As letterboxes fill up with direct mail and concerns grow about the consumption of natural resources and the destruction of the rainforests, questions are being asked about how to make marketing greener. Ian Basford makes some suggestions.
The arts are probably one of the oldest advocates of marketing, with theatre being one of the first exponents of the earliest type of viral marketing: using gossip and word-of-mouth to promote the latest show. Techniques have moved on apace since then. There are now more choices and routes to market than ever before. From the more traditional leaflets and direct mail to floor graphics to petrol pumps, it seems we cant get out of bed in the morning before some organisation is trying to get us to buy their product. How many pieces of direct mail were in your post this morning? In 2004 a total of 5,418 million items were sent out, not including general door-drops of leaflets. Making sure your own message is seen and understood through this mountain of marketing is getting increasingly difficult. It is so easy to simply do more of what you are doing now, doubling the print run and buying more mailing lists in the hope that more people will see you. But lets stop and think for a moment.
On average, each adult receives one ton of direct mail during his or her lifetime, 90% of which ends up in landfill. A forest the size of Wales is used for paper production every year. Paper production is the third largest industrial user of fossil fuels and it is the largest commercial user of water per kilo of finished product worldwide. The issues are complex. There is the production of the raw ingredients of the paper and printing industry, transport methods, the distance materials are transported and then the issue of what happens to the product when we, the consumers, have finished with it. Landfill must be reduced and the government is committed to a reduction of waste, with the possibility of waste taxes just around the corner. The Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, has recognised that this situation cannot continue and has worked with the industrys lead body on direct mail, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), and together they have set targets for the reduction of the amount of direct mail that ends up in landfill.
Recycling
Historically, marketeers have paid scant regard to these issues, but now is the time to wake up. It is true that we can help the environment by using paper produced from consumer waste paper but the process of making this recycled paper can be as harmful overall as making paper from virgin wood pulp. While alternative materials from algae to elephant dung are being investigated for the production of paper, most of these products have limited uses, are produced in limited amounts, are relatively expensive and are largely untested as to their lifecycle impact on the environment. There are, of course, always exceptions to the rule: some paper producers and a handful of printing companies are working very hard to reduce impacts and by choosing the right suppliers you can help dramatically.
These days, marketeers can benefit from the use of electronic media within our marketing mix. Using a sensible media mix can contribute to a more sustainable industry. Ask yourself some questions next time you are considering your choice of media. For example, if you can attract the right target group in both the free press and paid-for press consider which of these is more likely to be wasteful in terms of resources? How many free newspapers go unread? Can any of your printed direct mail be converted to email instead? You may even find that you can make large savings in turning digital. Clearly, not everyone has access to electronic media and we should consider social inclusion, not least because those without access to computers may be a valuable part of our target audience. Embracing SMS marketing technology may help.
There are endless possibilities of reaching your market in a way that addresses the receivers needs and desires, whilst doing it in a green way. The world is about to burst forth with a digital revolution. Our whole concept of how we are entertained is going to change. A new computer processor developed last year by IBM and Sony is incredibly fast, and this thing is so powerful that only three years ago it would have been classed as one of the worlds fastest super computers. Its use PlayStation 3! We will see simultaneous release of new films in theatres, on DVD and on Internet television (IPTV). Steven Spielberg is allegedly close to a breakthrough in 3D cinema without those sassy 50s style glasses! This new digital world will give the marketer even more choice. For sure, marketing will become more focused and more personal and, with this new technology, the need for paper-based productions will inevitably reduce. Why not steal a lead on your competitors and start now?
Managing risk
Lets just think for a moment about practicalities. Take a theatre that uses offer-based marketing 2-for-1 or half-price deals for example, and that prints offer coupons that are distributed to the local area. Lets say they get a 3% return, which is average, then the cost per redeemed coupon when you take production and distribution costs into account could be £34. What if the same theatre uses a database it has built of previous customers? So far so good, they are reducing environmental impact by only talking to people they know are interested in their product and redemption is usually higher. However, this doesnt find those precious new consumers we all seek. Research may prove that 90% of the customer base have email accounts, so better still embrace digital communication. In the US there is a service called Coupons.com, which will be here shortly, where you make your offer available to anyone interested. Potentially you are reaching wider audiences and, even better, you only pay Coupons.com for every coupon that is downloaded thereby increasing your redemption rates and vastly reducing your production costs.
It wont be long until someone devises a way to target us while we sleep, but in the meantime consider all options available to you and dont just do what youve done before; do something different and stand out. You may think it a risk and it may be out of your comfort zone. However, you can minimise risk by doing trials. Evaluate your return on investment and your cost of sale, experiment with new technology, target more closely and you can reduce your impact on our planet.
One final thought: Christmas is days away now and, in the UK one billion Christmas cards will end up in the bin in less than a month and enough wrapping paper will be used to wrap Guernsey! Does your organisation send out Christmas cards? We all like to receive something at this time of year, it shows were remembered, and possibly respected, as customers, but why not send something that might last a little longer or send something electronically if you can!
Ian Basford is a marketing consultant.
t: 01344 780603; e: email@idbasford.co.uk;
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