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DOUBLETREE DOUBLES DOWN
For more than a decade, DoubleTree by Hilton hotels have been working
with schools through its Teaching Kids to Care program to encourage
grade schoolers to create sustainability change. Now the program is
being rejuvenated through an expanded initiative featuring ready-made
educational content and activities. The refreshed program also features
a new global online community with extensive resources for teachers,
parents and kids. At the core of Teaching Kids to Care are five thematic
lesson plans developed in line with National Education Standards. Explains
Anne Thompson, Global Director of Culture and Communications:
“Through the program, DoubleTree by Hilton will continue to show
how just one small action can create a collective and meaningful
difference to help change the world we live in for the better.”
LEARN MORE >
TWIN CITIES AGENCY PLANTS IDEA
At Haberman, a full service agency, summer thoughts turn to gardening.
Since 2009, the garden has been tended by Haberman employees, and the
produce is distributed free to everyone at the agency as well as to
those in need in the Twin Cities. Among the harvest: lettuce, radishes,
arugula, beet greens, herbs and onions. The Dude Ranch, as the garden
is known, is 45 minutes west of the Minneapolis headquarters. CEO Fred
Haberman says that “employer-sponsored gardens are a unique,
healthy and practical workplace benefit” that educate employees
about eating fresh, sustainably produced food. He adds that
“we’re not only having fun getting outside ‒
we’re eating healthier than ever. But we do have a bigger agenda.
The reinvention of the food system is a key part of our agency’s
mission, as we work with clients to limit escalating health care
costs, and to support food access and security, child nutrition,
community development and personal health.
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TOO MANY GREEN SEALS?
A study by the Natural Marketing Institute suggests that there may be
too many green seals on retail product packaging for any of them to
have impact. Over 400 green seals are used to denote a product’s
organic, natural or eco-friendly qualities. Most consumers, nearly
80 percent globally and 45 percent in the U.S., are more likely to
purchase a product with a certification seal. But the survey also
indicates that consumers are becoming confused; their meaning, value
and credibility are waning with the constant addition of new marks. On
average, just one-third or less of shoppers recognize and understand
specific seals, and in this country three-fifths say seals would be
better understood and recognized if there were fewer ‒ or even
one universally accepted mark.
SEE >
GREENPEACE BILLBOARD REJECTED
This billboard intended for placement in downtown Edmonton,
Alberta, has been rejected by Pattison Outdoor Advertising.
The environmental advocacy claims that it was given no specific
reason for the rejection, and it has sought to benefit from the
public relatons that the story is generating in places like…
well… this enewsletter. Speculation is that many of the
billboard owner’s customers are oil and gas companies whom
they would not wish to offend. At presstime, Greenpeace announced
placement of the billboard on an independent solar generated
billboard in downtown.
DOMTAR EXPANDS PAPER TRAIL
Domtar has expanded its award-winning site, The Paper Trail
(www.domtarpapertrail.com).
The move adds more products and information about an additional
mill, among other updates, to help customers learn more about the
environmental and social impacts of Domtar paper. Since its launch
in June 2011, industry observers and sustainability experts,
including Joel Makower, Executive Editor of GreenBiz.com, have noted
that the site's transparency gives the tool and Domtar credibility.
With its third update to The Paper Trail, Domtar’s online
calculator will now include: two additional products, EarthChoice®
Tradebook, the first publishing grade to be highlighted, and Lynx®
Opaque Ultra, a popular commercial printing paper; pictures, stories
and a history of the Nekoosa WI where papermaking traces its heritage
back to 1840; and updated environmental impact data for all grades
highlighted within the tool. The Paper Trail develops personalized
reports that measure Domtar products across five categories: water
usage, the distance its fiber travels to a paper mill, greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions, waste send to landfills and renewable energy usage.
VISIT >
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AUTOS TOP BEST GREEN BRANDS
The 2012 Best Global Green Brands report, an annual undertaking by
Interbrand, finds that Toyota, Johnson & Johnson and Honda top the
rankings, while the country count shows the United States leading the
pack. Each year the Interbrand study examines the gap that exists
between corporate environmental practices and consumer perception of
those practices, with the help of research andanalysis by Deloitte.
David Pearson, Global Sustainability Leader at Deloitte notes that
“it is becoming increasingly clear that sustainability is a
‘must have’ rather than a ‘nice to have’
for a lot of companies.” Among major themes emerging from the
report: automotive and technology brands dominate the 2012 rankings
with car brands’ investment in developing and marketing
fuel-efficient and alternative fuel vehicles especially paying off
in terms of both performance and perception; Danone led the list of
rising stars “by remaining fiercely committed to reducing its
carbon footprint by 30% by the end of 2012” followed by Ford,
Starbucks and UPS; and the United States led the top 50 ranking with
22 brands including HP, Dell, Cisco, 3M as well as J&J.
SEE LIST >
PURSUE AN MFA IN INTERNET MARKETING!
VISIT >
ELECTRIC CAR ADS COME CLEAN
Electric luxury car brand Fisker bought a series of print ads in
Wall Street Journal to advertise Karma, its $100,000 hybrid
plug-in sports sedan. The print-only buy was created by eMaxx
Partners and Minneapolis ad agency Mono. Said to be a prelude to
a bigger print branding campaign, the ads respond to some early
public relations problems ‒ such as a recall earlier this
year and negative coverage from Consumer Reports ‒ and acknowledge
how hard it is to overcome skepticism. “History will tell you
that the new path is often the most difficult. Discovery, far more
work than settling. But history will also tell you there are always
a few who simply don’t care,” reads ad copy. “They
don’t care that pushing forward is 4,000 times harder than
being pulled along … Because the doubters aren’t the
builders. The critics are never the creators. And the skeptics,
rarely the inventors … When we set out to redefine and reshape
how the world thinks about cars, we knew it wouldn’t be easy.
And despite our many firsts, accomplishments and accolades, it
hasn’t been. But that’s alright. Building the future
never is.” Roger Ormisher, director of global PR for Fisker,
said that the ads are not a reaction to the bad PR, but more of a
way for the company to tell the story of its journey, particularly
that it's difficult to bring new technology to market.”
QUOTE: HIT ‘EM WHERE THEY LIVE
“Thou shalt
make sustainability personal, very personal. No one wants to see polar
bears drown but that storyline ain’t going to get you too far if
you’re a green marketer. And what about statistics on the
alarming rise in temperatures, atmospheric CO2 levels, or the
percentage of the Arctic Sea that is ice-free every summer? YAWN!
The only answer is to get personal. Hit ‘em where they live…
Hit ‘em where they play…”
— Jeff Dubin, President, Green Meridian,
The Ten Commandments of Green Marketing
READ ALL THE COMMANDMENTS >
FREE SAMPLES OF CLEARWATER FSC CERTIFIED HIGH PERFORMANCE ANCORA PAPERBOARD
CLICK HERE >
TURNING AN INDUSTRY ON ITS HEAD
With client Novo Organics committed to making consumers better
informed for better choices, Spring Design Partners felt they
needed “a disruptive design solution that engages and
motivates in an emotionally powerful way.” The solution: a
hand crafted a brand identity anchored by a simple illustration
that visually communicates the idea of turning an industry on its
head. Extended to a line of hydration beverages, the identity
is described as “a visual magnet that connects individuals
who share its values.”
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