As environmental awareness continues to rise, the average consumer has become more conscious of the need to make greener choices.

A post at the Osocio blog highlights a satirical cartoon from Lunchbreath that skewers marketers who respond to the trend with disingenuous, "greenwashed" packaging that relies on elements like this:

• Sans serif type
• Earth tones
• Emotional messaging (e.g., "You're a goddamn hero!")
• Unbleached paper
• Green symbols (e.g., the recycling icon)

Nor does the Lunchbreath cartoon let hypocritical consumers off the hook. Such packaging, it notes tongue-in-cheek, also comes with two key benefits:

• Customers can feel progressive without actually changing their habits.
• Thanks to the earth tones, litter doesn't appear so obvious.

The cartoon points to a growing cynicism among proponents of eco-friendly policies: fake green marketing for fake green customers has made them suspicious of any claim to actual green credentials. "According to [a] poll on Treehugger," notes the Osocio blog, "67% of you vote that companies using 'sustainable' in their marketing are not to be trusted."

Your Marketing Inspiration: Have ready evidence to support your green-oriented marketing and—even then—be prepared for potential backlash from true believers.

More Inspiration:
Beth Harte: All Marketers Are Not Created Equal
CK: Marketers, Your Data Awaits
Paul Williams: The Best Brainstorming:
Nine Ways to Be a Great Participant

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