Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation

Abstract

Review: Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation by Jacquelyn Ottman Reviewed by DeMond Shondell Miller Rowan University of New Jersey Ottman, Jacquelyn. Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation. 2 nd edition. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Company, 1998. 270pp. US$24.95 hard cover ISBN: 0-8442-3239-4. Recycled paper, soy ink. Marketing ecologically sound products to consumers at a premium price represents green marketing's ultimate challenge. Ottman begins the book by presenting consumer and industrial trends that illustrate the greening of the current marketplace, while predicting that the marketplace of the 21 st century will be greener than ever. In defining green, she explains that consumers are demanding non-toxic products that are recyclable and environmentally friendly. Furthermore, she notes that there is a lucrative market for products that are responsive to the growing number of individuals with lifestyle concerns as environmentalism emerges as a social value. After the preliminary statements regarding former and present market strategies, Ottman explains the new marketing paradigm. The structure of the book is based on the primary assumption of this new paradigm, which asserts that products are no longer designed in a cradle to grave manner (47). Rather, manufactures are designing goods in a cradle to crave manner. By using a cradle-to-crave approach, manufacturers reify abstract environmental concepts such as recycling and reuse to ensure customer loyalty and improve financial holdings. Consumers are demanding that: Ecologically responsive corporations consider themselves to be like nature’s processes -- interdependent. These corporations join with corporate environmental stakeholders in cooperative, positive alliances, and they work hand in hand with suppliers and retailers to manage environmental issues throughout the value chain (47). In essence, teams converge to find the best holistic solution to environmental problems where the ultimate goal is to establish two bottom lines, one for profit and the other to reflect their contribution to society. After introducing the new marketing paradigm, Ottman provides several case studies to illustrate how successful application of green marketing