What is Green marketing and how to communicate it correctly

Green marketing is one of the most popular and most discussed topics in this century. But are you sure you know what exactly it is?

Through this article you will understand the main features of Green Marketing, the reasons for its growth and how companies can take advantage of it through the social communication.

First, what’s Green marketing?

Green marketing can be defined as the promotion and communication of products, services or activities described as ecologically safe and environmentally sustainable.
Green marketing, Environmental marketing, or Ecological marketing…these are all disciplines that have emerged in recent years and are revolutionizing the business world, as they generate competitive advantages. They are part of the Corporate Social Responsibility of companies and respond to a huge social change.

Why has it become important to formulate Green marketing strategies?

Because consumers have changed: they now pay a lot of attention to buying sustainable products and services and have become more sensitive to their impact on the environment.
The new consumers are more informed and more demanding in terms of quality research and desire for transparency and coherence.
They appreciate companies that are more committed to the ecological front, as they want to feel part of the fight against environmental pollution through more ethical and social purchasing choices.

In this context, companies have to adapt their offers to the needs and desires of the demand, and therefore of consumers. At the same time, they can no longer ignore the impact they have on the health of planet Earth.

Climate change and the huge amount of plastic in the oceans and the polluted air are the consequences of man’s wrong behavior, implemented many times through pollution and environmental disasters caused by multinational corporations. And now the time to act has come, even for companies. It’s now clear that it’s a responsibility of all companies to work to reduce this problem and, therefore, improve living conditions on Earth.

Nowadays, it’s not enough for companies just to market green products or services of similar or superior quality to a conventional product and be competitive in terms of quality-price.
The new challenge for companies is to correctly communicate the added value associated with the consumption of the green product.
So, being able to communicate the company’s responsibility in this context by involving the consumer is now fundamental to the company’s success. In this sense, digital technologies can greatly help brands to build a long-term, sincere and valuable relationship with their target audience.

Now, let me show you how does a green marketing communication strategy works.

1. BE TRULY GREEN
   Basically, the best way to communicate your brand is green to truly be green. So, it’s necessary to develop a brand identity characterized by the commitment to make ecological choices, starting from the production processes and waste disposal.
2. FOCUS ON LOHAS CONSUMERS
   After determining the objectives of the green marketing campaign, it’s essential to understand to whom messages should be addressed. In this regard, in the digital age there is an acronym, LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health And Sustainability), which indicates a rapidly growing market made up of people whose purchasing decisions are heavily influenced by environmental and social responsibility.

3. COMMUNICATE ACTIONS AND VALUES
   Next, we come to the creation of a marketing campaign, with the objective of communicating the company’s interest in sustainability. In fact, a true green marketing campaign shouldn’t only involve products or services but should include the entire company and its values. It’s important to communicate the improvements made to reduce the environmental impact of the activity.
   Message should be simple, clear and truthful and graphics must be eye-catching in order to capture the attention of users.

4. EDUCATE CONSUMERS
   A secondary objective of a green marketing campaign should be consumer education.
   Yes, companies have enormous powers over consumer choices and habits. Therefore, it becomes important to know how to use this influence to make their habits more sustainable thought informational and educational contents.
5. BE HONEST
   The company must always be able to certify all green actions aimed at reducing its environmental impact. There have been many cases of greenwashing, where companies promote themselves with a green image through corporate social responsibility activities that don’t reflect their real commitment. When detected, these companies are severely fined. So, communicate always honestly.

These were just a few of the key elements that can determine the success of a Green marketing campaign. Obviously, you have to consider that there are many variables and every company has a different communication needs.
In general, while planning it, always keep in mind these three keywords: #sustainability #coherence #transparency

Sources: 

– “Green marketing – Come evitare il greenwashing comunicando al mercato il valore della sostenibilità”, Fabio Iraldo, Michela Meis, Gruppo 24 Ore
– “What is Green Marketing? 5 strategies”, Nerea Boada, Cyberclick
– “Three ways companies pollute the einvironment and your health”, Hach & Rose