Green marketing: a strategic balancing act for creating value

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to illustrate that when practiced correctly, environmental marketing can represent promising opportunities for value creation and market growth. For many companies, the practice of environmental marketing has delivered disappointing results.

Design/methodology/approach

Building from examples of companies that have successfully transcended traditional environmental marketing, we create a model for strategic product positioning. We rely on illustrations from companies in a variety of industries that target both consumer and business markets.

Findings

We describe five strategies that are built upon value drivers for green products such as image, status, functionality and brand management through authenticity and superior offerings. We also emphasize the importance of strategies that target commercial markets for green products, which represent valuable opportunities for growth.

Originality/value

Companies often confront the challenge of positioning the green attributes of their products or services. Lessons from the past have shown that this task must be carefully executed. Understanding the strategies presented here is critical for the success of new products or new marketing initiatives.

Citation

J. Dean, T. and F. Pacheco, D. (2014), "Green marketing: a strategic balancing act for creating value", Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 35 No. 5, pp. 14-22. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-11-2013-0109