Green Products

To the impulse to go “green” is spreading faster than morning glories. In almost every opinion poll on the subject, consumers say they are very concerned about climate change and also about the environmental and social impact of the products they buy. But when it comes to actually buying green goods, words and deeds often part ways.

The reasons are:

1) Lack of awareness.

2) Negative perceptions

3) Distrust

4) High Prices

5) Low Availability

The importance of each barrier varies by product industry and geography. In 2006, green laundry detergents and household cleaners accounted for less than 2 percent of US sales in their categories. Hybrid cars, though trendy, made up little more than 2 percent of the US auto market in 2007.

To solve this problem Companies first need to figure out which customers would probably want which products and then examine how people in each market segment make their purchasing decisions. In other words, companies have to move customers through every stage of the purchase process—from becoming aware of eco-friendly products to finding them.

Educate customers: Because consumers are largely unaware of green products, a business that sells them must see itself first as an educator, not a sales machine. This lack of knowledge means that companies must explain not only their own products but also the larger issues of pollution, climate change, overfishing, and other environmental problems.

Build better products: Consumers will not think better of green products until companies make them equal to, or better than, their conventional alternatives. Most people values performance, reliability, and durability much more than ecological soundness. Toyota dealt with early perceptions of the Prius (an eco friendly car) by increasing its horsepower and mounting a campaign that promoted the car as “quick, roomy, and economical.”

Be Honest: Consumers doubt not only the quality but also the very greenness of green products. In this area, they trust scientists and environmental groups, not the government, the media, or businesses. Some companies mislead consumers by highlighting a single positive product feature while ignoring the negative ones. To build public trust, companies must come clean about the true environmental impact of their products and their attempts to reduce it, and many will need to address historical concerns about specific products or operations. Only then will consumers believe a company’s green claims.

Offer more: Price is the largest obstacle to purchases of green products. Companies must ensure that consumers understand the financial and environmental returns on their investment in green products. Sales of such products may also rise if their design stands out and signals their owners’ commitment to the environment. The value of the Prius, for instance, goes well beyond traditional functionality. The car caught the attention of consumers because of its unique and contemporary style and its innovative dashboard, which, via an onboard computer, displays the various energy-efficient functions of the car.

Bring products to the people: Having decided to buy green products, many consumers encounter a last hurdle—finding them—either because manufacturers don’t keep up with demand or advertise where they can be bought, or because wholesalers and retailers don’t stock them or display them prominently. Companies with successful green products ensure that they are available and easy to find.

Today, green products and services are only a niche market, but they are poised for strong growth. Entry into the green market can also improve a company’s reputation, thereby increasing the value of its brands. Companies that have a strong position in the green market can protect their market share from competitors. Newcomers, in turn, can steal market share from established companies through appeals to the ever-growing legions of green consumers.

Going green while staying competitive can be challenging but once businesses remove the obstacles that now make it hard for consumers to act on their environmental beliefs, sales of green products could explode. A company that builds a reputation for eco-friendliness can do much more than increase its revenues. The better its reputation, the more talented the employees it can attract, the more loyalty it can inspire in its customers, and the more it can charge for its products.

What is Marketing?

"The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer" - Peter Drucker

Marketing, more than any other business function, deals with customers. Creating customer value and satisfaction are at the very heart of modern marketing thinking and practice.

Marketing is critical to the success of every organization, whether large or small, domestic or global. Marketing has also become the vital compotent in the strategies of many non-profit organizations. You see the result of marketing in the abundance of product that line the store shelves in your nearby shopping malls.

What does marketing means?

Myth: Most people think that marketing is all about selling and advertising. 

Marketing must be understood not in the old sense of making a sale - "selling" but in the new sense of satisfying customer needs. Marketing is the

delivery of customer satisfaction at profit. The goal of marketing is to attract new customer by promising superior value and to keep current customer by delivering satisfaction.

When most people think about marketing, they think of marketing tactics, like advertising, brand management, sales, service, pricing, email marketing etc.. They are important but useless without having a sound basis of knowledge. Marketing is analysis and a sound marketing strategy is based on this analysis. Analysis is about customer. Having a solid understanding of customer means having a solid understanding about how customer behave, their motivation, their perception and preferences.

Marketing is infact the analysis of customer, competitors and a company, combining this understanding into an overall understanding of what segment exist, deciding on targeting the most profitable segment, positioning your product, and then doing what's necessary to deliver on that positioning. Well this is where the tactics come in. By branding correctly, by advertising effectively.

Thus, Marketing is not solely advertising or selling. Real marketing is less about selling and more about knowing what to make and the goal of marketing is to create customer satisfactin profitably by building valued relationship with customer.

About this Blog

Markets are changing fast. New markets are emerging and trading blocks are extending everyday. Also, communication channel about products and selling them are changing at a revolutionary pace.

Products are changing continuously, but the great brands shine through like storm-swept lighthouses: coca-cola, Nike, Nokia, to name but a few. 

Everyday we are bombarded with television commercials, newspaper ad, calls, direct mail, internet ads. Somebody is always trying to sell us something. Does marketing means selling and advertising?

The 'SWOOSH' is everywhere! Just for fun try counting the swoosh whenever you pick up the sport page. Nike has built the ubiquitous swoosh(which represent the wing of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory) into one of the best known brand symbols on the planet. The symbol is well known that company routinely run at it without even mentioning the Nike name. The power of its brand and logo speaks loudly about the Nike's superb marketing skills. 

How has Nike achived such a prestigious position in the market?

What is the marketing strategy of Nike?

If Nike can do it then why not other brands? 

What does the term marketing means? 

What is the histry of marketing?

Similarly there are lots of queries which come to our mind. Yesterday when I was discussing it with my friend Abhishek agrwal, an idea came in our mind to create a platform where we can provide answers to all such kind of marketing related queries.

Someone has very rightly said that "Ideas wont work unless you do". Marketing boulevard is the result of that idea. With the help of this blog we will try to answer all such kind of queries related to marketing. We will also try to post the latest marketing news and updates.

Finally, We would like to add that the feedback and comments of the readers are very vital for the improvement of this blog. So, We would like to request our readers to share their views by posting their feedback and comments.