Happy 2010 from all of us at HY-brid and Hoffman York. At the end of last year I started what I hope will become a longstanding series of interviews with ‘green’ thought leaders. My first conversation was with Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface Inc., and we talked about his company’s approach to sustainability. What a great story!

My latest conversation is with Rob Watson. Described as “one of the best environmental minds in America,” Watson discusses his thoughts on sustainability in business, environmental responsibility and how having ‘fathered’ the one rating system that is internationally recognized is truly humbling. He also dives deep into why an organization needs to communicate its sustainability efforts. He tells me communication of these efforts is ‘vitally important’ and that telling the story is fundamental in generating impact across all industries.

As the “Father of LEED” and one of the leading experts in the international high performance green building movement, he has a two-decade track record of delivering cutting-edge green projects and programs worldwide. His new company, EcoTech International brings an unparalleled combination of green building expertise, innovation and key “cleantech” technology solutions to China, India and the United States. So, it goes without say, that business leaders should give a listen to what he has to say.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk with Rob. As one of the world’s most influential environmental leaders, he offers a unique perspective on sustainability. Turns out he has the same outlook as HY-brid. I hope you enjoy listening to my conversation with him as much I did having it. Whether it’s your first steps, or if you have already begun down the path, I hope this Podcast inspires you to look more in-depth at what you are doing to address your sustainability efforts. As always, HY-brid would like to help you communicate those efforts. So give us call or send us an email, it’s why we’re here.

Subscribe to our Podcast via RSS or download the interview (m4a file) or listen below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

• No Comments
• Post Your Own Comment

In my last post, I wrote about sustainability and how it is being weaved into the moral fiber of business today. I also touched on the fact that companies may be addressing sustainability now if, for no other reason than to say they have a stance on the environment.

People close enough to the environmental movement within business know that’s not a very strong reason on its own. So for those who want to know more about the benefits of addressing sustainability, I thought I would ask someone who has been pioneering this area to explain it for us. Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface Inc., and author of the new book, “Confessions of a Radical Industrialist” shared his thoughts with me recently and now you too can learn from Ray why a business should invest in sustainability—NOW.

Our conversation touches on everything from the path to sustainability for Interface, Inc., to what inspired Ray’s taking of the company down a sustainability path. Finally, Ray talks about the benefits of sustainability, the fact any business can and should do it and the importance of communicating sustainability efforts to internal and external audiences.

It enjoyed the opportunity to talk with one of the world’s most influential environmental business leaders and get his perspective on sustainability. Turns out he has the same outlook as HY-brid. I hope you enjoy listening to my conversation with Ray as much I did having it. Whether it’s your first steps, or if you have already begun down the path, I hope this Podcast inspires you to look more in-depth at what you are doing to address your sustainability efforts. As always, HY-brid would like to help you communicate those efforts. So give us call or send us an email, it’s why we’re here.

For more information on Ray, I encourage you to go to www.rayanderson.com.

Subscribe to our Podcast via RSS or download the interview (m4a file for iTunes users) or download the interview (mp3 file for non-iTunes users)or listen below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

• No Comments
• Post Your Own Comment

There is a fine line between doing what you say you will do and just saying what you will do. A perfect example is the push today for sustainable business practices. Companies are looking for a clear path to sustainability if, for no other reason than to say they have a stance on the environment. Though not a good reason on its own for a company to invest the time and money in sustainability practices, it is at least a start. More on that in a bit.

Before I talk about what is going on today, let’s step back fifteen or twenty years, when a business addressed its impact on the environment very differently, if at all. In very general terms, there was little pressure from the government to conduct sustainable business practices. Supply chain pressure was non-existent and for the most part, environmental practices were being led by only the largest of corporations. And even then, it wasn’t as much about the betterment of the environment as it was about the bottom line.

Fast forward to today, where government is playing an increasing role globally and supply chains and stakeholders are asking for updates on how a company is addressing sustainability. Though bottom line still plays a very integral role in sustainability, it’s not just the bottom line anymore. Today, having a stance on the environment is a good start but it is just that—a start. The next step is implementing those environmental promises into everyday practice. A business that builds itself with sustainability in mind every step of the way is a truly sustainable company.

Which leads me all the way back to my original statement about how doing what you say and saying what you do differ greatly. In the 80’s and 90’s a lot of companies were saying what they would do but doing very little of what they said. That sentiment is changing in today’s business practices. I would like to think it has as much (or more) to do with sustainability being embedded in the moral fiber of business owners, stakeholders and shareholders, than with outside groups forcing its hand. However we got to where we are today, the business world has changed greatly and it’s exciting to be a part of it all.

In my next blog I will address why companies are looking for a clear path to sustainability.  For now, if you want to find out how you can assess your sustainability practices, or if you simply want to learn more about HY-brid, send us a message, we would like to hear from you.

• No Comments
• Post Your Own Comment

It’s not always about how you market your business. It’s just as important to look at why you should be marketing it. And the issue of marketing your sustainability platform is a great example. Every organization is facing new energy challenges as the world shifts toward a more eco-conscious means of doing business, and the questions about your stance on the environment are being heard from all stakeholder levels. The increased political and societal pressure to curb carbon emissions and produce a meaningful message is inevitable. At this point, it would be detrimental for a company not to have a message created for how it plans to address the environment.

But how is the stance a business takes on the environment marketable? Should it be marketable? That depends on how it is approached. Never has there been more pressure for companies of all sizes to address sustainability. But doing so can’t happen without first understanding the “green” aspects of the business. A shotgun approach could lead to unnecessary expenditures and ultimately a “greenwashing” tag.

In previous posts and in those to follow, we have and will address how a business must look at what it has done to reduce its environmental impact. There are a number of ways organizations can collect that data- an energy audit is just one example. Once that information has been gathered, HY-brid works to help understand what makes sense from a communications standpoint for each of the stakeholders. The EcoMap (as we call it) process builds a message map for businesses to tie their environmental message into the overall corporate mission.

Once this map has been assembled, the sustainability message can be written. It is also at this point a company can determine exactly how much it wants to market what it has done. From the mapping process, a company can also learn how far it has to go to get to a sustainability message it wants to disseminate.

For more information on the EcoMap process, the questions to ask before you take your message to market or, if you simply want to learn more about HY-brid, send us a message, we would like to hear from you

• No Comments
• Post Your Own Comment

Cap and trade, energy efficiency, LEED buildings and renewable energy for business. All terms your audiences or customers are hearing and becoming very familiar with. With all the buzz around “green,” how you address your position on the environment is increasingly important. Your sustainability platform must project your environmental message across all audiences, internal and external. One segment taking increasing notice of green is the stakeholder- a somewhat loose term that envelops those from among others, the dealer/retailer audience to the supply chain, to those who own stock in a company.

A key reason for putting your sustainability platform in front of stakeholders is to keep them informed of how the company is addressing the rising number of environmental issues facing businesses of all types. With such a wide audience range, what makes sense from a sustainability perspective to one must also be pertinent to each of the others. That’s not to say that what you are saying to each gets communicated the same. What I do mean is that your platform remains the same but the terms and messages need to be communicated in a way that the audience sees the “what’s in it for me” has been met.

For instance, you may have three green certifications that make your product or service more sellable. To the dealer/retailer the certifications make sense in helping how they package that product and where in their store it is positioned. It also gives them an opportunity to promote their business as eco-friendly. That’s what’s in it for them.

To a stockholder, the fact you have three green certifications means something very different. An immediate question might be– are those labels going to help the price of the stock rise? The answer is maybe, but at the end of the day, what matters to this audience is a more global approach to your sustainability platform. The fact you have one may be enough to make them want to invest in you. If stock prices rise, that investor does better. That’s what’s in it for them.

Clearly there are many within your stakeholder audiences that are looking to work with and purchase stock in organizations with a solid environmental platform. This is another subset of your audience set and it too needs a message that makes sense. We will address this in a follow up post.

All of these examples are addressed in what HY-brid calls an EcoMap^sm. If you’ve been following me you know I have blogged about it before. It’s our way of helping clients understand how to put their environmental platform together—what audiences they have, what messages make sense to each of those audiences and how the platform ladders up to the overall corporate mission.

Have stakeholders asking what you are doing to address the environment? Have an environmental message and just don’t know how to put all the pieces together? The EcoMap is one way HY-brid can help. Questions on what your next steps are in navigating this issue? Let us know, it’s why we’re here.

• No Comments
• Post Your Own Comment

I recently read an article in the USA Today, “Green Claims by Marketers Go Unchecked.”  The article stems from a June 9, 2009 hearing before the Subcommittee on Commerce (Trade and Consumer Protection of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce) discussing the lack of legislation for companies regarding green claims.  Not surprisingly, since 2000, the FTC has taken legal action against only three companies for violating the guidelines.  The FTC was not set up to monitor green claims.  Since the 1980’s companies have been using environmental messages, but at no time has the Commission been responsible for monitoring so much at one time.

M. Scot Case, Vice President, TerraChoice Group, Inc. and Executive Director, of the EcoLogo Program put it best in his summation:

U.S. consumers want to buy greener products, but they are confused by competing environmental claims, unsure when a claim is accurate, and increasingly skeptical of all environmental claims.  As a result, the recent focus on green jobs, green manufacturing processes, and a green economy could collapse because of inadequate, competing, and even contradictory definitions of green.

The current system is not working:

• Greenwashing is rampant.

• FTC is not equipped to define green.

• The United States lacks a single, unifying environmental label to make “buying green” easy for U.S. consumers.

As a green communications professional, I find this to be an unfortunate reality that has led to a great deal of consumer confusion and skepticism.  As HY-brid, we work with our clients to develop and deliver green messages that are transparent. 

To find out more about greenwashing and eco-labels visit http://www.hy-bridgreen.com/why-go-green/.

• No Comments
• Post Your Own Comment

Yes, with a capital Y. A recent report from Johnson Controls in which more than 1,400 CEO’s, GM’s and VP’s were surveyed suggests a trend in energy efficiency that only a downturn in the economy could drive. The 2009 Energy Efficiency Indicator Report reveals a clear line between interest in green and action being taken.

The reason for the distinction? Capital, or lack thereof. Of those surveyed in 2009, 46 percent indicated they expected to make efficiency improvements financed with capital expenditures. Admittedly, this is a nice number—until you compare it to last year’s 56 percent who said they would make the improvements. In addition, the number one barrier (42 percent of respondents) to energy efficiency measures being implemented is limited capital availability. The 10 percent drop, coupled with the fact the report even had to introduce the barrier statistic (it wasn’t in 2008’s) shows just how much the economic situation has worked against the push toward environmental responsibility and stewardship.

There is no doubt that business leaders need to do what they can to keep people employed. The fact that green initiatives are taking a back seat is totally understandable, but they should not be cast aside for good. Corporate America seems to agree–according to the study, 45 percent of those surveyed still see building efficiency projects as their top carbon reduction strategy. So we know the want for getting these measures in place is there. The hope of course is that the economy turns around and the number of projects implemented increases with it.

So what side of this issue are you on? It’s a question you should be asking yourself and one that we would like to help you answer and eventually communicate to your audiences. Questions on what your next steps are in navigating this issue? Let us know, it’s why we’re here.

• 2 Comments
• Post Your Own Comment

Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinel recently ran a story about HY-brid and how we addressed the issue of Greenwashing “head on.”  But what is greenwashing?  Here’s how we define it:

It’s a problem many customers are facing—from the consumer goods aisles at the big boxes to the purchasing agents for large industrial facilities—green messages are everywhere.  And it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.  It’s not news to those of us in the marketing arena, nor is it earth shattering to those of us tweeting, living and practicing green.  But unfortunately we do not the masses make.  So, how does HY-brid help consumers understand how to disseminate between companies that are truly environmental stewards from those who just have cool messages that make their products sound green?

An interesting issue and one we have walked a number of our clients through.  We first look at a business and ascertain what they have done and are doing to increase their opportunities to deliver real green messages.  Do they practice green in their manufacturing?  Has the organization embraced environmental practices as part of the company mission?  Are their products as environmentally friendly as they can be?  These are the simplest of the questions HY-brid asks, but you get the idea.  The answers we get help us determine if our clients have a holistic green message to deliver.  In some cases we counsel on what they could do to get an environmental position started. 

In the end, it’s a safe bet that not all green messages are true, and this is really just a snapshot of what HY-brid can do to help you help your customers understand where you land in the greenscape. 

We would like to help you get to your environmental place in the world.  Questions about how to develop a green message, or how not to greenwash?  Let us know — it’s why we’re here.  

• No Comments
• Post Your Own Comment

When we hear, time and time again, “Future generations depend on us conserving energy today,” few people will take exception. It’s a wonderful thought. But who will truly embrace this message the most and feel compelled to act on it?

Women.

According to research conducted by Better Homes and Gardens, “women are significantly more likely to spend more and use more environmentally friendly products. The December 2008 study found that 72% of female survey respondents changed their light bulbs to CFLs, 59% claim to have used less water for their daily activities (showering, washing dishes etc.) and 75% recycled. Among men, the numbers were lower, at 65%, 53% and 70%, respectively.”

So what does that mean for us in the business of marketing to women?  We should start with the fact that so much has been written about how women and men react differently to messaging. Research has proven that the emotional connection women can have with their families far exceeds that of a man. This is not a put down of men. Men love their families. But they live more in the here and now. Women project. Their family is not just who surrounds them in their home today. They have feelings for the future family of theirs; those who will be grandchildren, great-grandchildren and beyond.

How does this relate to “green”?  Well, we would argue (and BH&G’s research supports) that women are receptive to being asked to reduce their carbon footprint.  We also would add that, in part, it’s because their future family will inherit that footprint.  Creating ads, etc., that resonate with women on emotional level with green messaging is something we do every day at Hoffman York—for example here is an ad we did recently for our Focus on Energy client.  It talks to the benefits of asking builders for a more environmentally responsible home and does so in the ways I mentioned above—the emotional connection to the family and its well-being.

Research has also proven that the messaging you create for women (if done right) appeals to men. While the messaging created for women (if done right) appeals to women …and also appeals to men.

The thought of a “greener legacy” is something women will embrace and act on. So why just women? Why not men, too?

Tom Jordan is the Chief Creative Officer at Hoffman York in Milwaukee/Chicago.  He has authored many books, his most recent being “Re-render the gender. Why the vast majority of advertising is not connecting with women…and what we can do about it.” rerendergender.wordpress#1D5593. Tom can be reached at tjordan@hyc.com or on twitter @tjj3.

• No Comments
• Post Your Own Comment