AppalachianStateUniversity

GreenMarketing

TaylorHunt
Marketing3050
Dr.BidishaBurman
September5,2015

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Whenonetendstothinkofgreenmarketing,theymaythinkofenvironmentallysafe
productssuchashouseholdcleaners.Thereissomuchmoreinvolvedingreenmarketingthan
peopletendtothinkof.Greenmarketingisnotjusttheproductitself;itiseverythingfromthe
packagingtotheadvertising.Greenmarketingisstillafairlyrecentconceptthatmoreandmore
businessesareacquiring.Businessesaremoreconcernedwithreducingtheirenvironmental
footprint,whichiswheregreenmarketingcomesintoplay.
Aswithsustainabilitydefinitions,greenmarketingalsohasanumberofdefinitionsby
manyexperts.Whatexactlyisgreenmarketing?As has been defined by many experts it can be
concluded that green marketing refers to all marketing activities which are responsive towards
protecting the environment. There is much avoidable confusion regarding the term green
marketing, as people loosely identify it with various phenomena in the present era
(Arseculeratne,D.,&Yazdanifard,R.,2014).Greenmarketingcanbetrickytosomebecause
theyattributeittoenvironmentalchangessuchasclimatechangeandglobalwarming.Theterm
hasundergonedifferentchangesastheyearshavegoneonbutitdevelopedduringthe1980s
whenenvironmentalawarenessstartedtopickup.Duringthistime,environmentalistsputmore
pressureonbusinessestominimizetheharmfulenvironmentaleffectsofpollutioninregardsto
production.Althoughtheerahaschangedfromwhengreenmarketingfirsttookitsstance,green
marketingstillnecessitatesthecentralidea.According to Ottman (1998) (as cited in
Arseculeratne,D.,&Yazdanifard,R.,2014),Today the concept of green marketing entails

certain fundamental elements. Marketing products which are environmentally safe; developing
and marketing products to minimize environmental hazards; produce, promote, and
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package products in a manner befitting so as to protect the environment are some characteristics
of Green marketing as the term is understood in the present business world context.Green
marketing may seem ideal for some companies but it is not entirely a perfect fit for every
company. There are advantages and disadvantages associated with green marketing that should
be discussed.
One may be thinking what disadvantages would there be for green marketing? As with
most things, there is always some disadvantage somewhere along the tracks. Of course going
green for a company is better for the environment and can increase public relations but there
seems to be a large cost associated with improving a businesses greenreputation. According to
Chris Joseph from Demand Media, conversion expense, costlier products, lack of support, going
paperless, and customer backlash are a few disadvantages associated with green marketing.
Conversion expenses and costlier products seem to be the two largest factors involved simply
because of the money involved. Going green is not necessarily a cheap startup (e.g. solar panels)
but may improve costs in the long run. The initial conversion process may startle some
companies, thus choosing not to participate in the green movement. In addition to conversion
expense, costlier products may be a concern for customers when purchasing. In short, going
green is not something a company wakes up and decides to do. It is a process that can take quite
some time in order for a business to fully claim that it is green. A company must do its
homework and focus on achieving environmental objectives rather than focusing on profit alone.

On the other hand, green marketing definitely has its benefits and companies are being
pushed to make changes within their businesses because of the growing concern among
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consumers. More consumers are purchasing green products regardless of the price because they
want to preserve the environment in which they live in. According to Baker (1999) (as cited in
Arseculeratne,D.,&Yazdanifard,R.,2014),A green marketing strategy brings about certain
benefits to a business which can be harnessed to derive competitive advantage. One of the main
benefits has been the reduction in cost of production. Green production process would result in
cutting down costs in terms of less waste, less use of raw materials and saving of energy costs. A
significant reduction in cost would raise the profits of a business. Green businesses also develop
brand loyalty through their customers. The customers trust and respect the companys
contribution efforts to the environment. Not only do customers create brand loyalty but also
green products create a positive image for the business, which in return increases potential new
customers. Overall, it takes more than slapping an environmental friendly sticker on the product
and sending it on its way. It may be overwhelming for a company to convert its operations but it
is possible. For example, IKEA is a prime example of doing better for the environment and is
committed to reducing their environmental footprint. IKEAs products are developed to help
reduce waste, renew energy,andmuchmore.Thecompanycontinuestofollowthroughonits
commitmenttodevelopandownrenewableelectricitysupplies,witha2020goalofproducing
moreenergythanituses.IKEAhasnumerousothersustainabilityrelatedgoals,andis
expandingitsofferingstocustomersaswell(KelleyDetwiler2014).

Lookingatthelargepicture,businessesarecontinuingtolookforwaystoimprovethe
environmentandbuildcustomerrelationships.Greenmarketingisstillevolvingandcustomers
areseekinggreenerproducts,whichallowsforincreasedprofitabilityandcustomerrelations.
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Althoughtherearesomecomplicationsinvolvedwithgreenmarketing(e.g.conversionexpense,
costlierproducts)protectingtheenvironmentshouldbeapriorityinanybusiness.

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References
Arseculeratne,D.,&Yazdanifard,R.(2014).Howgreenmarketingcancreateasustainable
competitiveadvantageforabusiness.InternationalBusinessResearch,7(1),130137.
Retrievedfromhttp://0search.proquest.com.wncln.wncln.org/docview/1477173969?
accountid=8337
Joseph,C.(n.d.).TheDisadvantagesofGoingGreenforaCorporation.RetrievedSeptember4,
2015,fromhttp://smallbusiness.chron.com/disadvantagesgoinggreencorporation
3318.html
KelleyDetwiler,P.(2014,February7).IKEA'sAggressiveApproachToSustainabilityCreates
EnormousBusinessOpportunities.RetrievedSeptember4,2015.
Williams,E.(2015,August27).9greengiants:Billiondollarbusinessesthataresustainable.
RetrievedSeptember4,2015,fromhttp://fortune.com/2015/08/27/greengiantsfreya
williams/