Green Advertisements: The New Gold to the Marketer
Green is the new gold for the marketers. This is absolutely true as today, consumers are keen to use more eco-friendly products and are even willing to pay a premium price for the `green' products. Marketers have also found a niche for these green products. Thus, the concept of Green Marketing has emerged. Corporate India has also taken a big leap in this direction. Marketers are using green advertisements to create a good brand image and win the customer's heart (and, of course, the purse).
Good advertising does not just circulate information. It penetrates the public mind with desires and beliefs.
-- Leo Burnett
Green marketing is a concept which has gained momentum in the last few years. This has become all the more vital when our planet is in danger and everybody is keen to protect it. Efforts being taken by environmental agencies like Tree Club, Exnora, etc., are commendable in this context. Corporate India is also not far behind in this race. Going green is in the minds of the business owners and executives now more than ever. They are ready to go an extra mile to create consciousness among the public about the necessity to protect nature. For the marketers, green could be the new gold. They have clearly understood the fact that if the products are produced and marketed through eco-friendly ways, the idea of being nature-friendly can be easily cultivated in the minds of the customers. Such is the power of `Green Marketing'.
Green marketing means marketing of products which are environmentally safe. Thus, it includes a broad range of activities like producing, processing, packing and even advertising with the nature-friendly tinge in it. More and more companies are incorporating the concept of going green into their organizational culture. Companies like Honda, Videocon, Samsung, Philips are concentrating more on producing eco-friendly products. Even retailers are contributing towards this movement. Total, a famous retailer in Bangalore can be cited as an example in this case. The company is promoting the concept of reusable bags for shopping, where the shoppers can use the same carry bag for future purchases. A great step towards making the city plastic free indeed!
The latest in this aspect are advertisements which highlight the importance of being eco-friendly. These ads are called green advertisements. They generally promote the ideas of protecting the nature or promote eco-friendly products or even eco-ideas. Using print, outdoor and electronic media, advertisers are focusing their ads on this innovative and socially responsible concept. Besides creating a good brand image, advertisements which promote eco-friendly ideas can create awareness about what the public can do to conserve energy and other natural resources. Green promotions can thus be beneficial to both the businesses also to the environment in the long run. These green ads also help the public to identify the prevalent environmental ills. The ads also demonstrate how to rectify the problems, which would be beneficial to the entire society. But the marketing campaigns which have the green content should try to explain the benefits the consumers will achieve by being eco-friendly. 
Panasonic's Eco-ideas
Panasonic is one organization, which has been working to highlight the issue of global warming. It has already started producing eco-friendly products like televisions without lead and has been taking initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The company has decided to remove all poor energy efficient products from its portfolio and develop more energy saving equipments and technologies. It has also taken steps to increase awareness about protecting the environment, both locally and globally through its eco- ideas. This theme rhymes with its brand slogan—"Ideas for Life". Panasonic Corporation also rolled out its global Eco Ideas Strategy which would be implemented worldwide. Eco Ideas highlights the company's plans to achieve global excellence in all aspects of its environmental management activities. The three key initiatives that the company intends to pursue through this strategy are: reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through a combination of greener products and factories, encourage resource conservation and promote eco-friendly individual actions. The company even announced the `Panasonic `eco ideas' Declaration, ' which, is a commitment to all members of society that the company will steadily and concretely implement eco-friendly initiatives. Panasonic's three pledges are:
1. We will produce energy-efficient products.2. We will reduce CO2 emissions across all our manufacturing sites.3. We will encourage the spread of environmental activities throughout the world.
The TVC of Panasonic can be quoted as a green ad. The commercial features celebrities sharing eco ideas like, switching off the lights when you are out of the room or turning off the car engine in the traffic signals, etc. The celebrities who have featured in this TVC include Ranbir Kapoor, Neha Dhupia, etc. We can, thus, conclude that Panasonic is really keen to `Go Green'. This will also be beneficial to society.
Videocon - `Green' Change in the Logo
Videocon, a leading manufacturer of consumer durables aiming at global expansion has taken a big leap towards the Green Movement by changing its logo, which now has more of the green color. The new logo of Videocon has a new `V', is composed of two animated green, lava-like shapes—called Chouw and Mouw, with distinct identities of their own. The color palette of the logo has been chosen to reflect the company's ecological drive. The animated characters, Chouw and Mouw, would be used through a series of short videos to tell simple stories, each depicting a positive dimension of Videocon. These initiatives would serve to reposition Videocon as a `younger, fresher, eco-friendly' and a `with-it' brand. 
PCRA - Spreading the Fuel Saving Ideas
Petroleum Conservation and Research Association (PCRA) has initiated a series of Green Ads which focus on energy efficiency and conservation of energy. The print ads, as well as TV commercials, emphasize the need to save scarce resources like petrol, diesel and cooking gas. The campaign named as "Save fuel yaani save money" is aptly timed as the economy is in a downturn and by judiciously using natural resources, one can save cost and also protect the environment. The television commercials are educational and informative. One of the ads features an LPG delivery man taking payment for delivering a cylinder. He tells the lady of the house, that from now, she can avail a 20% discount on the bills. The mother-in-law, who overhears this, and the housewife extend their hand for the discounted amount. The delivery man tells them that it's in their hands to earn the discount, by optimally utilizing LPG. He also tells that by using pressure cookers and by using lids to cover the vessels while cooking, one can save gas. Another interesting ad is shot in a Petrol Bunk and highlights the fact that when vehicles are driven at 45 kilometers per hour as against 65 kilometers per hour, one can save up to 20% of the normal fuel consumption. 
In some of the ads, children have been used to highlight the importance of saving fuel. For instance, in one of ads, a father and son are shown sitting in their car at a traffic signal. The young boy turns to his father and tells him that when he grows up, he will have his own cycle repair shop. His father turns to him in surprise. The kid explains that going by the way everyone is misusing fuel there would not be any fuel left for his generation to use. So evidently, people will use cycle to travel. The father then turns off the ignition. The ad reiterates the fact that the ignition should be turned off at signals to save fuel and, thus, save money. Radio slots have also been effectively used by PCRA. PCRA has targeted all segments of people for spreading awareness about environment protection. It has also released several print ads which seek to educate different sections of society like car owners, housewives, truck drivers, farmers, etc.
PCRA has indeed taken a very wonderful step through these campaigns. Instead of just speaking about the harmful effects of wasting energy and creating ecological imbalance, it has taken the additional responsibility of providing small hints to the public like for reaching short distances one can walk instead of using a car, one can save LPG by using pressure cooker, etc., to save fuel. These ideas will definitely create an impact on the public since they, not only benefit them personally, but also protect the environment.
GE - Ecomagination
GE has been working to solve the world's environmental challenges through its ecomagination efforts. Launched in May 2005, ecomagination is GE's commitment to imagine and build innovative technologies that would help customers address their environmental and financial needs and also help GE grow. Under the program, GE would: double its investment in clean technology R&D to $1.5 bn annually by end of 2010, introduce more ecomagination products each year and reduce its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and improve its energy efficiency. All these show the company's initiative to develop a green product portfolio. Through this initiative, the company has demonstrated that financial and environmental performance can go hand in hand and help the company to step towards growth. GE has also released many videos and print ads, which aim at educating the public about the need to be eco-friendly. GE is sure that its ecomagination drive will help reduce the harmful effects of the environmental hazards, and provide more `Green jobs' and also improve energy independence. Undoubtedly, Green `Imagination at work' will help to create environmental profitable growth. 
Lifebuoy: Clean and Green
FMCG companies are also taking initiatives to spread `greenness' and cleanliness. The best example is the Lifebuoy ad, which features a small boy who gets down to clean the street. He is soon joined by his friends and the entire gang of small kids end up clearing the garbage of the colony and making the street clean and neat. The TVC message is, kabhi kabhi ek insaan, ek soch, ek iraada duniya badal saktha hai and duniya wohi badalega jinhe apni suraksha ka koi darr nahi and the ad finally shows the kids having a bath with Lifebouy and confidently saying Koi darr nahi. It is very clear that such ads will send a strong message even to the younger generation about the importance of keeping the world cleaner and greener. 
Honda: Developing the Green Gold
Auto maker, Honda has invested huge amounts in R&D to discover new technologies and innovative products which are green.
Honda's dedication to develop fuel-efficient and alternative fuel technologies can be judged by the fact that three Honda vehicles earned recognition from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as the `greenest vehicles of 2009' with the Honda Civic GX natural gas car taking the title of the greenest vehicle for the sixth consecutive year. Honda has 12 more environment- friendly vehicles in its product line.
When it comes to advertising, Honda has compelling environmental stories to tell. Here the marketers have resorted to online advertising to provide information about its new technology and various environment- friendly products. Consumers always prefer to buy products from companies which share information with them. The ad campaigns of Honda also stress the need to keep the city and streets clean, reduce gas emissions, etc. The company has also motivated dealers to take initiatives for environment protection. These initiatives have helped Honda to win loyal customers and create a strong brand image for itself.
More Companies Going Green
Many companies have started adopting green strategies of late. These companies are working to ensure that both their profit objectives and eco objectives go hand in hand. Infosys, the software behemoth, has been working to keep Bengaluru greener and cleaner through its tree planting efforts. It has also taken other innovative initiatives in this direction. HSBC has become the first bank to go carbon neutral. Coca-Cola, Nokia are other companies that have invested heavily in recycling activities. These telecom companies are advising customers to deposit their old cell phones with them so that the phones can be recycled.
Green marketers have a very big segment of public to cater. The TVC of Surf Excel detergent is another example in this context. The ad was released with the tag lineAb daag bhi jayega, do bucket pani bhi bachega.
It featured leading Bollywood actress, Shabana Azmi, and some more women carrying two buckets of water and emptying it into a tank mentioning that by using Surf Excel detergent they have saved two buckets of water everyday. Says Shabana Azmi at the end of the ad, Agar aapke paas Surf Excel Quick Wash hai, toh aap bhi rozana do bucket paani bacha sakte hain... zara sochiye sari Hindustan mein kitna paani bachega. (If you have Surf Excel Quick Wash, you too can save two buckets of water everyday. Imagine how much water the entire country will be able to save in the process). The TVC addressed an important social message of saving water. 
The energy saving ads of LG and Samsung (Happy savings) are also examples of this genre of ads. Philips's CFL lamps consume very less electricity and help to save power. Electric four-wheelers like Reva and two-wheelers like Yo Bike are very popular among the people today. Companies are also using tools like billboards, websites, road shows and displays to spread awareness about environment protection. The billboards at BP Petrol Stations have a Sunflower reflecting that the company is investing in Solar Power. Reliance Fresh and Fresh @Namdhari stores in various cities spread ideas to protect environment through their displays. 
Not only is the electronic media, the print media is also going green. Some of the companies are using innovative ways to spread their messages. For instance, in a particular fast food outlet, Bisleri bottles were sold with `Free Rain' stickers reminding people about the importance of trees. Slowdown in the economy shrinking bottom lines, pressure to cut costs, etc. have compelled companies to develop innovative ways to reduce costs and, at the same time, attract customers. Thus, companies are going green by using recyclable, energy efficient eco-friendly products which would help them attract the customers and contribute to the society.
Green Ads - Consumers' Perception
Today's consumers have begun to understand the importance of using eco-friendly products. Green marketing is growing steadily as consumers are willing to pay a premium to buy products that are eco-friendly. Thus, marketers must invest more in developing and selling eco-friendly products. This is the apt time for creating consciousness about green products and marketers can play an important role in this context to spread the green message.
Though many companies are producing eco-friendly products, the awareness levels about the advantages of such products are not much among consumers. Companies need to develop innovative marketing strategies to spread the message and master the tools of trade before the green wave loses its fizz.
Conclusion
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