Five Strategies for Building Your Ethical Brand Without Being Accused of Greenwashing

By Jennifer_Rice on November 6, 2009 5 Comments align brand, Ben & Jerry's, BP, BP Solar, brand, brand building, brand differentiator, brand strategy, Clorox, corporate responsibility, CSR, CSR programs, customer experience, customer experiences, distribution channels, downtur, Ecomagination, ecosystem, Element, environmental initiative, ethical, ethical initiatives, ethical reputation, ethical value proposition, GE, goodwashing, greenwashing, GreenWorks, Heavenly Bed, ingredient brand, loyalty, managing perceptions, marketing, Marks & Spencer’s Plan A, McDonald’s, parent brand, philanthropy programs, PR, product brand, Reposition the Brand, reputation, Starwood, Target, triple bottom line, Unilever, Wal-Mart, Westin

There’s been a lot of discussion about elevating corporate responsibility to become a strategic driver of your business. Most companies would like to benefit from their ethical efforts in the form of increased customer attraction and loyalty, yet few have figured out how to do it successfully. When marketing and PR are relied on, it can often backfire in accusations of greenwashing. The secret is to apply brand-strategy principles to build your ethical reputation.