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One of the problems with “green marketing” is that, ironically, appearing “too green” can scare away a sizable segment of the market. See the story about Philips “earth bulb” light bulbs on Joel Makower’s recent blog post for an example.
Household cleaning products are a commodity that has seen a number of “green” entrants, such as Seventh Generation, Simple Green, and Dr. Bronner’s just to name a few. These products vary quite a bit in terms of their actual chemical nature. Some vaguely calling themselves “bio-degradable” and others going into great detail about only containing certain essential, natural oils. But with few exceptions “green” is central to their marketing and branding, with “works great too” somewhat secondary.
Beauty Engineered Forever is a brand of ecologically sound cleaning products currently available only in New Zealand. Their approach to branding has been refreshingly different, well recieved, and has positioned them well against traditional cleaning products in a highly saturated market.
Global brand agency Enterprise IG was instrumental in the product branding. Their stated objective with the project: to “forever redefine the way green products are perceived”. The result is an unprecidented, fun labeling, that “literally starts a conversation” with the shopper. Only in the fine print is “greener” mentioned. A hip style and the simple expectation that the product will do exactly what it says win out.
Despite the subtlety of the green label, B_E_E products are the only cleaning products to have been awarded the New Zealand Government “Environmental Choice” Award, apparantly the toughest global standard.
The company has been enjoying solid local success (and praise) with four introductory products and is currently in the final rounds of attracting a NZ$300K-500K investment for a major expansion push overseas. With nothing like it available in the US, it’s almost a sure thing.
Comments
September 28, 2005 at 23:01 pm PDT | Victoria E writes:
I hope they arrive here soon. I use Seventh Generation & Method (from Target) products to do all my cleaning, but a newcomer is always great!
September 29, 2005 at 9:16 am PDT | Ken Chung writes:
Perhaps it’s a sign that sustainability has arrived at the mainstream … “method” is a brand of household cleaners that are environmentally sensitive. You can find “method” at your neighborhood Target (and other stores).
Or, buy online at http://www.methodhome.com/
You won’t find any mention of the founders/brand environmental concerns on their packaging (if I remember right). The products, though, are biodegradable and made from natural ingredients. Their message is quite simple too: Looks great, does the job, and so what if it’s good for the environment.
PS. I wasn’t pd to do the plug.
February 22, 2006 at 10:16 am PST | The Beauty Blog writes:
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