With fall semester getting underway, we can’t help but notice that many universities are jumping onto the Green bandwagon.
Today, when high school seniors tour college campuses, they no longer only care about the cafeteria menus; dorm rooms, the party scene and the guy to girl ratio (though we are sure these continue to rank quite high on the priority list of 17 and 18 year olds). Increasingly, these soon to be collegians want to know how much of the school’s energy is green, what happens to the waste that is generated and whether the cafeteria offers reusable silverware and dishes and of course is there a recycling program for the beer bottles and cans.
A recent Princeton Review survey showed that the environmental commitment of schools influences the choice of college for a stunning 63% of applicants! To address this rising demand, The Princeton Review has partnered with EcoAmerica to add a “green rating” to their college rankings.
http://princetonreview.com/green.aspx?uidbadge=%07
Investing in sustainability initiatives is an added incentive to market to potential students and it also helps attract leading faculty as well as funding and donations. And positive marketing and word-of-mouth just happen to be two other convenient byproducts…
The numbers show that schools all over the country are increasingly doing more than just the average recycling program. When we, The Greenery, went to college green was a term reserved for the Birkenstock wearing, tree loving crowd. Today, Generation Z has fully embraced this movement and we believe, will be the generation to make a difference.
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Closing Ceremony
So it's over. The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics has run its last race, pummeled its last horse, awarded its last dozen or so gold medals to Michael Phelps.
And it was a good one. Two weeks of non-stop Olympic coverage (NBC had more air coverage then hours in a day thanks to all of their networks). Recording breaking ratings -- over 34MM viewers during prime time coverage. Some pretty amazing stories told.
Throughout we've looked at the world's biggest brands try to put their best foot forward. The world's biggest stage is the perfect place to talk about the world's biggest issues. And sustainability certainly is taking center stage.
Looking back at the advertising over the fortnight (we're using our proper English in preparation for the 2012 London Games), this Olympics clearly got a "Green Medal." And that's good news for everybody.
We leave this topic with a few thoughts on what makes good sustainability strategy and messaging (or any messaging, for that matter)—in hopes we see much more of it:
1. Be Synergistic – Don't try to sell trees, if you normally sell widgets. Instead design a widget that is made from trees. Maybe that's not possible, but you get the drift.
2. Be Authentic – As David Ogilvy said, “The consumer is not a moron, she is your wife!” Consumers are smart people. Give them the benefit of the doubt and let them make their own choices. If you are truthful, they will follow.
3. Make it Relevant – The ads that worked best were relevant to the Olympics, the brands, the products and a vision of a more sustainable world. Tall order. But when it works, it really works.
4. Have a Vision – Companies that lead, win. Go ahead and seize the opportunity. Become a sustainability leader.
And most importantly, COLLABORATE.
Brands can't do it all on their own, nor are they expected to. Remember the BP line? "It's a Start.” When a company acknowledges its role in the world, amazing things happen.
After all as the Japanese proverb says, “None of us is as smart as all of us.”
(It sure would have been better if it was a Chinese proverb... but oh, well.)
And it was a good one. Two weeks of non-stop Olympic coverage (NBC had more air coverage then hours in a day thanks to all of their networks). Recording breaking ratings -- over 34MM viewers during prime time coverage. Some pretty amazing stories told.
Throughout we've looked at the world's biggest brands try to put their best foot forward. The world's biggest stage is the perfect place to talk about the world's biggest issues. And sustainability certainly is taking center stage.
Looking back at the advertising over the fortnight (we're using our proper English in preparation for the 2012 London Games), this Olympics clearly got a "Green Medal." And that's good news for everybody.
We leave this topic with a few thoughts on what makes good sustainability strategy and messaging (or any messaging, for that matter)—in hopes we see much more of it:
1. Be Synergistic – Don't try to sell trees, if you normally sell widgets. Instead design a widget that is made from trees. Maybe that's not possible, but you get the drift.
2. Be Authentic – As David Ogilvy said, “The consumer is not a moron, she is your wife!” Consumers are smart people. Give them the benefit of the doubt and let them make their own choices. If you are truthful, they will follow.
3. Make it Relevant – The ads that worked best were relevant to the Olympics, the brands, the products and a vision of a more sustainable world. Tall order. But when it works, it really works.
4. Have a Vision – Companies that lead, win. Go ahead and seize the opportunity. Become a sustainability leader.
And most importantly, COLLABORATE.
Brands can't do it all on their own, nor are they expected to. Remember the BP line? "It's a Start.” When a company acknowledges its role in the world, amazing things happen.
After all as the Japanese proverb says, “None of us is as smart as all of us.”
(It sure would have been better if it was a Chinese proverb... but oh, well.)
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Thoughtful Committed Citizens
Welcome to The Greenery-- global advertising agency Ogilvy's sustainability practice area.
The Greenery is a group of like-minded Ogilvy New York employees who found each other in early 2007. Uneasy with the state of the environment, keen to make a change, and sensing an opportunity, we banded together to do two things: Change Ogilvy, and help our clients change the world.
On the Ogilvy front, The Greenery has begun resizing our own carbon footprint and making Ogilvy a healthier and more eco-friendly place to work. (Rule #1 of green marketing is to get your own house in order.) We're excited to have all our employees join us in our ongoing bid to make Ogilvy the most sustainable company we can be.
But our ambitions go beyond our own front door. We believe sustainability is the business opportunity of the 21st century, and we sensed a huge appetite to address it from our clients. Thanks to our work with visionary clients like BP, DuPont, Unilever, Kraft, IBM, Cisco and The Economist, Ogilvy has been involved with sustainability marketing for close to a decade.
The Greenery set out to consolidate everything we've learned about green marketing and to create a model that will allow us to do some amazing things. We call it The Greenery Lab: a network of the world's leading thinkers on sustainability who we call on to help us incubate revolutionary ideas and develop new answers for clients.
As anthropologist Margaret Meade said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
To learn more about Ogilvy's The Greenery, keep checking this space or contact us at thegreenery@ogilvy.com
The Greenery is a group of like-minded Ogilvy New York employees who found each other in early 2007. Uneasy with the state of the environment, keen to make a change, and sensing an opportunity, we banded together to do two things: Change Ogilvy, and help our clients change the world.
On the Ogilvy front, The Greenery has begun resizing our own carbon footprint and making Ogilvy a healthier and more eco-friendly place to work. (Rule #1 of green marketing is to get your own house in order.) We're excited to have all our employees join us in our ongoing bid to make Ogilvy the most sustainable company we can be.
But our ambitions go beyond our own front door. We believe sustainability is the business opportunity of the 21st century, and we sensed a huge appetite to address it from our clients. Thanks to our work with visionary clients like BP, DuPont, Unilever, Kraft, IBM, Cisco and The Economist, Ogilvy has been involved with sustainability marketing for close to a decade.
The Greenery set out to consolidate everything we've learned about green marketing and to create a model that will allow us to do some amazing things. We call it The Greenery Lab: a network of the world's leading thinkers on sustainability who we call on to help us incubate revolutionary ideas and develop new answers for clients.
As anthropologist Margaret Meade said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
To learn more about Ogilvy's The Greenery, keep checking this space or contact us at thegreenery@ogilvy.com
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