The Chieftains

QUESTION: IS GREEN MARKETING HERE TO STAY? or ARE OTHER FACTORS SUCH AS PRICE OR VALUE LIKELY TO OUTWEIGH ECOLOGY IN CUSTOMERS' VALUES?

AVI SAVAR, FOUNDER & CEO, BIG FUEL COMMUNICATION

Avi Savar

To answer this question, you need to consider the marketplace, consumer motivation and accessibility. As the marketplace floods with new products and services, increased accessibility will drive overall costs down. As cost becomes less of an issue, social responsibility will drive consumer motivation and increase demand. This demand, along with positive brand sentiment created by a green positioning, creates a vested interest for the key players to make green work. Which means, yes, green marketing is here to stay. Walmart's sustainability campaign is a perfect example of a major player — and previous polluter — now showing its green side.

JO SULLIVAN, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, ASPCA

Jo Sullivan

If we'd asked ourselves the same question prior to the collapse of the market I would have said that green would have had a longer shelf life as a marketing tool. But now? It's going to be a much longer time before the green movement sees the social change it was intended to have. Products are obviously still out there en masse, but ad campaigns you saw 18 months ago touting green benefits now open all their commercials with phrases like “We know how tight your budgets are” and acknowledge that most consumers can't pay more for products to protect our environment. This is a great opportunity for green to go grass roots and take a break on the product front. Charities or products that can educate families on making compost, growing their own small gardens, or turning in plastic or glass at recycle centers all add up to helping the environment. And they contribute to the family's bottom line. No matter what — green has to be here to stay. It cannot be ignored no matter the state of the economy or we'll slip back dozens or more years.

DAVID KRAVETZ, CATALOG & WEB TEAM LEADER, FAIRYTALE BROWNIES

David Kravetz

Green marketing is definitely here to stay, and that's been true since the early nineties when “recycling” was the buzzword of the day. Specific trends evolve and change, but the basic premise of concern for the environment has continued to build momentum over the past 20 years. It has been a slow and gradual process that I believe will continue indefinitely. Consumers will keep demanding new and unique environmental solutions. Our future population depends on it. Price and value will certainly play a role in the equation, but we will no doubt continue to move forward with an increasing appreciation for the delicate environment in which we live.

AMY CURTIS-MCINTYRE, BRAND COMMUNICATIONS VICE PRESIDENT, HYATT HOTELS & RESORTS

Amy Curtis-McIntyre

We stepped in early with sustainable practices, but we took a typical Hyatt position, which was to be quiet about it. We've just realized that we have to go out and tell people what we've done [in implementing green practices] because it's gone from desirable to expected. Green is not a trend or a campaign; it's a mandatory way to operate your business. It's as likely to go away as smoking in restaurants is likely to come back.

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