Apr 05 2011
Where marketing and the environment clash
As I was browsing through some of my classmates’ blogs in search of inspiration, I stumbled upon a post by Andrea Lee on packaging, and how, as it was in the case of bananas, it can be sometimes overdone. This thought accompanies me constantly on my trips to Safeway, where I see mountains of plastic and paper used to catch consumers’ eye, offer information on the product, or simply take up space on the shelf.
The differences and benefits of primary and secondary packaging are well covered in the textbook, which states how the former is designed to be as user-friendly as possible, and the latter’s primary purpose is to be informative and easy to store and display. Both are important tools in creating brand equity, but unfortunately it’s not all they create. Every time I buy grocery, clothes, cosmetics or electric appliances I always struggle with the vast amount of material I neither want nor need.
With the rapid deterioration of the environment I would sometimes be happy to give up some of the comfort of transportation or additional information on a product for making sure I do not pollute the planet more than I have to. What’s more, there’s possibility there for creativity in marketing this approach by the producers! Why not reposition your competition by pointing out their ignorance of sustainability, highlighting your own eco-friendliness? That would definitely be something new on the market.
And because I love Glee! and absolutely couldn’t resist, here’s a nice example of how a major media company uses their wildly popular product to campaign for civic responsibility and environmental sustainability: 
What are you doing for Earth Day 2011?