Today’s smart marketers are using Green
to boost product awareness and generate
greater opportunities than ever before.
Can you afford to ignore it?
by Mark Goren
Executive Summary
Sooner or later, most industries reach a crossroads in their evolution when new and compelling ideas fundamentally change the way companies do business. For manufacturers of building materials and interior design products, the signpost to that critical juncture is written in Green.
Today, the popularity and acceptance of environmentally friendly, or “Green” buildings, continues to blossom with no end in sight. Dozens of cities and states now mandate the use of Green products in buildings that are funded to some degree by tax dollars. The federal government requires its new buildings to meet stringent Green standards. Foundations tie grant awards to Green design. Applications for Green building certification have soared in just a few short years since guidelines were established. And driving these initiatives are generations of end users who have identified with terms like “eco-friendly” and “sustainable” since childhood. More than anyone, they are forcing governments, institutions and companies to think and act differently.
Green has caught the attention of profit-driven builders and developers who increasingly recognize how Green technology can slash millions of dollars in operating expenses over the life of a building without added up-front expense. More and more architects, engineers, facility managers and contractors now base their buying decisions at least partly on Green-influenced factors such as indoor air quality, raw material conservation, and energy and water efficiency.
At Point to Point, we believe that Green affords marketing executives a tremendous opportunity to help their companies expand sales in existing markets and open new market channels. Some companies may embrace Green and enable it to permeate its products, people and processes. Others will start slowly by certifying their products as Green compliant, and then tailoring their marketing messages to the varying needs of different target audiences. No matter their approach, many companies will find that they are actually further along the Green path than they might think. For them, the challenge is one of better understanding the universe of Green opportunities, and then devising smart strategies to pursue them.
Nearly every aspect of Green building technology - from energy efficiency to resource conservation - has a direct, positive and long-lasting financial effect. While some product manufacturers have been slow to recognize these benefits, those that choose to act on them soon could reap a pot of gold at the end of a Green rainbow.