Ideas of Substance: Beyond Green – Branding Sustainable Businesses for Sustained Success
In the recent past, being “green” alone provided companies with a significant competitive advantage, but today simply being green is no longer enough to create differentiation and secure brand loyalty.
Today’s green businesses must differentiate more than ever – and that means both communicating a compelling brand story and delivering on each green promise. They must go beyond green.
So, how do business leaders faced with the challenge of marketing their organizations in the increasingly crowded sustainable marketplace create an empowering brand that stands out in the sea of green? Businesses that desire sustained success need to superpower their green position.
Where to start
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Create a list of every environmentally responsible action and program that currently exists in your organization and make sure that your employees, customers and prospects are aware of what you are doing.
- Ask where within the “green” category your organization fits. Are you the green leader in your industry? What programs and policies would affirm your position even more?
- Ascertain the visibility of your sustainable practices. Are they up front and visible in your communications? Is the media aware of your efforts? Brainstorm ways to bring your organization’s sustainability story to the forefront.
- Make your sustainability program real and tangible for your customers and prospects. Design a green customer experience that makes your commitment to sustainability visible at each point of contact.
- Finally, always make sure you have proof for every single claim you make public to avoid “greenwashing” – accountability and transparency are a must in today’s business environment.
Launched:
U.S. Green Building Council – Maryland: Visual System Development
Working with the overall concept of buildings, environment and people and leveraging the national brand while creating a unique personality for the chapter, Substance151 developed a modular design system and a visual vocabulary of colors, imagery and typographic and graphic elements that can be configured in various ways for a multitude of applications. This flexibility allows USGBC Maryland to address its diverse communications needs efficiently and cost-effectively, while maintaining the integrity of its brand.
The result: The strategic decisions that we made at the onset of the project allowed them to cut costs without cutting corners so that USGBC Maryland now projects a consistent, professional image that appeals to its members, attracts sponsors and makes USGBC Maryland a sought-after strategic partner.
Current:
Substance151’s work for Baltimore Bioneers was selected as a “Featured Greener Case Study” by re-nourish.com.
Substance151 is featured in the e-book, Graphics Gone Green: Ways to Go Green Without Losing Your Shirt.
One of Substance151's clients – Evergreen Elementary School – recently was featured in The Baltimore Sun. Substance151 has developed a series of environmental graphics around the school's green features (Evergreen Elementary is in line for LEED Gold).
