7. What it is
Green wash
(grēn'wŏsh', -
wôsh')
“verb: the act of misleading consumers regarding
practices of a company or the environmental benefits
of a product or service.”
8. What it is
Spending more on advertising green then actual
investing in sustainable action
Like BP, ”Beyond Petroleum”: 45 million in solar versus
5 billion on oil exploration in Alaska
9. Why it happens
1
changing buying patterns in consumer
markets
10. CFC FREE | ORGANIC | FREE RANGE | CRUELTY FREE |
BIO | DOLPHIN FRIENDLY | NON TOXIC |
BIODEGRADABLE | RECYCLABLE | ECO | CARBON
NEUTRAL | FSC | AGAINST ANIMAL TESTING |
VEGAN | FAIRTRADE | LOCAL | OZONE FRIENDLY |
CARBON OFFSET
13. CULTURAL CREATIVES | LOHAS | NEW WORLD’S
| BLUE GREENS | POSITIVE CHOSERS ...
high-educated, involved, opinionated, active, merely
urban, double income, early-adapting, ...
And marketers are starving to get them
14. Why it happens
2
Our educaYon:
we’re moYvated to tell the story
in the most beauYful way
15. Isn’t this how you would think
of advertising milk?
We are educated to make things look nice
17. HARMING THE FUTURE
More complaints against advertising
Undermining confidence in business
Sabotage of environmental movement in
business. Damage credibility of sustainability
Feeding cynical views on sustainability
HARMING YOURSELF
Brand image damage, bad press attention
Decreasing employer motivation
Decreasing goodwill of strategic stakeholders
Honestly…It is simply annoying
And last but not least…
20. A
SYck to the MAIN PRINCIPLE of
GreenverYsing:
Green is special Green is normal
“Green Marke*ng is not about making
normal things seem green (greenwashing),
it is about making green stuff seem normal”
21. B
Be aware of the
“seven sins of Greenwashing”:
22. 1
The sin of suggestive pictures:
Green images that indicate a (un‐jusYfied) green impact,
like flowers blooming from exhaust pipes
23. 2
The sin of the hidden trade off:
Green product/ Dirty company
SuggesYon of being Green, based on a single environmental abribute, while
blurring all other parameters which are maybe more important.
Expl. talking about your 4% green energy, to hide all the rest
24. 3
The sin of no proof:
Claims that could be right, but are not supported by any evidence,
or by any reliable third‐party cerYficaYon.
25. 4
The sin of vagueness:
Claims that are expressed with fluffy language without a
fixed meaning, like ‘earth-friendly’ packaging
26. 5
The sin of irrelevance:
environmental claims that are redundant and unimportant for customers
seeking environmentally preferable products. It is irrelevant and therefore
distracts the consumer from finding a truly greener opYon.
Like ‘unleaded fuel (all fuel in Europe is unleaded)
…
27. 6
The sin of lesser of two evils:
These are “green” claims that may be true within the product category, but
that risk distracting the consumer from the greater Health- or other
negative impacts of the category as a whole
Like organic cigarettes
34. Cut out and keep
“The seven sins of Greenwashing”
1. The sin of suggesYve pictures
2. The sin of the hidden trade off
3. The sin of no proof
4. The sin of vagueness
5. The sin of irrelevance
6. The sin of lesser of two evils
7. The sin of fibbing
35. Old versus new
marketing
How to become the purple cow
in post-advertising marketing?
36. At this moment, the
marketing industry is on
the edge of a big shift
37. You should know, because if
developing sustainable innovation,
you better leapfrog, and start
from the new practice
42. Downtalking Uptalking
Connect with a
larger societal
tendency
Develop
promise Connect with
people who
benefit
spreading
Campaign with a
fake narraYve Design or
program
a unique
Repeat as much as
performance
possible
46. Products Brand Company
Run London
MTV Nike BIZ
Jordan
Nike Plus Tiger Woods
Nike Free Just do it
Brazilian
Soccer team
Nike ID
Nike Considered
As brands are clusters of cultural idea’s,
you can depict them as molecules
49. Brompton
1) Unique performance and/ or flatteringstory
2) Sharability
3) Connection with a larger societal movement
4) Clear and single-minded eco-benefit
5) Credible proof
6) Credible corporate intention
7) Ease & attractiveness
50. Ben & Jerry’s
1) Unique performance and/ or flatteringstory
2) Sharability
3) Connection with a larger societal movement
4) Clear and single-minded eco-benefit
5) Credible proof
6) Credible corporate intention
7) Ease & attractiveness
51. Ecover
1) Unique performance and/ or flatteringstory
2) Sharability
3) Connection with a larger societal movement
4) Clear and single-minded eco-benefit
5) Credible proof
6) Credible corporate intention
7) Ease & attractiveness
52. Kuyichi
1) Unique performance and/ or flatteringstory
2) Sharability
3) Connection with a larger societal movement
4) Clear and single-minded eco-benefit
5) Credible proof
6) Credible corporate intention
7) Ease & attractiveness
53. Prius | Renault Zoë Ze
1) Unique performance and/ or flatteringstory
2) Sharability
3) Connection with a larger societal movement
4) Clear and single-minded eco-benefit
5) Credible proof
6) Credible corporate intention
7) Ease & attractiveness
54. Veil Solar Shade
1) Unique performance and/ or flatteringstory
2) Sharability
3) Connection with a larger societal movement
4) Clear and single-minded eco-benefit
5) Credible proof
6) Credible corporate intention
7) Ease & attractiveness
55. Zipcar
1) Unique performance and/ or flatteringstory
2) Sharability
3) Connection with a larger societal movement
4) Clear and single-minded eco-benefit
5) Credible proof
6) Credible corporate intention
7) Ease & attractiveness
56. Cut out and keep
“7 building blocks for the right belief system”
1) Unique performance and/ or flattering story
2) Sharability
3) Connection with a larger societal movement
4) Clear and single-minded eco-benefit
5) Credible proof
6) Credible corporate intention
7) Ease & attractiveness
57.
58. Personal beliefs
It should start with “relocaYng dreams”
It is not about “changing the world”, it is about
contribuYng to change, each with our own talents and
specialism
If it doesn’t sell, it is not sustainable. You should
connect with a real consumer benefit, otherwise
it won’t work
RaYonal arguments won’t change behaviour,
it is about social status
59. Thanks for your attention!
www.trinity-planning.be
stefaan@trinity-planning.be
@stefaanvandist
