Method is a brand name for a home and body care product that seeks to clean people’s homes and bodies by removing all harmful chemicals from their lives. The method focuses on the green philosophy together with an emphasis on edgy marketing techniques. Method was founded by two former school mates and friends namely Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan back in the year 2000 (Pride 25). Lowry and Ryan have focused on green marketing, and their intriguing slogan for the San Francisco- based product is ‘People against dirt’. Green marketing refers to the method of selling products or services based on the environmental benefits of the product itself, its production process and the packaging techniques.
The following paper critically examines the product (Method) and the relationship between the product and green marketing. The analysis will explain how Method implemented the green marketing concept, why the product is successful in the highly competitive industry and how its success provides insight about the future of green marketing.
Implementation of Green Marketing concept
The founders, Lowry and Ryan implemented the green marketing concept in Method’s production and usage. One of the ways in which the concept has been implemented is through selling of green products. Method is a product that does not present a health hazard or danger to people or animals since it does not contain harmful chemicals. Nowadays, most products used as cleaning agents for people’s homes and bodies are made using different types of chemicals that are harmful to people’s and animal’s health. Also, method is an efficient product when it comes to its utilization of resources during production, use and disposal. This can be supported by the fact that the packaging used is derived from recyclable materials and it is also recyclable. The product also does not include any materials derived from any limited or endangered environments/ species. The product is usually packaged in small pump bottles that do not contribute to excessive wastage in the product’s usage or packaging. A green product must show a friendly environmental impact in all stages of its useful life (Pride 125). Method is usually made from natural and safe ingredients and an element of recyclable materials has been incorporated in to its life cycle. With its slogan ‘People against dirt’, Method removes and cleans harmful chemicals from the environment, a quality that emphasizes its relationship with the green philosophy. Lowry and Ryan’s business seems to incorporate product modification, packaging focus and advertising emphasis that contribute to environmental protection and conservation of resources.
Success of Method in the highly competitive market
Method is successful in penetrating the highly competitive industry due to its pricing and advertising strategies coupled with the green- product philosophy. Green marketing is not a new concept in the industry and several major companies have tried their shots on this concept. For example, 7th generation tried to incorporate green marketing but they did not succeed. Several companies have already failed to succeed in the highly competitive world of marketing. However, Method has proved otherwise by beating other big giants through an increased focus on fantastic packaging and advertising of the product.
Method’s advertising has sought mass recognition and distribution in large retailers instead of doing what every one else does- using the normal food stores for distribution. This differentiates Method from other similar products since it makes the product accessible to people who could not have accessed it in the stores. Examples of the distribution channels used to market Method are Target, Amazon.com and various large retailers. It seems that the founders believe that using such marketing strategies will assist in making the product reach more people in the already competitive industry. The pricing also has offered a great advantage in giving the product a competitive edge among similar products. The founders decided that they did not have to charge high prices that were being used by other companies that deal with eco- friendly products. To compete head on with the big cleaning brands, Method was offered at a relatively lower price than other similar products. This strategy of offering a fantastic eco- friendly product at an affordable price offers a competitive advantage over the competing brands. This gives an example of greener pricing that a number of companies has taken in order to audit and identify hidden environmental costs whenever they are deciding on product prices. There has been a growing concern of several environmentalists in that the prices of various products do not reflect on the incurred environmental costs (Ottman 59). Thus, the low prices characterized by Method formed a basis for the product to become very successful in the highly competitive industry of green products.
The other method that Method has used to penetrate deeper into the competitive market is green promotion and advertising. There has been an emphasis on the product packaging such that it differentiates itself from other similar cleaning agents. For example, the founders went all the way to find an enlisted designer, Karim Rashid, who had gained much experience by working for reputable brands like Pada and Dirt devil (Pride 25). This designer created great- looking containers with visually appealing packaging that would attract more customers in the market.
It seems like the founders had realized that sometimes clients buy a product not only because of the contents but also because of the appeal in the packaging. In spite of the customer’s ignorance, Method ends up benefiting a customer who actually did not understand the benefits but was just attracted by the physical appeal. Also, promotion of this product has resulted into making it a household name through the use of multimedia advertising that consists of intriguing slogans. For example, the founders realized that the competitors sold their products packaged in large containers and in order to counteract such a move, the multimedia advertising slogan turned to ‘Say no to Jugs’ and ‘Get off the Jug and stay clean’. The advert pointed out the advantage of measuring precise quantities of the detergent (Method) from an easy- to use pump bottle that seemed to be more user friendly than the ones from competitors. Thus, the founders have effectively used advertising and promotion in making Method a successful brand in the current competitive industry.
Method’s success and insights about the future of Green Marketing
Method’s success offers insights about the future of green marketing in several ways. Method has been a success in the highly competitive industry by emphasizing on green marketing and realizing annual earnings of up to $100million. This is a positive aspect of green marketing and it shows that eco- innovation or green marketing can lead to high sales and enhanced brand equity. Method’s marketing process expresses the fact that green marketing will change people’s perceptions such that they will start viewing a product’s greenness as an advantage, and buy products and services accordingly.
Skepticism among customers has been removed by the genuineness of the Method’s founders since their green claim is not false (Sometimes the public can discover that the product or service is not indeed green. This is usually referred to as green washing). In the future, it seems that businesses and organizations will not base green marketing only on making enormous profits; rather, owners and managers will be more concerned with taking responsibility to preserve the environment even as they satisfy customer needs (Ottman 57). Green marketing will continue to focus on environmental stewardship. This has been articulated in Method’s manner of using recyclable materials during manufacturing and the container being recyclable too. This practice will ensure that there is reduced waste, and the government will not need to put stringent measures and regulations since every owner or business will be environmentally responsible.
The companies dealing with eco- friendly products should shape their marketing strategy to highlight the company’s environmental efforts so that the message can reach many customers who can appreciate such efforts. Also, businesses and organizations dealing with green products should learn from Method’s efforts that smart marketing is all- round. In green marketing, professionalism needs to be observed by incorporating diverse thoughts from various relevant fields. For example, the two founders used their knowledge and expertise in different fields (Chemical engineering and marketing) to come up with a viable and unique plan of introducing Method to the market.
Conclusion
After doing the above analysis, one can conclude that Method implemented the green marketing concept through its usage of green product that was made from safe and natural ingredients. Also, Method succeeded in penetrating the highly competitive market by the use of focused green packaging and advertising (promotion). The product contained no harmful chemicals and the packaging containers were made from recycled materials and they were recyclable too. The product succeeded in defeating its competitors and achieving high profits. The product’s success provides insights about the future due to its approach in venturing into smart marketing that is all round, covering quality, innovation, value, design, convenience, availability and competitive advantage.
Works Cited
Ottman, Jacquelyn. The new rules of green marketing: strategies, tools, and inspiration for sustainable branding. San Francisco, CA: Berret- Koehler Publishers, 2011. : 54-60
Pride, William. Ferrell, O. C. Marketing: Method for success: Marketing beyond green. Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2012. : 25- 26
Pride, William. Ferrell, O. C. Foundations of Marketing: Method cleans up the Home Care Industry using Green marketing. (4thEd.). Mason: South Western Cengage Learning, 2011. : 120- 156
