Is Green Marketing Still Red-Hot?
By Kenneth Hein , February 2010
It’s safe to say that green marketing blossomed in 2009. However, as issues like the economy and health care grabbed the public’s attention, corporate environmental practices fell out of the spotlight. Now that it is less hip to go green, will the movement wither on the vine? While marketing experts’ opinions vary, a number agree that it is no longer as integral a focus as it had been just months ago.
“A lot of businesses jumped on board because it was trendy, not because they believed in it. They did it because the polls showed this or a focus group said that. Others never got started,” says Simon Sinek, owner of strategic marketing consultancy Sinek Partners. “Now it’s not trendy.”
The green movement made great strides, but now the hurdle is higher in terms of generating attention, says James Gregory, CEO of the consultancy CoreBrand. “The ante has been raised in terms of making news. You used to be able to fake it somewhat; now you need to prove it, believe it and live it.” Still, he feels that eco-conscious marketing practices won’t go away anytime soon. “It will be with us for a long time.”
