I hope Al Gore's "An Incovenient Truth" caused you indigestion. You can be indifferent but the truth is, you're also in this mess. The good news is, you still have a choice and can do something about the problem. Right now I'm making some personal choices, starting with simple things like turning off the main switches (rather than leaving appliances on standby modes) and the tap when I'm brushing my teeth (as opposed to letting the water flow), etc., to play my part in making a difference. My goodness, I'm even going to start my new-car-fund for a Toyata Prius ...when it starts to sell in this part of world!
Be inspi(RED)
Since the screening of "An Inconvenient Truth", brands like Home Depot and Timberland are trying to position themselves as "eco-friendly". But could this be just a convenient ploy to mislead customers? Especially since these eco-claims are not verified by any proper third party authority besides their own marketing department and creative agencies?
They should probably take a few notes from Pepsico's Smart Spot program. The company got the FDA involved in certifying some of their products as "healthy" and this lends a lot of credibility, further boosting consumers' confidence in Pepsico's products. There's really no short cut if you want to do it right...
Check out (RED)'s business model and be inspired! I sincerely believe that we, as marketers, can still make a difference and drive profit with a purpose. (RED) is basically made up of a group of brands who have agreed to work together under the same banner and contribute a portion of the sales of their (RED) branded products to a worthy life saving cause. Of course, it also helps that there's a credible guy like Bono to led this initiative and create even more awareness.
While reports on the sale of (RED) products have been very positive - raising over USD12 mil for the (RED) / The Global Fund - detractors are however, not convinced that buying is the solution. After all, buying a $100 product is not the same as giving $100 to charity.
Some of the big brands under (RED) include: Converse, Amex, Armani, GAP, Apple ("red" apple ipod - how cool is that!), and Motorola. But we've only seen the Motorola SLVR RED phone being sold here through a tie up with Celcom.
