In the March 2008 issue of US Business Review Magazine, the World Green Business Association is featured in the article, “GREEN FOR Less Green: Becoming eco-friendly doesn’t always require building a wind farm or a new office.”

In this 2 page article (pg 6), author Chris Petersen quotes WGBA President and Founder, Laura L. Briere as saying: “There’s an enormous misconception with people thinking green can be very expensive, and it can be, but there are a ton of ways you can do it and save a lot of money.”

There are many useful pieces of green information available in this article; please visit their web site at: US Business Review or download the PDF of the article to the right. Simply click on the image to download.

Friday, March 28, 2008

New businesses buzzing with green monikers

Boston Business Journal - by Jesse Noyes Journal staff

If you need proof that the eco-friendly trend has reached the business world, just take a look at the number of business that incorporated with the name “green” in the Bay State last year.

From “G” Green Design Center LLC to the World Green Business Association Inc., more than 75 companies formed in 2007 to capitalize on the growing fascination with all things green by tacking the word onto their brands, according to data from the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Corporations Division. That represents a nearly 178 percent increase over 2006, when only about 27 companies that incorporated with the title green.

The Business Journal took the raw number of companies incorporated in 2006 and 2007 that used the word green in their titles, and then narrowed both lists to businesses that were referencing an environmental concept rather than another use of “green,” such as an owner’s name.

The list of companies from last year extend across various industries — from real estate to automotive, marketing to energy — demonstrating that the marketing of environmentally friendly products and services is reaching all sectors of business in the state.

“There’s no question that 2007 was the sort of the year of greening of the consumer marketplace,” said Jennifer Ganshirt, managing partner of Winston-Salem, N.C.-based marketing firm Frank About Women, which conducted a study of consumer behavior around green businesses last year.

Many companies are trying to tap into public concern for the environment by attaching the buzzword green to their brand.

OM Realty adopted the name Boston Green Realty LLC last year when the owners became certified eco-brokers, said co-owner Suzanne DiMeco. “Part of our ambition is to place a dollar value on these green related features in the home.”

Laura Briere, the CEO at Worcester-based Vision Advertising, started the World Green Business Association, which provides marketing tools for companies looking to go green, last year. “We really wanted to encapsulate the hot buzzword,” she said.

The term is alluring because it serves as a catch-all for various complex solutions to environmental problems, said Georges Dyer, partner at Greenland Enterprises LLC, a Boston-based consulting firm that incorporated last year and aids companies that want to adopt environmentally sound practices. “It’s a good shorthand to capture” a wide swath of ecological concerns, he said.

But as businesses chase after the green, the term is in danger of becoming overused and watered-down, which is part of a trend experts call “greenwashing.” “The word green, I think, will be overused in a year,” said Jamie Tedford, CEO of Boston-based marketing firm Brand Networks Inc.

It was a concern for Nicole Goldman last year when she was opening “G” Green Design Center, a retail showroom for green building materials and accessories in Mashpee. “We did struggle with the name a little bit because there are so many things that are green, green, green,” she said.

But Goldman said the name has been effective at pulling a number of eco-conscious consumers in. “As soon as we opened people were pouring in here,” she said.

Jesse Noyes can be reached at jnoyes@bizjournals.com.

To be clear, the article originally read: “Laura Briere, a vice president at Worcester-based Vista Consulting LLC,…” which is incorrect. The above article has been corrected to the accurate information: “CEO at Worcester-based Vision Advertising.”

The article is online at: http://www.bizjournals.com

Consumers expect to double their spending on green products and services in the next year, totaling an estimated $500 billion annually or $43 billion per month, according to new findings from the 2007 ImagePower Green Brands Survey, conducted by WPP’s Landor Associates, Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates and Cohn & Wolfe.

The survey also found that consumer perceptions of green continue to change according to various collective definitions and contribute directly to buying decisions.

Green marketing is the responsible way to market your products/services by using technology, conservation and minimizing waste. If you haven’t started green marketing, the information below will help you on your way.

Going green, after all, is just a matter of changing your perception from focusing only on “tried and true” to the creative “let’s try something different.” What used to work still can, but the modern green revolution has opened up a whole new realm of opportunity for new marketing.

Some examples of great new technologies include blogs, social networking, e-newsletters, and online advertising. These complement the “tried and true” methods of public relations, cause marketing, viral marketing, and other activities that leverage the power of the media, word of mouth marketing and human interest.

The easiest way to get started with green marketing is to take a step back from your business and perform a brief green marketing audit. You should already have many of the answers, but it’s in your best interest to ask yourself again and step outside of your comfort zone. You may find it beneficial to consult a qualified marketing professional who can help expose you to a whole new world of green marketing options.

Create your green marketing plan:

1. Perform a market analysis and establish your “ground.”
   1. Where is your company in the market?
   2. What is your competition doing?
2. Segment your business offerings by “who buys what.”
   1. What do your customers have in common?
   2. Are you offering too much?
   3. Are you trying to be everything to everyone?
3. Determine your product/service market.
   1. Is it priced appropriately?
   2. Does it cost enough? Too much?
4. Identify your core “green” messages.
   1. What green messages are you trying to convey to your customers?
   2. What is the basic POINT behind your messages? (Note: These are NOT your taglines)
5. Outline what your core green “brand elements” should be/are.
   1. What does green marketing specifically look like as applied to your company?
   2. How do you want your customers to perceive your green marketing initiatives?
6. Determine if your web site is in line with your marketing objectives and target markets.
   1. Is it up to date?
   2. Does it offer the latest technologies?
   3. Can you manage it yourself?
   4. Is it up to the highest standards in technology?
   5. Can you leverage the latest and greatest tools in new media?
   6. What can you change?
7. Align your “green marketing plan” with your overall marketing objectives and target markets.
   1. Where possible, use metrics to align the two plans.
   2. Does your green marketing plan take advantage of the latest technologies?
   3. Can you manage it yourself?
8. Determine the promotional areas in which you can get really creative/green.
   1. Can you leverage your commitment to green to help you spread your message?
   2. Which segments are going to care about your green marketing efforts?
   3. How much money can you save?
   4. How much money can you reallocate from previous methods to green and new freed-up opportunities?
9. Plan for feedback.
   1. How do you plan to get it?
   2. What will you do with it once you get it?

With so much focus on green marketing, many companies try to hop on the bandwagon by launching green initiatives that are in essence “greenwashing” or “green sheen.” These terms are generally used when companies spend significantly more money or time advertising being green (that is, operating with consideration for the environment), rather than investing resources on genuinely environmentally sound practices.

Consumers are increasingly knowledgeable of the difference between “real green” and “green sheen”; companies that invest resources in the latter risk significant negative PR when their greenwashing efforts are exposed.

In December 2007, environmental marketing company TerraChoice gained national press coverage for releasing a study called “The Six Sins of Greenwashing,” which found that 99% of 1,018 common consumer products randomly surveyed for the study were guilty of greenwashing. According to the study, the six sins of greenwashing are:

• Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off: e.g. “Energy-efficient” electronics that contain hazardous materials. 998 products and 57% of all environmental claims committed this Sin.
• Sin of No Proof: e.g. Shampoos claiming to be “certified organic,” but with no verifiable certification. 454 products and 26% of environmental claims committed this Sin.
• Sin of Vagueness: e.g. Products claiming to be 100% natural when many naturally-occurring substances are hazardous, like arsenic and formaldehyde (see appeal to nature). Seen in 196 products or 11% of environmental claims.
• Sin of Irrelevance: e.g. Products claiming to be CFC-free, even though CFCs were banned 20 years ago. This Sin was seen in 78 products and 4% of environmental claims.
• Sin of Fibbing: e.g. Products falsely claiming to be certified by an internationally recognized environmental standard like EcoLogo, Energy Star or Green Seal. Found in 10 products or less than 1% of environmental claims.
• Sin of Lesser of Two Evils: e.g. Organic cigarettes or “environmentally friendly” pesticides, This occurred in 17 products or 1% of environmental claim

Laura Briere is President & Founder of the World Green Business Association and CEO and Founder of Vision Advertising, a marketing communications firm based in Worcester, MA.

Bruce Mendelsohn is Principal of The Hired Pen, a PR firm based in Auburn, MA.

Watch the video - and learn about Vision Advertising and how the World Green Business Association got started - and how green really can help you to get more… well, GREEN! 5:39

Ms. Briere spoke of uniting business on a global scale to make changes on the most basic level to have a minimal impact on the earth. She educated the Kiwanis’ about the disastrous and global effects of our daily behaviors. Laura maintained a positive attitude throughout her speech, and informed them that every small thing can make a difference when multiplied by billions.

Some actions that she suggested included replacing regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones as they burn out, unplug electronic devices such as televisions, computers, washers and dryers; and microwaves to not only save the environment, but also to save 5% on your energy bill, and make your home less likely to have an electrical fire.

The World Green Business Association (WGBA) is providing an avenue for local and global business to draw attention to their efforts. The company’s website, worldgba.com, makes available a list of members for public reference. WGBA is also an organization for professionals and families.

Membership in the organization includes substantial discounts, educational seminars, green marketing for professionals and businesses, best practices, and leadership opportunities. The WGBA will be hosting quarterly networking events, and presenting awards to members to recognize the efforts of the most serious members.

Ms. Briere seeks to accept more speaking engagements, and has been invited back to a speak at a future Worcester Kiwanis Club meeting.

Stay tuned…