Hummer Bummer: GM Wants Out of Guzzler Game†

Auto Giant Finds Out There's Less Green in Truck Brand Today

Advertising Age, June 9, 2008 — DETROIT (AdAge.com) — Hummer's rapid descent from hot to not is an automotive tale for our times.

As recently as 2006 the truck was still seen by many consumers as a fun — even cool — ride, making regular appearances in Hollywood (notably on HBO's "Entourage") and at big sporting and red-carpet events. It was also a sales success story for owner General Motors. Today it has become an economic, environmental and brand liability for the company — a fact not lost on GM Chairman-CEO Rick Wagoner, who looks like he wants the off-roader off the books

Lodgers Look to Walk the Eco-Talk

New York Times, April 20, 2008 — ANOTHER town, another night, another lecture from the innkeeper about saving the planet.

To reduce your harmful carbon emissions, we have replaced guest-room bath towels with tea towels and showers with sponge baths. For the sake of the Earth, save energy! Squint! And remember, lights out at 10 p.m.,” the placard on the hotel room nightstand might say.

That’s an exaggeration, of course. But it’s not too far from the attitude that some hotels have projected about the environment — while scolding and annoying their customers in the process.

Do People Care About Your 'Green' Message? Yes†

Nielsen Report Shows Perils of Exaggerating Ecological Good Deeds

Advertising Age, April 1, 2008 — As if you didn't know this already, a new report from Nielsen Online proves it: When it comes to going green, companies just can't fake it.

The report calls greenwashing a "failed corporate strategy" and urges brands to aim for transparency and consistency instead. "Bloggers are quick to condemn 'greenwashing' when they suspect companies misrepresent their environmental impact with aggressive PR campaigns — as spurious attempts to be 'green,'" according to "Sustainability Through the Eyes and Megaphones of the Blogosphere."

Quality over Green: Nike's New Air Jordan

The latest in the popular line of basketball shoes hits stores as part of Nike's sustainable design line. But the company is hyping performance, not green

BusinessWeek, January 25, 2008 — Nike's (NKE) new Air Jordan XX3 sneaker, which arrives in stores on Jan. 25, won't have a trace of the color green on it. Rather, the limited-edition shoe will be available in the color combination of white, blue, and gray. And although the shoe was made with earth-friendly materials, and even inspired the invention of a sewing machine to help manufacture footwear with fewer chemical glues, the company is not focusing on the "green" aspect of the sneaker.

Stories of the Year†

Plus Marketing Follies

Advertising Age, December 17, 2007 — There were plenty of real, market-shifting stories this year, ranging from Rupert Murdoch's Dow Jones play to Facebook to the unstoppable rise of digital.

Baseball, Apple Pie... and Mahindra?

How an Indian company plans to woo America's heartland with its fuel-efficient SUVs and pickups

BusinessWeek, November 5, 2007 — Engineers from India design advanced jet engines, write some of the world's most sophisticated software, and run massive global computer networks. But can they make a pickup truck that will sell in America's heartland?

Mahindra & Mahindra, a conglomerate based in Mumbai, intends to find out. In spring, 2009, the company plans to launch two- and four-door pickups and a sport-utility vehicle in the U.S.

50 Ways to Green Your Business

Half-a-hundred options for cleaning up your business, from the universal (catch that rainwater!) to the specific (lose the plastic bowls!). Mix, match--join in

Fast Company, November 1, 2007 — Imagine asking today how the Internet affects business. It's an absurd question, like asking how electricity changed business. Asking the same about sustainability, it turns out, is equally absurd. Like the Internet, sustainability spurs innovation in everything, from how you see your business model to whether you see your employees (why not let them work at home more?). Here are our favorite ways companies today are greening up--and saving money and making better widgets in the process.

At Frog, Being Green Isn’t Easy; It’s Essential

Committing to clean design

Fast Company, November 1, 2007 — Looking back, 2007 may well be remembered as the year green went mainstream: Al Gore got an Oscar, Wal-Mart flogged organic jammies, and bottled water went from being a symbol of purity to the beverage equivalent of a pack of Luckies.

Nowhere, perhaps, has the green ethos been embraced more fervently than in the design community, a group that, in the words of Frog Design president and COO Doreen Lorenzo, "inherently wants to do good and change the world."

Turning Green into Gold

Prophet, October 1, 2007 — In this article, Andrew Pierce argues that the question for most companies is not if they will take action to make their brands environmentally friendly, but when and the extent to which they will do so. He then discusses what it takes to successfully make green work as a business and brand builder.

Wal-Mart Brands Its Green Strategy†

Retailer to Unveil Energy-Saving Line Of Own Light Bulbs

Wall Street Journal, September 20, 2007 — One of the biggest U.S. proponents of energy-saving, compact-fluorescent light bulbs will double its bet on the technology as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. unveils its own line of the spiral-shaped bulbs under one of its in-house brands.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer by sales, plans for its Great Value CFL bulbs to cost less than brand-name bulbs, pricing a pack of four bulbs at $7.58, or roughly the price of a three-pack of brand-name bulbs. The Bentonville, Ark., retailer intends to stock its bulbs in 3,000 — or nearly three-quarters — of its U.S. stores this month. It is expected to announce its plan today.