Green Brands 2.0

A few days ago I was invited to speak at ISEG Business School Lisbon, at Green Marketing class on the Post-graduate course.Speaking from the perspective of a designer and not a marketeer, obviously.   I was asked to approach the theme of green brands and web 2.0.  I am not a social media expert but I am a social media user.  So I presented the students with examples that would lead to a discussion drawing their own conclusions, and eventually my 50cents point of view as a creative who interacts with green brands and social media.

For this we looked at contrasting examples of brands and intentionally did not look to analyze Dow Jones Sustainability Index companies or Interbrand Green Survey.   Instead looked at small brands, most on equal ground, because they provide an accessibility and transparency to content, free(er) of controversy.   The contrasting examples were, in the Western hemisphere brands that explore 2.0 to the max to communicate their responsible business, and a local Southeast Asia a particular brand (from personal experience) that has alot to communicate but falls short.

In Sum, this is what went down - Doi Tung (Social Enterprise, lives and breaths sustainable design, but does not (yet) take advantage of 2.0 tools to communicate to the world) Holstee  (the manifesto of values to live by that went viral) Toms shoes vs. Paez vs. Twins for Peace Toms eyeware vs. Wearby Parker Method vs. Ecovert