“Today’s environmental concerns are more complex, far-reaching and interconnected than those of the past,” says Paul Verna, senior analyst at eMarketer and author of the new report, Green Online: Growing Awareness. “And the Internet provides a powerful forum for corporations, marketers, policymakers and average citizens to engage in active conversations about how to approach the issues.”
“Last year was the tipping point for green marketing as a whole,” says Jessica Hogue, research director of Nielsen Online. “Every type of company is now getting into the mix.”
And many of them are getting into the mix online.
“The We Campaign, an environmental awareness project launched by former Vice President Al Gore, has allocated a substantial portion of its projected $300 million budget toward online advertising,” says Verna.
The campaign is using display ads, video ads, e-mail, social networking, mobile outreach, viral marketing and other new media tactics to advocate its cause.
Retailers (Wal-Mart and Home Depot), technology companies (Apple and HP) and packaged-goods manufacturers (Unilever and Procter & Gamble) are experimenting with environmental programs and road-testing them on the Web.
