Green Advertising Moves Online for Earth Day
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Written By Kate Zimmermann | April 23, 2007 | Share This
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What’s the value of being green? For online publishers, it’s the advertising revenue, says the New York Times. In article today on newly-launched environmental websites, the NYT writes,
“Buoyed by the breakaway success of “An Inconvenient Truth,” the film documentary of Al Gore’s environmental lecture, publishers like The Washington Post, National Geographic and others are increasing their offerings of “green” content, hoping to attract readers and advertising revenues from manufacturers and retailers who are suddenly walking the earth-friendly path.”
Sprig.com and Green.NationalGeographic.com are two new sites launched in honor of Earth Day by the Washington Post and National Geographic, respectively. Sprig.com is a DailyCandy-esq recommendation site targeting environmentally-conscious women, while Green.NationalGeographic.com is a spin off of TheGreenGuide.com. Representatives from both publications report a high degree of interest from advertisers, thanks to the increasing brand value of sustainability.
Last week, however, Fast Company turned a critical eye on the green marketing trend,
“Vanity Fair is doing it. The Week is doing it. Even Wal-Mart is doing it. Everyone is going green. So, here’s a riddle for you: When is green no longer green? Answer: When it’s a green marketing machine. Just like organic, someone obviously got the memo that green is the trend du jour. And many companies jumped on the bandwagon because green wasn’t just good business practice, but it made dollars and cents.”
They call out Wal-mart as the worst offender of fake-greenvertising (though, I’d place the “Earth Day Edition” of MTV’s Pimp My Ride as a close runner up).
Fast Company argues that as more advertisers use environmental branding, consumers find it increasingly difficult to differentiate a green package from a green product. Likewise for search - as “green” terms become more competitive, will higher-ranking spots go to companies with green ad messaging, but not necessarily green practices? For example, should Diesel’s tongue-in-cheek “Global Warming Ready” campaign have a higher quality score on “Global Warming” than non-profits like Greenpeace?
Ultimately I have to concur with the FC article’s conclusion - “One thing I can say for sure is that this whole green campaign is getting people talking. People who wouldn’t normally know what global warming is are now talking about melting glaciers and changing weather patterns. Green has cache. It has mass-market appeal. And it has people excited.” Like Google’s melting Earth Day logo, publishers can have an indirect impact by using their visibility to inform consumers on which brands do or don’t deserve the “green” label. What’s more, if Sprig.com and Green.NationalGeographic.com start churning out advertising dollars, you can bet that other major publications will launch their own environmentally-conscious vertical sites. More sites = more awareness, and more awareness generates greater demand for green products from retailers not already on board. Though the CPCs for sites already bidding on green terms might suffer, it’s a small price to pay for more earth-conscious consumers.
Topics: Advertising: Online, Search: Vertical |
Thank you for a thought-provoking piece. I too have mixed feelings about the green buzz; its great to see that its hitting the mainstream but I worry that it may get diluted. As more people join the green wave, its up to green leaders and organizations to continue to educate the public and serve as a resource for navigating the different shades of green. This will enable consumers to make informed choices by weeding out unsubstantiated green claims.