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Marketing By Design: Environmental Standout
Is it really possible to distinguish yourself with green design?
By Audra Hession
Sep. 22, 2009
MESSAGE PENETRATION
Over the past few years, environmentally conscious design has gone mainstream. Green design used to be merely aspirational, but now with manufacturers producing more and more beautiful products that keep water conservation and energy use top-of-mind, consumers are finding it more obtainable.A major concern for marketers and communicators is how to effectively seize the opportunity that the sustainability movement represents to their businesses as everyone jumps on this bandwagon. With so much attention paid to the topic, it's hard for kitchen and bath designers to stand out from the pack. Following are a few tips for making this happen.
Tip #1: Know your customer well.
Understand their needs and address them in your communication. Anyone who chooses to work with a design professional isn't willing to sacrifice style for sustainability. They want both…and they want it at a price point that is within reach. Your good design practices will always take you further than sustainability. Your customers are conscious of their product and material choices, and even if they don't have the answers, they've been educated enough to ask the right questions. Be prepared to anticipate these and offer programs and packages that achieve these goals.Maintain a focus on quality, too. Longevity, for sure, is sustainable. Use quality differentiators to set apart your services by focusing your marketing materials on products with best-in-class warranties in addition to efficiency and recyclability.
Tip #2: Act quickly to take advantage of newsworthy topics and current events.
With the advent of the "Cash for Appliances" stimulus package following the "Cash for Clunkers" program this fall, consumers are being given an incentive to upgrade now versus later. The cash for clunkers-like appliance rebate may not be huge, but it is making news. Ride the wave. Take advantage of the appliance stimulus that authorizes rebates of $50 to $200 for purchases of high-efficiency household appliances with the Energy Star seal.
Tip #3: Develop hard-hitting, specific messages that communicate how you are different.
Many marketing professionals cite the story of Home Depot launching its Eco Options product program. As The New York Times reported when Home Depot was launching the program, the retailer received more than 60,000 submissions for all sorts of products.
According to the Times, "Plastic-handled paint brushes were touted as nature-friendly because they were not made of wood. Wood-handled paint brushes were promoted as better for the planet because they were not made of plastic." When a term is so subjective, designers face the challenge of communicating how their designs and services qualify as "green."
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