Month: October 2008

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Can Green Business Survive the Meltdown?

Despite the recessionary environment in which we live, companies and organizations shouldn’t lose sight of the importance of good environmental stewardship.  My belief is that the truly committed will clearly be separated from the ones who were only interested in making green efforts while the economy was strong.  More importantly, the choices these firms make now while the economy is down will have ramifications for years to come, not only on the environment, but also on their own corporate reputations and future profitability.

I came across an interesting article that touches upon similar points on Harvard Business Online, written by Andrew L. Shapiro, CEO of GreenOrder, and his colleague, David Gottesman.

Here’s a link to the full story.

I will be exploring this issue in greater detail over the months to come, as the broader economy continues to digest the financial crisis, and more data becomes available.

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Cone/Duke University: Cause Marketing Can Result In Sales Lift

Image courtesy of Cone

Cone, a leading marketing firm headquartered in Boston, recently published a report on cause marketing in conjunction with the firm’s 25th anniversary.  Cone turned to my firm, Grossman Marketing Group, to print it in the most environmentally-friendly way possible (100% certified wind power, 100% post-consumer recycled paper, and soy inks were all used).

As part of the publication, Cone featured a study it conducted along with Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, on consumers’ feelings toward cause marketing.  According to the report, “aligning with a cause can positively impact actual consumer choice and exponentially drive sales.”

For a more in-depth article on the report, please see the write-up from our friends at Environmental Leader.

Please click here to download a full copy of the report.

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Some weekend entertainment…

On a largely unrelated but entertaining topic, I was excited earlier this week to be invited onto New England Cable News’ Friday evening quiz show.  I appeared along with Amy Derjue, who writes for Boston Magazine and manages their blog, Boston Daily, as well as Lou Whitney, who is the CEO and founder of 2 Boston-based companies,  Twig Flowers & DoggieDay.  News anchor, Chet Curtis, hosted the program.

I had the chance to talk about green marketing (at the end of the show, so that discussion is not contained in the links below).  It was a really fun experience, even though I came in second place!

Please check out the links below to the show.  I hope you enjoy:

Part 1: News IQ Quiz Show

Part 2: News IQ Quiz Show

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Best practices in green printing: using printed collateral to support your organizational mission

My firm does a fair amount of work for SkyFuel, a solar energy company headquartered in New Mexico.  SkyFuel is a cutting-edge clean technology provider that has been recognized for their pioneering work in the renewable energy space.

SkyFuel needs to disseminate their ideas in printed form at trade shows, investor presentations and other industry events.  When they publish such literature, we have partnered with them to help make these pieces as green as possible, while always watching the bottom line.  For their uncoated items (business cards, letterhead, etc), we use a specific paper from the Mohawk Options line that is 100% post-consumer recycled.

Image courtesy of SkyFuel

Lately, when printing brochures for their various products as well as posters for a recent launch event, the client wanted to use coated paper, especially since the pieces contained images of the sun, so having the paper shine in the light was important.  We worked with the SkyFuel team to choose a stock made by New Leaf Paper that has the highest degree of post-consumer content of any paper on the market.  On all of their coated pieces, the following copy is included in a prominent position: “Printed on New Leaf paper that is FSC-certified and made with 60% post-consumer recycled fiber and processed chlorine free.  Energy used is 100% certified renewable or offset with “green tags.”

SkyFuel is an example of a best-practice leader in their field that leverages printed collateral to support their organizational mission to be good stewards of the environment.  Experience has shown that when a company couples a deep commitment to the environment with marketing pieces that underscore this mission, their message resonates most effectively with key constituents.  SkyFuel also is very transparent about the environmental benefits of their various printed pieces, which makes the green attributes even more tangible for the reader.