5 Musts of a Green Marketing Campaign

Over the course of the past two years, we’ve been witnessing a wide spread of green marketing campaigns. But what are the elements of an effective green marketing campaign? They are five:

- True commitment to the environment
- Promotion of a change in behaviour
- Ability to address the right audience
- Potential to achieve the campaign’s goals
- Buzz-worthiness

True Commitment to the Environment

Most marketers wouldn’t start this list with something as ‘trivial’ as this. I disagree. If your goal is to develop a green marketing campaign, you must first look inside your company and assess if a green program is the way to go. Is your organization truly working towards reducing its impact on the environment? If not, then I strongly advise you to choose a different program – consumers are already weary of green washing, and it’s your company’s reputation on the line. For instance, last month I came across a company that provides “green” billboards for advertising in major highways. On one recent “green” campaign you could read “We’ve given this billboard back to nature”, with real plants hanging all over it. At night, there were 12 flood lights illuminating the site. The plants, obviously, didn’t survive.

If you are indeed interested in going green, then make sure you’re doing it right. Strive to back up your claims and research what processes your company can improve to reduce its impact on Nature. Some organizations decide to rethink their packaging; others change the type of paper used in the office; many associate with cause-worthy non-profits to convey their message.

Promotion of a Change in Behaviour

A good green marketing campaign strives to promote a long-term change in people’s behaviours. Show that your company is not in it just for the media spin – prove that you honestly want to make a positive change. This is why most successful green programs out there not only actively engage customers, but also provide an educational component, illustrating the importance of changing some of our routines.
You can check out our blog post on Impactful Green Marketing Campaigns to brainstorm some ideas for great ways to promote a change in attitude.

Ability to Address the Right Audience

The next few points are standard to all marketing campaigns. Addressing the right audience is vital to any successful program. How do you do this?
First, you need to figure out who your audience is. This includes researching such data as age, income, job title, hobbies, city/province/country,… write down all information you may find relevant, and develop a profile for your typical customer.
The second step is to research where your potential customers are. What media do they use? How did your past customers hear about you? For better results, get your current customers involved in the different stages of your marketing campaign. They will feel appreciated (and more connected to your brand) and you will have a good base to evaluate your campaign’s potential.

Potential to Achieve the Campaign’s Goals

This is the first step when planning a marketing campaign. In order to be successful, you will need to determine the program’s goals. What is the purpose of this marketing campaign? Goals can be as varied as brand awareness, increased sales for a specific product or media coverage. Aim to be specific and quantify your goals. The more time you spend on the planning stages, the more effective your campaign will be.

Buzz-Worthiness

Why not get the bang for your buck? Be creative and get people talking about you. Give your customers incentives to spread the word, either by inserting some humour in your campaign or giving out rewards. Strive to get the media and bloggers involved, by giving them a sneak peak of your campaign, or inviting them to co-develop your program.

What are you doing in the green marketing sphere?