I’ve begun preliminary research on a branding strategy for a new solar paneling business. As much as I believe in the concept of “going green,” I struggle with branding a business as such. I do think that the concept will stick around for the long run, but eventually the commonly heard phrases associated with being environmentally-friendly will be trite and overused (if not already?).
Argo, how do you create a branding strategy for a business that’s main goal is to promote energy efficient power without sounding too trendy? I wish I could answer this with confidence, but I’m still trying to figure it out myself!
- Stay away from a logo design that is too trendy. This article from LogoLounge shows some of 2008′s most trendy logos. Of course, it’s easy to be influenced by the current trends in logo design, but you don’t want your logo looking dated only a few years after spending big money on your branding.
- Differentiate yourself from competition. David Airey’s Ecomatrica logo is a great example of how to create a logo that reflects an earth-friendly image, without looking like every other “green” logo out there. Rather than using shades of green, which is reflective of many other earthy logos, he used shades of blue; thus differentiating Ecomatrica from it’s competition.
- Be creative with your name. Is the goal of your business is to promote a cleaner fuel? Is your new product an environmentally-friendly shopping bag? Well, name your company or product something that will stand out from all the others out there. NatureWorks, LLC created a new product called Ingeo – and I think the name defines so much. I immediately think “ingenious” “geographic” and “green” without any of those words being in the identity. Get creative with your business name, make it memorable and unique, it will be stuck with you for a long time!
Can you think of any other recommendations for branding an earth-friendly business?
Great question Ali (and sorry I’m about 2 months late on this one :))
You know, branding a solar company with the primary message of “going green” actually might be redundant in general. If, in fact, the primary customer base for the business is a group of consumers who have already made the decision to use solar power (and thus are simply comparing various vendors), the “going green” message is probably mostly wasted on that group. They surely don’t need convincing that going green is an important decision for them to make – they’ve already made that mental leap.
At that stage, you’re right, it *does* become about differentiating between companies, and particular competitive advantages within that sphere. Items such as cost, convenience, support, reputation, etc. become important branding factors here. Like a consumer who chooses between cars to buy, they don’t need to be convinced that they need a car, they need to be convinced which particular car is better. Just because it allows you to drive isn’t an advantage that ends up making a difference at this point – the assumption is made in the consumer’s mind that *all* the options have at least this baseline feature.
Likewise, the advantage of “going green” with a solar company is a weak value proposition – a consumer interested in solar panels assumes that *all* solar companies provide at least this value point. It becomes incredibly difficult to brand a business based on a value proposition that everyone has by default.
Just a few thoughts!
Thanks so much for the belated comment. On a blog where I only post once every 2 months, you’re right on time! :)
I’m glad to see you agree with my views on this. I ended up steering clear of “going green” when branding this company. My goal was to create an authentic look for those in the industry as well as the “greenies”. You’re absolutely right – an energy efficient company obviously promotes energy conservation, but what makes them better than the other guys? How do they go the extra mile?
You mentioned some great selling points (Cost, convenience, support, reputation, etc), but I wanted to add to your “etcetera”. I think innovation is a huge one in this industry. In a company that’s rooted in the bettering of energy technologies, innovation becomes a huge selling point. Market your forward thinking ideas to the early adopters and watch your ideas turn into a marketable product!
Thanks for that refreshing post, its great to find similar minded people out there. Check out our website too http://www.everygreenthing.net, you can add your blog to our directory for free and get more traffic!
everyone should Go Green so that we can help the environment.~’~
going green is always the best thing to do. it helps the environment a lot.,.’
everything should be green these days, let us help mother earth”:’
we should always Go Green to help the environment, always use products that are earth friendly;-~
it is always a good idea to go green because we always want to help the environment `.: