Experts Say Web 2.0 Is Driving Green into Mainstream

Web 2.0 experts are lined up to speak at the Good and Green Conference, November 29-30 in Chicago. The Good and Green Conference is the green marketing conference designed to teach mainstream marketing professionals how to tap into the benefits of green marketing without greenwashing. Conference organizers say more than 66 of Americans believe that "doing well by doing good is a savvy business strategy."

According to these Web 2.0 experts, bloggers and social media sites have helped drive the niche environmental movement of the early Earth Days into mainstream audience discussions across the world. They also believe that green is the new color of a company's bottom line.

Blog Action Day on October 15 Supports Web 2.0 Experts' Belief

Pam Gaulin from Associated Content says that more than 8,000 writers and bloggers will be writing about the environment on Blog Action Day, October 15. According to Gaulin, the combined readership of the participating blog entries will surpass 5.6 million by October 15.

David Wigder, Senior Vice President of Digitas, and speaker at Good and Green, says, "Consumer participation online is blurring the distinction between advertising and content. Green is not just about a product or brand, but also a social cause. Marketers must tap into the enthusiasm credibly, however, or they risk accusations of greenwashing."

MommyBloggers Can Influence Brands

PME Enterprises, organizers of the Good and Green Conference, adds that 89% of moms use the Internet at least twice a day. Traditional marketing companies should learn how to tap into this Web 2.0 consumer segment.

Muhammad Saleem is a lead writer/editor for the prominent marketing blog, Pronet Advertising. Saleem, also a speaker at Good and Green, is a social media expert on environment content. Saleem says, "Becoming a part of the online conversation is about creating credible, relevant content and authentically participating in online communities. While content is certainly king, in social media, community is just as royal."

Greenwashing

Web 2.0 Good and Green marketing experts caution companies that advertise green to avoid greenwashing. Greenwashing, dubbed by author Jerry Mander as Ecopornography, is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as "disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image."

CorpWatch gathers and disseminates information about companies who Greenwash and name Greenwash Awards each year. For years, Earth Day Resources for Green Living, now The Green Life, released an annual report called Don't Be Fooled in which it names the top 10 greenwashers of the year. One former top 10 greenwasher is Kraft for promoting its Post Select cereals as having natural ingredients, when in fact the corn in the cereal is genetically engineered.

Sponsors of the Good and Green Conference

The exclusive presenting sponsor of Good and Green is Discovery Communications' Planet Green. Other Good and Green sponsors include The Natural Marketing Institute, The Daily Green and Body + Soul magazine. Fast Company is the media sponsor. NativeEnergy is the Official Carbon Offset Sponsor.

Sources:

PME Enterprises
http://www.digital50.com/news/items/PR/2007/09/06/NETH096/industry-experts-share-how-the-greening-of-consumers-affects-the-marketing-efforts-/

Good and Green
http://www.goodandgreen.biz/

Bloggers & Social Media Driving Green Mainstream
http://www.goodandgreen.biz/10_10_07.html

Greenwashing
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Greenwashing

Greenwash Awards
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14720

MommyBloggers
http://www.digital50.com/news/items/PR/2007/09/19/NEW070/mommybloggers-are-powerful-influencers-brands-can-authentically-engage-say-blogging.html

Don't Be Fooled
http://www.thegreenlifeonline.org/dontbefooled.html

Blogging for the Environment
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/409044/blogging_for_the_environment_blog_action.html