Tool for sustainable market growth: Green Marketing Strategies

Due to misbehaviors of human beings and exploitation of technology, the world is now facing an unprecedented risk. Scientists had proven the crucial damage on ozone layer and colossal melt down of icebergs in North Pole as a result of global warming. If this trend continues, this planet will not be a suitable place for mankind to survive in future. This may sound somewhat apocalyptic, yet there are logical reasons to believe that this world is begging for green (Borland & Paliwoda, 2011). The concept of green marketing and technological innovation can play a vital role for the wellness of our planet and so for the consumers who are the citizens of this planet. The main objective of marketers is to maximize the sales by satisfying the consumers needs. The literature of marketing concepts in the 21st centuries is critical. Pricing is no longer the key factor in todays marketing mix. It seems that product and the promotion strategies are been more important. This is why the term green is becoming the key factors on marketers mind. Their job is to deal and anticipate the changes that take place in future and accordingly frame the marketing strategies. Today marketers have to face challenges from the environmental point of views. This is because of the hot issues like, global warming, green house gas emissions, pollution, and energy crisis world is facing and these issues have made this world a very difficult place to live (Manget et al. 2009). So marketers had to find a better approach in framing the marketing programs and so they came up with a term called green marketing. It has been a tough job for marketers to promote this concept of green marketing, especially with the existing products and brandings. No doubt that modern technology and innovation has brought the solutions for these problems. The productions process are been modified and the products are re-labeled to match with this concept of promoting green (Manget et al. 2009). Considering the above issues, it is doubtless to mention that technological advancement and green marketing are the most highlighting issues recently in the commercial world. This report shall explore and analyze in details about these two current issues in todays business world. Furthermore this study is mostly focused on the concept of green marketing and how does it affected on todays businesses, and following how technology supports green marketing. In addition, this report shall provide a critical evaluation of organizational responds on this new trend in the business environment.

Definitions of Green Marketing The concept of society and marketing can be traced in the literature of 1970s and 1980s (Peattie, 2005), however, the notion of social marketing was introduced by Kotler and Zaltman in 1971 (Crane & Desmond, 2002). Kotler (2006, p. 6) has defined marketing as societal process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating offering and freely exchanging products and services value with others. As the concerns enhanced, environment, sustainability, and green marketing became more popular terms. Grant, J. (2007, p.43) sustainability is internal reforms in the organizations and serves as a bridge between business and green and ensuring to make better i.e of every one now and or generations to come. The objective of green marketing is to minimize the environmental harm and as we economics benefits. Green Marketing is defined by Peattie (1995) as the holistic management process responsible for identifying anticipating and satisfying the requirements of customers and society in profitable and sustainable way. According to Ottman (2006) the green marketing

satisfies two objectives: improved environmental quality and customer satisfaction.

Davis (1993) says that green marketer can develop a communication message which can address the environment problem presenting motivational and relevant attitudes approach in advertising or example communicating that you are contributing for the improvement of the society as whole.

Grant, J. (2007, p.32) has suggested that

green marketing objective is to educate and

make people willing to go green, because it influences on changing the life style and behavior to the people. There are steady movements in public interest and concern about the environmental issues.Companies like BASF and DuPont are leading the greening of heavy industry and have had biggest impact on environment. Simula, Lehtimark, and Salo (2009) stated that the word Green is widely used today for new technologies and new products which have more sustainable impact on the

environment. Green, Pro-environmental, Sustainability, Environmentally Friendly and Ecology are the terms commonly used to describes that the firms processes and products consume less energy; are recyclable; lessen waste and pollution; and preserve natural resources. 1. Green is mainstream. Not too long ago, just a small group of deep green consumers existed. Today, 83% of consumers representing every generation, from Baby Boomers to Millennial and Gen Ys are some shade of green. Moreover, there are now finely defined segments of green consumers. 2. Green is cool. Once a faddish preoccupation of the fringe, green is not only mainstream, its chic. In fact, green consumers are early adopters and leaders who influence purchasing behavior. Celebrities and other cool types generally are espousing green causes. People show off (and self-actualize) by tooling around in a Toyota Prius (or soon, we predict, in a Nissan LEAF electric), and carry cloth shopping bags to look the part. 3. Greener products work equally or better and are often worth a premium price. Thanks to advances in technology, weve come a long way since the days when greener products gathered dust on health food store shelves because they didnt work as well and were not a good value. Organics, hybrid cars, and safer cleaning products now command a price premium. 4. Green inspires innovative products and services that can result in better consumer value, enhanced brands, and a stronger company. Savvy managers no longer consider the environment to be a burden that represents added cost and overhead but an investment that can pay back handsomely. 5. Values guide consumer purchasing. Historically, consumers bought solely on price, performance, and convenience. But today, how products are sourced, manufactured, packaged, disposed of and even such social aspects as how factory and farm workers are treated all matter. 6. A life-cycle approach is necessary. Single attributes such as recyclable, organic, or energy-efficient matter greatly, but dont mean a product is green overall. Recycled products still create waste, organic strawberries can travel thousands of miles, and CFLs contain mercury. So a more thorough, life-cycle or carbon-based approach to greening is necessary. 7. Manufacturer and retailer reputation count now more than ever. In addition to looking for trusted brand names on supermarket shelves, consumers are now flipping over packages, saying, Who makes this brand? Did they produce this product with high environmental and social standards? 8. Save me! Scrap the images of planets! Bag the daisies! Nix the babies! Even the greenest consumers no longer buy products just to save the planet. Todays consumers buy greener brands to help protect their health, save money, or because they simply work better. Thats why products such as organics, natural personal care and pet care, and energy-efficient products are leading the way in sales.

9. Businesses are their philosophies. It used to be that companies were what they made. International Business Machines. General Foods. General Motors. Now, businesses and brands are what they stand for. Method. Starbucks. Timberland. 10. Sustainability represents an important consumer need, and is now an integral aspect of product quality. Green is no longer simply a market position. Products need to be green. Brands need to be socially responsible. Period. 11. The greenest products represent new concepts with business models with significantly less impact. If we simply keep greening up the same old brown products weve been using forever, were never going to get to sustainability. With time running out, weve got to leap to service replacements for products, and adopt entirely new ways of doing business. 12. Consumers dont necessarily need to own products; services can meet their needs, perhaps even better. Consumers historically met their needs by owning products, but concepts like Zipcar and ebooks are starting to prove that utility and service are what really matters. 13. The brands consumers buy and trust today educate and engage them in meaningful conversation through a variety of media, especially via websites and online social networks. Talking at consumers through traditional media and paid advertising cant build loyalty among empowered consumers in a connected world. 14. Green consumers are strongly influenced by the recommendations of friends and family, and trusted third parties. With rampant cynicism about traditional forms of advertising and a backlash in place against perceived greenwashing, savvy marketers leverage purchase influencers and third parties like NGOs and especially eco-labelers. 15. Green consumers trust brands that tell all. BP, ExxonMobil, and SIGG learned this lesson the hard way. Its no longer enough to have a well-known name. Todays brands become trusted by practicing radical transparency, disclosing the good and the bad. 16. Green consumers dont expect perfection. Just like theres no more whitest whites, theres no greenest of the green. Consumers expect that youll set high goals (i.e., perform beyond mere compliance), keep improving, and report on progress. 17. Environmentalists are no longer the enemy. Recognizing the power of the marketplace to effect change, many environmental advocates willingly partner with industry, offering useful guidance and expertise. 18. Nearly everyone is a corporate stakeholder. No longer confined to just customers, employees, and investors, publics of all stripes are now corporate stakeholders: environmentalists, educators, and children even the unborn. 19. Authenticity. Its not enough to slap on a recycling logo or make a biodegradability claim. Brands viewed as the most genuine integrate relevant sustainability benefits into their products. Thats why HSBC and Stonyfield Farm aim to reduce the carbon impacts of their operations. 20. Keep it simple. Plato was an environmentalist: Simplicity is elegance. Todays consumers are cutting out the needless purchases, and getting rid of the gadgets and gizmos that dont add value to their lives. Thats why they are migrating to brands that help express these values Method, Starbucks, and Timberland. Its just that simple.