The New Age of Marketing and Consumerism.docx

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TheNewAgeofMarketingandConsumerism

TheNewAgeofMarketingandConsumerism:

ALookattheGreeningofToday’sMarketplace

ChristinaDonato

Abstract:

GreenMarketingandGreenConsumerismhavebeenemergingintherecentpast,as

environmentally-friendlyalternativesforconventionalmarketingmethods,productiontechniquesandproductsthemselves.Intoday’sageofenvironmentaldegradationandincreasedconsumption,theseconceptshavebeenintroducedinordertocombatthewarwehavegoingwithournaturalresources.Theyfocusoneliminatingunnecessarywasteinproduction,usingrecycledorreusedgoodsandconsmingonlyorganicorlessdegradingproducts.Inabidingbythesenew“green”methods,orrules,ofsurvivalintoday’sworld,bothproducersandconsumersareabletomakeadifferenceandlessentheirharmfuleffectsonthenaturalenvironment.However,evenwiththeincreasedbenefitsofusingthesenewtechniques,thereareafewnegativesidestotheGreenConsumerismandMarketingtechniques.Obviously,firmsareouttomakeaprofit.Therefore,consumershavetoknowwhattolookforintheso-called“environmentally-friendly”products.Inordertotrulyreduceone’simpactontheenvironment,therearecertainlevels（ofreductionorimprovement）tostrivefor,whenproducingandconsumingproducts.Overall,GreenConsumerismandGreenMarketinghavehelpedreduceourimpactonthe

environmentaswellashelpedfirmsmakeaprofit（whichistheultimategoal）.Withtheexamplesgiven,andinformationlisted,itishopedthatthereaderwillgainmoreknowledgeonhowtoreducehisorherimpactontheEarth.Thesolutionofferedinthepaperultimatelypushesthereadertowardoptingfor“green”goods.“Oneperson’s‘smallawakening’totheecologicalcrisisisanotherperson’s‘marketopportunity’.”Polonsky,1995

Introduction

TheEarth’sabilitytosustainlifeandthereforeeconomicactivityisthreatenedbythewayweextract,process,transportanddisposeofavastflowofresources-some220billiontonsayear,ormorethan20timestheaverageAmerican’sbodyweighteveryday（Lovinsetal.,1999）.In1990,theaverageAmericanwasestimatedtogeneratemorethan4poundsofsolidwasteeachday,76percentofwhichwaslandfilled,10percentincinerated,andamere14percentrecycledforfurtheruse（Polonsky,1995）.MunicipalsolidwastefromallsourcesintheUnitedStatestotaledanestimated281milliontonsin1991（Polonsky,1995）!

ThevolumeofhazardouswastegeneratedinCanadaandsentoff-siteeachyearfortreatmentanddisposalisapproximately2.3-milliontonnes

（

（Http:

//April,5,2001）.The2.3-million

tonnesdoesnotincludetheaqueouswasteswhicharepre-treatedon-siteanddischargedtothemunicipaltreatmentplant.Buttheestimatedoesincludeallotherfluid,sludgesandsolidhazardouswastesshippedoff-sitefromCanadianplants.AsatrocitieslikethoseintheUnitedStatesandCanadaarecommoninmanyothercountries,poorenvironmentalconditionsaroundtheworldaredrivingdemandsforgovernmentstoinitiatecontrolsandindustrytochangethewaytheydobusiness.EstimatingtheamountofhazardouswastegeneratedinCanadahasattractedconsiderableattentionoverthelastdecade.Thatisjustoneofthereasonsthatmanybusinesspeoplealikebegantobelievethatthe1990sweretobean“environmentaldecade”.Theeconomyisembeddedintheenvironment.RecentcalculationspublishedinthejournalNatureconservativelyestimatedthevalueofalltheEarth’secosystemservicestobeatleast$33trillionayear（Lovinsetal.,1999）.Withinformationlikethis,firmsbegantochangetheirproductionmethodsandconsequentlytheirmarketingstrategies.Bysubjectingconsumerstotheever-increasingmandatesofGreenMarketingandGreenConsumerism,itwashopedthatconsumerswouldbeabletoreducetheirimpactontheEarth.

EmergenceofGreenMarketing

Morespecifically,GreenMarketingcameintoprominenceinthelate1980sandearly1990s

atatimewhenanxietyoverenvironmentaldisasterslikeozonelayerdepletion,oilspillsand

overflowinglandfillswasoccurringduetorecentoccurrencesofthesetypesofdisasters.OnJanuary29,1991,AdvertisingAgeheldaGreenMarketingSummitinNewYorkwheremorethan400peoplefromcorporations,media,advertisingagencies,governmentandtheenvironmentalmovementattended（Smith,1998）.Thepurposewastohelpmarketerssortoutopportunitiesforgrowthandprogressinenvironmentalmarketing.Thereasonfortheinterestindoingsostemmedfromtherecentcitizendemandsforchange,whichspurredthepopularityof“greening”themarketplace.GreenConsumerismfollowedthesurgeofmarketing,asittoogainedimportanceinthelate1980s-whennewscoverageofozonedamageandglobalwarmingbegantoappearmoreconsistentlyinthemediaandthepublicationofpopularhandbooksgaveconsumersawaytorespondatapersonallevel.In1988,theGreenConsumerGuidewaspublishedandquicklybecameabestseller.Otherpublicationsfollowed,whichhelpedtoshapedemandformorebenignproductsofallkinds.

Inrecentyearstherehasbeenanunprecedentedchangeinthedynamicsofthemarketplace

asenvironmentalconsiderationshavebecomeaconsistentfactorininstitutionalandbusiness

decisionmaking.Thepublichadstartedtorealizethattheirconsumptionactivitieswere

contributingtoenvironmentalproblemsduetotheemergenceofenvironmentalcampaignsinthe

mediaandlocalcommunities,alongwiththenewGreenMarketingattempts.Manyofthese

problemswerenationaland/orglobalinscopeandweremanifestedinsuchphenomenaasglobal

warmingandacidrain.Consequently,thereappearedtobeagrowingdesiretoprotectthe

environmentasevidencedbyawillingnessofconsumerstoavoidproductsthattheybelieved

contributedtoenvironmentaldegradation.Theemergenceofcomprehensiveenvironmental

regulationsandstandardsarenowplayingacriticalroleinstimulatingthesupplyofsuchproductsandservices,therebyencouraginginnovation.

WhatisGreenMarketing?

Withanincreaseinenvironmentalawareness,themarketplaceisgreenernowthanever

before,basedontheamountof“environmentally-friendly”products,“recycled”productsetcetera,beingplacedontheshelves.Sowhatexactlywasthisso-called“GreenMarketing”thatthemediastartedtotalkabout?

MostpeopletodaybelievethatGreenMarketingreferssolelytothepromotionofadvertisingofproductswithenvironmentalcharacteristics.TermslikePhosphateFree,Recyclable,Refillable,OzoneFriendly,andEnvironmentallyFriendlyaresomeofthethingsconsumersmostoftenassociatewithGreenMarketing.WhilethesetermsareindeedGreenMarketingclaims,greenmarketingisgenerallyamuchbroaderconcept;onethatcanbeappliedtoconsumergoods,industrialgoodsandevenservices.

GreenMarketingincorporatesabroadrangeofactivities,includingproductmodification,

changestotheproductionprocessandpackagingchanges,aswellasmodifyingadvertising.Butwhatisactually“Green”?

Greenproductsaretypicallydurable,nontoxic,madefromrecycledmaterials,orminimallypackaged.OneofthemanyreasonsthatpeoplearegivingintothesurgeofGreenMarketedproductsisthattheyarescaredabouttheirfutures（Ottman,1998）.Asinformationwasbeingdeliveredsoshockinglytothepublic,peoplebegantogetscaredaboutthestateoftheirnaturalenvironment.Infact,the20

theanniversarycelebrationofEarthDayin1990attracted100millionparticipantsaroundtheworld（Ottman,1998）.Theoverwhelmingnumberofparticipantswasproofenoughthatpeoplewerereadytostartmakingchanges.Inpollafterpoll,consumersclaimedtheywerewillingtochangetheirbuyinghabits-andevenpaymoreforproducts-toprotecttheenvironment（Polonskyetal,1995）.

ResponsetoGreenMarketing

Manufacturersgotthemessageandfast.TheMarketingIntelligenceService,whichtracks

newproductintroductions,reportedthatthepercentageofnewpackagedproductsmakingsomekindofgreenclaimmorethandoubledbetween1989and1990,risingfrom4.5%to11.4%ofthetotal

（Polonskyetal,1995）.Duringthesameyear,thenumberofgreenadvertisementsappearingon

televisionandinmajorprintoutletsmorethanquadrupled（Polonskyetal,1995）.Suddenly

consumer-productcompanieswerebeingconfrontedwithnewlyarousedconsumerconsciences.

Marketersdiscoveredthatcateringtoenvironmentalworriesmightbethehottestsalesstrategysince

advertisingagenciesdiscoveredinthe1950sthatsexsells.

Governmentsrespondedtothis.Forexample,inMaine,asepticjuiceboxesweresweptfrom

groceryshelvesbecausetheywerenotbroadlyrecycled.Topreserveitsmarketsandsafeguardits

reputation,industryquicklygreenedupitsproductsandissuedenvironmentalcommuniquésandadsassertingitscommitmenttoacleanerEarth.Consumersfeltlistenedto!

Theybegantorecycletheirpopcansandaluminumfoil,cutdownondisposablesandtakeotherenvironmentalsteps.Intoday’sworld,environmentalismisacoresocietalvalue.Wefindthatbecausecitizensarerespondingtothenewenvironmentallyresponsibleproductsandmarketingschemes,greenproductsaleshavesoared.

WhyGo“Green”?

Tobe“green”,istobesociallyresponsible,intoday’smoreenvironmentallyawaresociety.

Thereareagreatdealofpersonalrewardsingoing“green”,suchasthesatisfactiongainedfrom

doing“yourpart”fortheearth.Asidefromthat,going“green”aidsnotonlyincleaningupthe

environment,buthelpsinsustaininghumanhealth.“Green”productshavelessharmfulchemicals,andthereforecauselessdamagetothehum