July 16th, 2010Comments (0)

How to stand out in a world gone “GREEN” by admin

Going Green. Shallow buzzword or thoughtful platform of public stewardship?

Being more environmentally conscious is something we must all do on a personal level and something that most organizations have found to be both intrinsically rewarding and beneficial from a public perception standpoint.

But these days, nearly every company has a green message plan. It seems that today the best way to get ink in the papers is to plant a tree (oversimplified, perhaps). But when everyone is saying the same thing, does the sentiment lose legitimacy?

How can we as PR professionals help clients cut through the clutter?

The answer, in case you haven’t guessed, is that we must be authentic – have facts to back up our claims. Simply telling the public that a client is green can seem disingenuous or made-for-marketing. Outlining that a client has, for example, reduced its carbon footprint by 30 percent in the past three years and is dedicated to using only recycled materials for its 2011 packaging, makes an impressive and believable statement.

Just because we put a tree logo at the bottom of our e-mail signatures doesn’t mean we have built a global platform of environmentalism for future generations. Not to say that this e-message isn’t a valuable tactic, but we must be honest about the proportions of our environmentalism. In other words, if we are going to build a campaign on being green, we’d better make sure we really are. As PR professionals we must use statistics and researched content to legitimize our message instead of relying on eco-buzzwords. Show tactile and measurable results and the media impressions are sure to follow.

So actually being green is a first step, but as PR advisors, we must encourage our clients to think about being green in a strategic way. We must consider what matters most to our clients’ audiences (not just our clients) and understand what green initiatives will resonate and move the needle. Not all green campaigns are created equal. Although thoughtful eco-consciousness is expected from every company, over-the-top green-crazed campaigns may not help get our clients’ message across to the right audience.

If tactically aligning our clients as environmental thought leaders is a good idea then having clients that actually are environmental thought leaders (and thanks to us, know exactly how to tout their noble deeds) is a great idea. It isn’t just good message strategy – it’s a good message.

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