A very popular show in Canada, the Dragon’s Den, is looking for the next great “green” invention – or “Greenvention”
For this season, the Dragons’ Den is teaming up with Frito Lay Canada’s SunChips to look for Canada’s best Greenvention. Eco-preneurs can pitch their green inventions at local auditions or online until Thursday, April 22 (Earth Day), for a chance to win $100,000.
What’s a Greenvention? Well, it’s an eco-friendly idea that makes a big difference in the world. SunChips recently introduced their Greenvention: the world’s first compostable chip bag. And now, CBC’s Dragons’ Den has teamed up with SunChips to search for the best Greenvention.
Every entry must submit a video for public discussion on the Dragons’ Den website.
Conventional wisdom might dictate that in these tough economic times, going green is a luxury to be avoided.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
While sustainability may have once been viewed as a frivolous “niche” venture, numerous surveys and studies show that pursuing sustainability is an increasingly intelligent strategy, potentially leading to greater efficiency and more powerful brands. This, of course, leads to greater fiscal rewards.
Greening your business is essential if you want to keep up with changing demographics. With anxieties about climate change and the future of the environment constantly on the media’s radar, sustainability and green living are now mainstream concerns. This means that the economic climate, once dominated by a cavalier lack of concern for the environment, must shift to keep pace. As consumers become increasingly concerned with the ethical ramifications of purchasing decisions, brands that reflect and respond to these concerns will reap the benefits on the bottom line.
Not only consumer relations, but also business-to-business relations are increasingly speaking the language of sustainability. As the profile and profitability of green branding rises in the marketplace, green businesses stand to benefit by establishing brand synergy with like-minded partners and associates.
The economic climate is, at the moment, rather arid. But one sure way to ensure that your brand can face the challenges that lie ahead is to incorporate sustainability and green thinking into your business model.
In an earlier post, I was critical of an advertisement from UA, a furniture maker that is seriously committed to the environment and sustainability.
I recently came across a new ad from the company that I see as a dramatic step in the right direction; its simple, clear, has a strong call to action and is even a little fun. Have a look, compare it to its previous ad, and let me know which one you find most effective.
The other day I was checking my Yahoo email account and was driven to distraction by an on-line ad that made it virtually impossible for me to access my email. The culprit was one of those incredible annoying banner ads that expands to take up more and more of your screen space, and is nearly impossible to avoid. On several occasions I tried to click the “mail” icon only to be taken to a site dedicated to promoting HP’s latest computer. After a few failed attempts, my annoyance not only grew towards Yahoo, but also HP. I’ve come to the conclusion that poorly designed and executed on-line advertising may not only be ineffective, but may also actually a company’s brand.
The next day I came across a beautifully simple and elegant ad, at least from my perspective, that did more than just consume my entire monitor. Take a look at the ad for the latest Toyoya Prius I came across on the dictionary.com website. The functionality of the site is in no way affected by the ad, yet it is absolutely impossible to avoid “consuming” the message of the advertisement. In fact, I found the visual appeal and design of the ad actually enhanced the experience I had that day using the dictionary.com website.
It’s wonderful to see that more and more goods and services that are environmentally friendly, and socially responsible, being promoted by smart and effective creative.
It’s great to see leading companies committed to sustainability.
At first, I was excited to see this ad for eco-friendly furniture. Then, upon reflection, realized that the ad was just not well conceived. They have a great story, but the average consumer is simply not going to invest the time to read this very dense ad. We need marketing and communications that speaks and convinces the masses that they need to buy sustainable, environmentally sound products and services. This ad unfortunately speaks only to the already converted.
