Yesterday, Chrysler/Fiat’s new CEO Sergio Marchionne presented the 5-year business plan he hopes will save Chrysler, and bring Fiat back to the US market for the first time in nearly 30 years. The company presented its plan during a live, seven-hour-long marathon webcast, which was notable for two things: first, a virtually unprecedented willingness to discuss future product, and, second, the conspicuous absence of New Chrysler’s much-ballyhooed ENVI electric-vehicle division.

What happened to the Dodge EV? Can we expect some innovative green tech from Marchionne’s new Dodge product future? The depressing reality, after the jump.

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In my work in Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainable business, Whole Foods has always been a company to benchmark against.  They were one of the first major retailers to offset 100% of their energy use with wind energy credits; voluntarily stop using plastic bags company-wide; join the Non-GMO Project’s Product Verification Program; and develop a certification program, the Whole Trade Guarantee, in partnership with non-profits.  Plus, the company has received a plethora of sustainability and environmental awards and recognition.  So I was just wondering…with a track record like that, can a renegade CEO damage the company’s brand reputation as a socially responsible company?  Well, John Mackey, co-founder and chief executive of Whole Foods, is sure giving it the old college try.

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Green Printer speaks with Sigrid Albert, Principal and Art Director of StepUp Communications, a company that focuses on creative services for internal communications.

A post by contributing writer Melissa Chungfat.

Some of your clients integrate sustainability in their business. What advice would you give to green start-up businesses in terms of identity and design?

Having a clear vision and direction for your company is the first step. From there, you can create your visual identity. Green businesses already have clear values to communicate, which makes it easier to design for them. Their visual identity should reflect what the business does and the best thing is for them to follow through with their promise. Be clear about what your strengths are and the direction your business is going, and designers can help with that process.

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In a swath of green fury, there is a whole new market emerging which most consumers have heard of but for the most part, have no clue if it will ever become relevant to their daily lives.   To some degree none of us know what role we will individually play in our march toward a low carbon economy, yet there are signals locally and globally that the carbon market may ultimately have significant influence in our daily choices.  The question is  - who will guide us in the adoption of practices that will make a real difference?

To a certain degree, it is probably too early to ask this question.  The early days of the mobile phone industry were governed by industry wide regulation, distribution and demand.  Demand drove consumers to purchase despite mass confusion over cost protocol and brand authorities didn’t emerge until the market had stabilized and penetrated the most sought after consumer – the teen.  It took us over a decade to begin to feel like we understood how to evaluate “Rollover minutes” against “Nights and Weekends Free” against the “Family Plan” (although one could argue we still don’t know why we’re locked into two year contracts).

So, it’s likely that we are ten even twenty years before we truly begin to understand what the outcomes the current administration’s carbon initiatives locally and abroad are about as they relate to understanding our role in reducing the carbon in the atmosphere.  This is an operational challenge that will be driven by regulation not demand.   Yet there seems to be market activity that signals this evasive concept-commodity could, and actually is, being productized at a mass consumer level.

Many airlines now offer individuals the opportunity to purchase carbon offsets at the point of their ticket purchase and online calculators such as the one found at Terrapass provide individuals and businesses the opportunity to purchase carbon credits to offset their output.  Termed “offsets” these credits are created by businesses reducing their prescribed carbon output or by organizations naturally protecting sequestered carbon.  Most of us have begun to hear the term “offset” but will readily admit we have no idea what it really means, let alone cite the “standard” that our carbon purchase has been verified against (which would indicate its value).

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Advertisers do pretty well with sports. In fact advertising has been woven into and is actually a part of the entertainment experience now.   But events marking history, events that speak to the core of our humanity rarely provide solid platforms to convincingly reach out to audiences and failed attempts often do more damage than good.  However, Target’s simple message to promote volunteering in honor of Martin Luther King Day not only managed to be classy, but it ingeniously captured the spirit of the times.

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In the western world of chaotic consumerism, we know for fact that this notion of ‘build it and they will come’ does not work without a hefty marketing budget.  There is simply no way we would have had a clue what a Google or a Tivo or a Yahoo was without their marketing dollars.

But what about in an emerging market where farmers just need new drip irrigation systems or pumps?  Or perhaps access to life support medication?  Though these products may be new (just like Google was to us), it is arguable that what could be used for marketing dollars should perhaps be used to provide access, education or financial consultation for these mission critical life enhancing products.   One could argue that building a brand here seems unnecessary or worse, imprudent.

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When it comes to branding a green business, it’s becoming harder and harder to stand out in a sea of companies claiming to have green products and ethical practices. While it’s wonderful that green is going mainstream, it makes good, original branding even more important for green businesses.

How do you set your business apart and attract new customers in a competitive marketplace? You work on your image, your public face, and your reputation. In a word, your brand.

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