if we are going to engage a critical mass of people and take sustainability firmly into the mainstream. We should put our heart and souls into what we do. And that means we need to differentiate ourselves. And you can't do that by using the same typeface as everyone else. You can't do it by basing your logo on a leaf or by putting a hand cupping a seedling on the cover of your annual report. You can't do it by being yet another green business to use a tag line that says "Saving the planet one [your product here] at a time." But there are plenty of ways to stand out from the crowd... ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Branding for Non-Profits - Why It's Important

Sun, 11 May 2008 10:12:20 GMT

The essence of branding is developing a clear identity for the messenger -- as opposed to marketing, which merely focuses on the message. However, in the non-profit sector, branding frequently falls by the wayside. My theory is that when your messages are as serious as saving the planet, it's hard to look beyond them. (It should also be noted that many non-profit communications are the result pro-bono work, often completed by different agencies - which can make it hard to maintain consistency across campaigns.) I've already removed myself from junk mail lists thanks to Green Dimes and the Center for a New American Dream - so the only solicitations I now receive are from the environmental, human rights and animal welfare organizations that I contribute to. And I'm always astonished at these organizations' apparent failure to realize that they are competing with one another for my attention and for my contributions (both in terms of whether or not and how much I contribute). But here's an example of good branding in the sector: ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Rebirth of the Producer

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 11:29:13 GMT

The number of companies that actually make their own products is dwindling. Manufacturing, especially as it pertains to consumer products like shoes and textiles, has been reduced to an exercise in outsourcing. It's not uncommon for competing products to actually be made in the same factories. The result is that brands have become disconnected from the processes that create the products they represent. How a product is made should be a critical point of difference from its competition. But it no longer is -- unless you're a green, ethically-conscious company. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Greenhushing Doesn't Help Anyone: Why Green Business Should Speak Up

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:19:04 GMT

Greenwashing is the corporate image version of money laundering a way to maintain the status quo under a shiny thin veneer of change. One of greenwashing's negative effects is that it dissuades genuinely green companies from promoting their own far more substantial green practices. Companies that are authentically doing good stay silent, for fear that they'll be tarred with the same brush as those who are carrying on with business as usual. We hereby christen this unfortunate phenomenon "greenhushing." Although its intent is admirable, its effect is almost as negative as greenwashing. Here's why: ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Reality vs. Perception

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:35:16 GMT

Calling all green business people - if your company began as a way to enact your beliefs about sustainability, then your business is at odds with the status quo. This is a good thing. It gives you something to be true to -- something that's worth talking about. The typical corporation, on the other hand, does not have this advantage. A company that makes all its decisions based on increasing profits will do fine telling its story to its shareholders, but it's not a very appealing or engaging tale to relate to the general public. Hence the distance between most company's branding and their institutional realities. When there is no distance between your genuine motivations and those that you profess, you have integrity -- which is the basis of effective branding. In other words, if you're genuinely, deeply green, you're not just good for the planet, you're good for the market. Read on for some ideas on how to use this to your full advantage.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Virtue of Humility: Why Coke's Ethical Store Failed

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 07:36:01 GMT

The news that Coke's prototype store for its "Far Coast" ethical coffee chain concept is set to close comes as no surprise to those of us in the circle of good-for-the-world branding and marketing. But that doesn't mean we rooted for it to fail. The world would sure be a better place if transnationals behaved as responsibly to humanity and the planet as they do to their shareholders (novel concept - but maybe we are all shareholders of this planet). We suggest the store failed because everything about Far Coast was designed to hide the association with its parent company. And in a world where the internet brings instant access to vast amounts of corporate information and news, having something to hide is just not smart. Especially when the kind of customers you're appealing to are turned on by the virtues of transparency and ethical consumption. As we argued in this guest post a while back, authenticity is a huge asset in terms of branding and marketing. Many companies, from Coke to Starbucks, spend millions trying to cultivate it. Yet, if there is any kind of dissonance between that impression of authenticity, and the institutional realities of a company, then the whole brand is a house of cards. No one likes to feel manipulated, least of all when their ethics are being appealed to. But what if Coke had taken a different route? What if they'd embraced the truth?... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Green Branding and Marketing: Who's Out In Front?

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 09:14:25 GMT

[This is the last in a series of five guest posts looking at the importance of brand strategy and effective marketing for green and ethical businesses. For post one, click here, for post two, click here, for post three, click here, and you'll find post four here.] OK, to conclude our posts about good-for-the-world branding, we're going to call out the brands that best exemplify the qualities we discussed. Think of it as the Oscars of green branding, only no acceptance speeches or silly statues. (To avoid anything that smells of self-promotion, we're not including any brands that our company works with.) RELEVANCE & PERSONALITY AWARD. For those who haven't read the other posts in this series - by relevance, we mean finding points of intersection between sustainability and values that are more deeply entrenched in our culture ( you know, like aligning your branding with people's existing values, rather than trying to make them care about something new). Ben & Jerry's does this beautifully. People like brands that are fun, happy, true to themselves and avoid pretense, and this is what Ben & Jerry's manages to be so well. They took a stand on global warming when it was more politically contentious, and they did it brilliantly. Instead of lecturing people or scaring them, they came out with an initiative centered on an ice cream flavor, One Sweet Whirled, and a song by the Dave Matthews Band (staying true to Cherry Garcia-jam band association heritage). And they did this 4 years before Al Gore broke out his Inconvenient Truth. They have since entrenched their leadership position by sponsoring Ben and Jerry's Climate Change College, and by giving away free ice cream to anyone who signs up for a renewable energy tariff with UK company Ecotricity. They are a superb role model for how to reach beyond the choir. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Be More Than Green

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 09:07:52 GMT

[This is the fourth in a series of five guest posts looking at the importance of brand strategy and effective marketing for green and ethical businesses. For post one, click here, for post two, click here, and for post three, click here.] Being responsible to the environment is a moral act. And morality is not proprietary. If you're a business genuinely committed to sustainability, then you want others to follow in your footsteps. Which means you need to tool your brand to thrive not only in today's market, but also in a world where everyone is green. As we touched on in our second post, Just Because It Saves the World, That Doesn't Make it Popular, sustainability shouldn't be the foundation of your brand. Instead think of it as leverage-as a way to help propel you where you want to be. For a green company, just like any other business, branding needs to be proprietary. It should reflect your company's personality and institutional realities. And, of course, you need to do whatever you do really, really well. Here are some suggestions to creating a sustainable brand that will thrive when sustainability is commonplace. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Authenticity. (Get it Free with Your Commitment to Preserve the Earth!)

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:15:35 GMT

[This is the third in a series of five guest posts looking at the importance of brand strategy and effective marketing for green and ethical businesses. For post one, click here, for post two, click here.] People crave authenticity but it's hard to offer when the only reason you exist is to raise the price of your shares. Companies with a higher purpose than just making money are intrinsically more credible and worthwhile of support. No one believes any corporate entity at face value -- all of us consciously and subconsciously make a host of calculations about whether or not to grant credibility to any group or individual who is asking us to part with our money. People seek authenticity because no one wants to be a means to someone else's end. Yet marketing is all about a means to an end. And in a world where manipulation is omnipresent - on our cell phones, our email in-boxes, our shopping carts, our kids' schools and so forth- the immutable law of supply and demand makes authenticity increasingly precious. However, if your enterprise is part of the culture of social responsibility, then authenticity is something you get free with the price of admission (i.e., your commitment). If a core reason you're in business is to reduce carbon emissions, conserve water or help the poor, then you have more credibility than your competitors who are in it for the cash. And this isn't just because you have a socially responsible purpose in business/life. It's because the simple fact of having any overriding purpose at all indicates integrity. That's why most of us are more likely to believe the words of a Trappist monk than a car salesman.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Just Because It Saves The World, That Doesn't Make It Popular

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:15:51 GMT

[This is the second in a series of five guest posts looking at the importance of brand strategy and effective marketing for green and ethical businesses. For post one, click here.] The key to marketing sustainability is making it relevant to values consumers already hold. Instead of trying to convince people they need to care about "sustainability" - it's more productive to talk to them about honesty, responsibility, fairness and innovation - all the things sustainability, at its core, is about. A quite impressive 1.4 million people read Treehugger in the course of a month -- yet that's not enough to sustain a movement. For sustainability to be sustainable, it has to instigate a permanent structural change in how MOST PEOPLE live their lives. To reach a majority of people, we need to make our values relevant to a majority of people. And the majority of First World earthlings don't wake up planning to save the planet. Instead, they're hungry for breakfast, concerned about their family, curious about the newest episode of CSI, and wondering how they're going to get through their day. It's important to understand what captures the imaginations and anxieties of the folks outside our 1.4 million circle of tree huggers. Here are some numbers: ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Planet Wants You to Market Really Well

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 09:35:00 GMT

[This is the first in a series of five guest posts looking at the importance of brand strategy and effective marketing for green and ethical businesses] Organic jeans look just like regular jeans. Fair Trade, Shade Grown coffee can taste just like conventional coffee. FSC-certified wood looks exactly like wood that's been poached from the rain forest. Unless you're an eye witness or a direct victim, crimes against the environment take place out of sight, out of mind. Shirts hang from racks in America, while the sweatshops that created them are half a world and tons of emissions away. The sales racked up by businesses-as-usual are dependent on withholding information, not revealing it. Paul McCartney once said that "if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian." It's the same principle for most conventional products. Pesticides, particulate pollution, toxic runoff, industrial waste and shoddy labor practices are necessary to create most things -- but to actually sell the stuff, it's best to keep the public unaware of such things. The environmental sins of conventional businesses are invisible - unfortunately, so are many of the positive actions of good-for-the-world businesses. As an environmentalist, and as a guy who leads a good-for-the-world branding agency, I suggest that treehugging businesses should become the most kickass marketers on the planet. Brand communication is a critical way to change the equation, and balance it in favor of responsibility over expediency, and in favor of products created with moral consideration as opposed to just cheap goods. Here's some thoughts on how to do it. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

TreeHugger Welcomes Guest Poster Jerry Stifelman

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 14:07:22 GMT

Jerry Stifelman is founder and creative director of The Change, a good-for-the-world brand strategy and design agency. Between 1993 and 2004, Jerry worked as a brand strategist, creative director and writer for leading brands, including MTV, Banana Republic, DKNY, Mountain Dew, Sprite, Chrysler, Jeep, Sun Microsystems, Puma and Reebok. After a decade in this traditional advertising biz, Jerry, convinced that the truth is your best tool, took his talents and skills to the more sustainable and greener side of marketing where he could work with good-for-the-world brands as well as justice-seeking, environmental and world-changing organizations. When he's not writing, he spends his time mingling and speaking at Green festivals and conferences and can often be seen around Chapel Hill, North Carolina in his utilikilt.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Recent Posts by TreeHugger's Jerry Stifelman, The Change, Chapel Hill, NC