Over the past few years we’ve seen a proliferation of messages touting products’ environmental benefits. You’ve seen these ads on TV and the Internet, in newspapers and magazines.

Simultaneously, the marketplace for these products has rapidly expanded. Wal-Mart, Target, and Home Depot now carry green products. Indeed, green has gone mainstream. This increased demand and distribution has led to a sea of green messaging in the marketplace, which is otherwise known as “green marketing” or as we can call it at my company SDialogue, a “green smog.” But what is green marketing, and when is it best employed? And how can consumers sift through the haze?

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines green marketing as the marketing of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe. You have to love the word “presumed” in that definition—no wonder people have questioned the effectiveness of green marketing. But research has shown that some firms are truly benefiting from green marketing. The firms that actually “walk their talk” have the most success, as the marketplace quickly weeds out inauthentic messages, products, and services, thanks to savvy and smart consumers.

One green marketing success story is Clorox’s new Green Works product line. One year after launch, the consumer products giant’s line of ecofriendly products captured 42 percent of the consumer market for natural cleaning products—without hurting the market share of existing companies such as Method and Seventh Generation. So as consumers realize that nontoxic products exist that work as efficiently as toxic products, this market will continue to expand. Given the choice, consumers prefer not having toxic cleaners in their homes.

For a business, it’s important to note that just doing green marketing and touting environmental benefits is not enough to sell your product or service. When Clorox brought its new line to the market, the company made sure the product worked as well as toxic cleaners and was comparably priced. Only when a product’s price and performance are comparable with others’ does touting a green message make sense.

For home buyers or consumers looking to purchase green products or services, the key is to make sure the company is indeed “walking the talk.” This may require some research, but increasingly, companies are promoting their sustainability efforts on the Internet and in published reports. Look for testimonials from other consumers who have already purchased green products and services. Check out user reviews on websites such as epinions.com and amazon.com. An excellent resource for researching green products is thegreenguide.com and greenseal.org, which has a product search tool.

For businesses—whether you’re a real estate development company, green home builder, green home furnishings supplier, or a green designer—the communication strategy requires some thought. As a company looking to tout your greenness, you should first assess if your company, product, or service has the credibility (facts and figures) to make the claims that you want. Are your messages relevant and aligned with your business? Can you translate your data so that it has meaning and people can relate to it? For example, just telling people to change their light bulbs to save the environment does not make for behavior change since the environment is not a primary concern for most consumers.

However, when the message relates to people’s values, the impact is greater. In Utah, for example, the message, “Wind Power Can Fund Schools” was found to be a more effective message than, “Wind Power to Save Water” as residents were more concerned about schools than water. Another case involved a utility company that was trying to minimize blackouts. A message of, “You’ll save Money and It’s better for the Earth” was less effective than messaging that used peer pressure as a motivator. In short, the more people can relate to the message, the more effective it is.

In the end, effective green marketing–for a business–goes back to the basics. Know your target market, make sure the product or service meets the needs of the market, make sure the pricing is competitive, and then make sure your messaging is authentic and aligns the product or service with the values of the target market. Remember that “being green” can be the tie breaker when choosing between different products and services.

Beth Bengtson is a partner at SDialogue, a Kingston-based firm which helps organizations evolve through sustainable communications and stakeholder engagement (sdialogue.com). Resource List

Good resources for businesses looking to implement green marketing include:

CSRWire (csrwire.com)

Green America (greenamericatoday.org)

Greenbiz (greenbiz.com)

FTC - Green Marketing Guidelines (ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm)

LOHAS (lohas.com)

SustainableLifeMedia (sustainablelifemedia.com)

3BL Media (3blmedia.com)