Monday, April 30, 2007

Another Inconvenient Truth: Going Green Can Make Advertisers See Red

Some Will Find Out the Hard Way That the Truth Is Out There, or, If You Think Bloggers Are a Pain in the Ass Now, Just Wait
Not a shocker when advertising and the unvarnished version of the truth don't necessarily go hand in hand. There's not a marketing class out there that teaches how to be fair and balanced, and for good reason.
But however well-intentioned or greedy they might be, companies are finding out that when it comes to going green, their marketing playbook goes out the window -- and hopefully into a recycling bin.
A piece from Advertising Age notes how corporate America can learn all-too-quickly that if they want to huff and puff about being a friend to the environment they better deliver the goods or risk being put to pasture -- which is treated with organic pesticides, of course.
"You become a bigger target," notes Chipotle marketing honcho Jim Adams. "When the underdog becomes the top dog, you want to knock them down."
Speaking about targets, Target got caught in its own bullseye, and was dinged by the group Rainforest Relief for using precious tropical wood in its outdoor and children's furniture.
More than ever, Madison Avenue will find that telling the truth can be especially inconvenient. But doing it right can go a long way toward improving the bottom line, where green turns into greenbacks.

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