[Video Link for Email/Other Subscribers - 40min]
In this presentation from Sustainable Brands 08, Bill Morrissey from Clorox describes the company’s strategy for leveraging sustainability into 3 brands: Brita, Burt’s Bees, and GreenWorks.
One major thing that stood out was Bill’s acknowledgment that some of the brands in Clorox’s portfolio were unsustainable, but that they’re on a path forward to make continuous improvements. This is a key communication tactic, as branding yourself as ‘green’ can be quite risky. Activists will be quick to point out any deficiencies in your company and will say that you’re greenwashing should you decide to remain quiet about particular operations or brand attributes.
Brita
An older brand for one, but as society has lately qualmed about the waste from plastic water bottles, Brita has seen sales growth as people will use the filter for refrigerator pitchers or reusable bottles on the go. One important sustainability question though, surrounds the filter itself and its afterlife. See TakeBackTheFilter.org
Burt’s Bees
Expensive acquisition for one, but a great brand overall. One of its key strengths is the ability to appeal to both men and women. The nice part of their marketing communications is in educating the public on its natural ingredients versus traditional chemical ones.
GreenWorks
So far, their sales are pretty good. It makes me wonder what ever happened to the Simple Green brand…was that relegated to the facilities and janitorial supply sector? I’m not necessarily keen on the fit of using the Sierra Club logo on the bottles though. What credibility do they have? In any case, we’ll have to see if/how the GreenWorks brand expands into additional categories. I kind of doubt they’ll put the money into additional new brands. Method and Seventh Generation are quite strong in this category, with the former having IMO a much better ability to branch out.
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seems to be very good, let´s see how it works on the market.
cheers