BE What You Are: Don’t Simply Label It “So”
Mark Morford’s most recent column for the San Francisco Chronicle’s Notes & Errata (reg. required) just called out some of the big brands on their new marketing push: “organic.” We’ve likely all seen the latest Kellogg’s breakfast cereal ads on television by now. They aren’t the first to jump on the organic bandwagon, by any means, but they may be one of the first traditional brands to announce it so loudly (and the effort is very clearly focusing on women).
As Mark points out - there is no question that the general organic movement has been good for society on a lot of fronts, but it’s the morphing of the definition of the word and how it is being added to a lot of labels very quickly that is of concern.
Now, I’m all for many a brand’s raised awareness of the environmental/social footprint of their products - after all, I live in Vermont (insert joke about Birkenstocks here). On the other hand - I am also a person who consults on marketing, so I can understand the recent run on “green” labels by everyone from Walmart to Cheerio’s. It is wise to be on top of this because along women’s purchasing paths: it all matters - and green-ness can, for some segments of the women’s market, really matter a lot.
There is plenty of discussion of the labeling standards for/definition of “organic” - as Mark writes in his column, but I’ll leave that to the experts. (And/or, if this is of interest to you, you might want to check out what my friends at the New Seasons stores in Portland, Oregon, are doing with their HomeGrown program.)
But, it’s the idea of BE-ing what you are as a brand, rather than beating the drum about it, that really caught my attention. It’s akin to superfically marketing to women, but slapping a “for women” sticker on your existing product, without making any real women-specific changes at all. “Organic” is the hot label now, so… just how much does a company have to change about their products to be allowed to use that distinction? Is it really, really, really all boiling down to marketing pitches with no substance?
Or, are brands digging deep and re-examining their processes, vendors and so on, to really make a change that they can be proud of? If that were the case, would consumers need to see a “we’re so green” sticker or would they be able to tell by looking at the ingredient list or just observing which causes you sponsor or what mission your founders profess? Can you slowly work toward being a more green or organically-oriented brand, and by so doing get the attention of more of your most important customers? I think you’d be surprised.
But, I’d also love to hear your thoughts.
October 16th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
As a follow up - I just read an Advertising Age piece today about how the “organic” trend might not be working after all. http://adage.com/article?article_id=112509 (reg. required) One point they made that I actually think may be the most significant - fewer people are responding to the “organic” versions of traditional brands (Kellogg’s cereals, Prego spaghetti sauce) but the independent brands (even those that have been bought by larger brands) - like Cascadian Farms - are not doing as badly.
I still think consumers have radar for superficial, mainly labeling changes. And, again - I know I am a Vermont gal whose last home states were in the Pacific Northwest - but, there seem to be a fair number of people out there interested in buying truly home grown/local/strict organic standard goods.
Don’t try to “mass” market it, but serve the smaller segments of the population who really do want it and are willing and happy to pay for it. We are out there.