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3. Start With a Subtle, Yet On-Point, Green Message
Meta Brophy, director of publishing operations at Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, agrees with this prioritizing of the environmental initiatives. "At present, we don't green the marketing efforts for customer ears but rather for our own. If the customer responds as well as or better than before once we've introduced our preferable choice, that subtle message was accepted, to our delight. It reinforces our efforts," she confirms.
For example, the RecyclePlease.org message, which Consumers Union printed on its summer control, was subtle and apparently readily accepted, with the response rate as the measure. Other subtle messages can include such environmental certifications and measures as FSC-certified paper, 30 percent postconsumer content, soy ink, 100 percent recyclable window, etc.
Brophy shares that, on the retention side, Consumers Union tried green copy renewal notices but not too successfully against the control. "I don't think they got the message exactly right. I'm told that too many messages will have a negative effect on response, and that seems very true here. Somewhere it usually says something about saving trees, [but] it starts the conversation all over again," she explains.
Instead, she says if the message is really clear and compelling, it might elicit a better response. "To say to a customer, 'If you respond to the first offer, you will help us to save money and resources by eliminating follow-up offers' is on-point. Saying you'll save a tree is misleading," Brophy points out.
4. Find Future Claims That Could Boost Response
While those recycle seals and paper certifications may help response, more significant green initiatives and proper messaging may deliver a more significant bump. "If I were to create a meaningful claim, it would be, 'Part of your purchase price will be used for alternative energy research,'" suggests Greenawalt.
To find such claims, and of course develop these measures in the first place, take a look at the online Greening Advisor put out by the Natural Resources Defense Council. "We've included lists of environmental criteria which purchasers should look for. Since there are many different certification organizations out there, we often recommend criteria rather than certifications," says Darby Hoover, senior resource specialist at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Here are some green attributes to consider when producing a product, for instance: products that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or are made with renewable energy; products that reduce the use of toxins hazardous to the environment and employee and public health; products that reduce air and water pollution; and reusable products.
5. Appeal to Their Pro-Environment Position, but Also Their Pocketbooks
Don't expect immediate success, warns Rosenspan. "People still tend to vote (and buy) with their pocketbooks. We offered to 'plant a tree in your name' if you switched to AT&T. We sent out 30,000 packages - I think we planted three trees," he shares.
"We don't know [yet] which environmental claims mean the most to prospects," admits Brophy. "We don't herald that message. We don't detract from the primary message - order the product." Consumers Union tests into preferable choices, which may or may not come with environmental claims, and looks to see that its choices don't hurt the response.
6. Give Them a Benefit
"So I guess my advice would be: You can appeal to people's higher nature and ask them to support the environment, but make sure there's a benefit in it for them," advises Rosenspan.
In a package he just did for Citizens Bank of Canada, he combined benefits and environmental messaging. "They have a program called 'Shared Interest' where they donate money to terrific causes like Doctors Without Borders. However, in our credit card packages, we do not make the mistake of leading with this program. We still sell all the great benefits of the card first. The 'Shared Interest' message is almost like the icing on the cake," he describes.
Indeed, it seems that the "icing on the cake" strategy is best, as few prospects are going to see the great green claims as the cake. That may be coming, but it's not here yet.
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