In past entries we have spoken of “real deal” Green PR vs. Greenwashing. Our research presented to public relations professionals on the subject shows a 400 percent increase in press stories around green and social responsibility in the past three years.  This trend will continue to grow.

An example of this type of story follows in this request to PilmerPR for a CSR oriented company: 

“Corporate Social Responsibility – XYZ magazine is looking to speak to corporations that have recently instituted a CSR program and is willing to speak about the reasons for doing so and give full details of the program, including how the company is engaging its employee base to get involved.” 

When considering future public relations strategies, corporate leaders will do well to “seize the day” with real deal sustainable processes and strategies. The press wants to cover the good news, and they will spotlight negligence for companies treating these areas lightly.  

CSR strategies should be articulated on the company website and appropriate press outreach with successes has the potential for depositing serious goodwill into the goodwill piggy bank against which to draw when public perception may turn negative.

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Many of my best life lessons have come from watching children. However, I was a bit surprised to open YouTube to find one of the most compelling environmental speeches of our day was given by a 13 year old. Watch for these 4 B’s in this young spokesperson prodigy.  

Be genuine

Be brief

Be factual

Be bold  

As public relations spokespersons these skills bring life to the message and motivate action.

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We just returned from a great PRSA Public Relations Conference in Portland, Oregon. We’ll be rolling out some PR strategies and tips over the coming weeks from that conference in the areas of Green PR, SEM / SEO (Search Engine Marketing & Search Engine Optimization), as well as Generational Marketing. Coming from the explosion of green and floral display of Spring in Oregon, I was encouraged to read that eight western states are now allied against the importation of 20,000 tons of nuclear waste from Italy to Utah. Why was I encouraged? Because I live in Utah and want it to step up as an environmental leader, not another greenwashing contestant.  

Utah’s public and indeed, world image will be greatly influenced in coming years by current battles being waged over Energy Solutions importation of foreign nuclear waste, as well as declining air quality (Salt Lake & Logan now in top 10 worst air quality by the American Lung Association). Governor Huntsman, Larry Miller (owner of Energy Solutions Arena and top seller of polluting automobiles in the state), along with mayors Utah Valley, where only a small fraction of citizens even recycle, should be fully awake now to the Public Relations and Tourism risk/opportunity associated with environmental protection in Utah.  

Lehi and West Valley City now require recycling.  I’m hopeful others are now listening?

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My son suggested that I should avoid an Earth Day blog entry about “Green” since “da man” would expect me to do it that day. His point being that too much of Green is feigned and we should be environmentally sustainable and exhibit corporate social responsibility 365 days a year.  With that said, the week of Earth Day I attended a great conference at the Sutherland Institute that helped evolve my understanding of corporate social responsibility. We talked about the unintended consequences of some behavior that is touted as Green, when in fact the end result has been negative.  

My favorite example: On December 18^th of 2007, the Associated Press reported “Midwest corn boom expands ‘dead zone’ in Gulf of Mexico.” The same day I read of legislation requiring “six-fold increase of ethanol by 2022.” Of course the volume from the first article was drowned out by the Green PR frenzy around the second. Since then, we have seen more negative impacts from the ethanol craze under the umbrella of “freedom from foreign oil” and the “green” thing to do. Among these is the rapid rise in the price of corn we eat, export, and the livestock that eat it. While there is growing concern about rising meat and other grocery costs, the slowing of corn exports for food is also having significant negative repercussions for underserved populations around the world. The news reports dozens of countries where the impoverished are protesting the life threatening rise in food prices.  

So the question of the day: Green at what cost?

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This past weekend I was excited to support my son’s first go at the Salt Lake City Marathon. He was pleased with the outcome as part of his long term objective to run a full marathon later this year. To prepare, he sought advice from successful runners, invested in great shoes, and trained for months. The positive outcome was predictable and satisfying as you can see from the smile on his face.  

That same smile has appeared on the face of clients following PilmerPR counsel regarding “sustained” public relations strategies. While some new startups think to dominate their category with a single press announcement, clients like Certiport, Seastone, AdvancedMD among others have seen repeated excellent press coverage of their news due to long term commitment to turn of the PR volume. Whether working on Eco PR or SEO PR, the principle of Endurance is the same. 

Something to think about if you want your company to dominate.

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Today it seems just about every company is trying to join the bandwagon of “earth-friendly” and “striving for a better world.”  Even utility and oil companies make these claims with elaborate Green PR campaigns.   While some of these companies are genuine, others are just offering consumers lip service as a marketing ploy.  We call that “greenwashing”- when a company overstates their commitment to the environment. 

Teague Bengtzen, President of Rocky Mountain Printing, recently gave an example of the difference between lip service and truly sustainable practices in Connect Magazine. 

“Several years ago, the big push in the printing business was recycled paper.  Recycling is great and needs to happen, but SFI and FSC certifications ensure that we’re planting more trees than we’re cutting down. We’re sustaining the environment, not just saying that we’re ‘environmentally friendly,’” Bengtzen says.   

PilmerPR research shows a threefold increase in green media coverage in the past few years.  As PR professionals, we are tasked with taking advantage of that trend, but we have to beware of greenwashing.

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As PR professionals, our ultimate goal is to get press coverage for our clients.  But not all press hits are created equally.  A truly successful PR campaign will result in a variety of hits in both small and large publications that cross all types of media.  The key is finding the most targeted publications, and then pitching the right editors.Depending on the company and their goals, the press list should have a minimum of three categories. 

• Vertical Trade Press
• Local Press
• Business Press

Remember, in each of these categories you should include social media, print and online publications, and broadcast media.  Then, once you’ve got a comprehensive press list to work from, you can pitch your client’s story.  For a more detailed look at building a comprehensive press list, click here to download more secrets to Building a Comprehensive Press List.

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The older I get the easier it is to understand long-term consequences. As a father, my young adult offspring have heard many times about “ripple effects” – those unintended after effects of our actions - for good or ill. Well, ripple effects radiate out from the actions, or lack thereof, of companies, governments and people every day.  

Look at the lingering after effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. With its own Wikipedia entry the long term ripple effects of crew negligence ran in to the hundreds of millions of dollars along with devastating environmental impact. There’s an above average chance that Exxon, convicted ship’s captain Joseph Hazelwood, the State of Alaska, and many others would like a “do-over” of that fateful mishap in 1989. Yet, the ripple effects from Prince William Sound continue even today.  If we are to learn from history, states, nations, and companies must consider the long-term Green PR ripple effects of our actions impacting the environment.

Consider the case of Utah’s environment. With an economy that leans heavily on quality-of-life, skiing, outdoor recreation, and tourism it seems short sighted to this writer that the Utahns, its industries, and governments (city & state) are moving soooo slowly to turn the pollution train around.  Asthma rates are up, due in part to declining air quality. The Utah Tourism industry must recognize the long term image implications of such moves as allowing other countries to dump nuclear waste in the back yard of the “greatest snow on earth.”  

Pesky little things, those ripple effects.

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Governments and companies are jostling for position in the areas of corporate social responsibility, clean energy, and green.  Visionary players rightfully recognize the urgent need to clean up the environment, reduce oil dependency, and create a sustainable future for the rising generation. Savvy investors are pouring billions into companies and states that are serious about eco-innovation. In their haste though we’ve seen greenwashing and unmet expectations as organizations and their spokespersons rush to the press conference without the long term commitment needed to finish what they start.  

Such was the case when the U.S. Department of Energy moved to abandon its much publicized experimental clean coal generation project — FutureGen — due to soaring cost projections. In this writer’s view, the people of Utah should be concerned if a similar lack of commitment follows Governor Huntsman’s highly publicized eco-accord with the Governator demonstrating Utah’s commitment to cleaner environmental standards. While the camera’s were flashing and the mic was turned on, the message was soothing to the souls of Utah residents tired of “haze” (air pollution) and “red burn days” caused by temperature inversions (air pollution caused by massive auto exhaust and coal burning power plants).  

However, if Utah’s Governor meant what he said to the western governors he will likely have to veto the weak legislation passing through the Utah legislature this week. Relegated to a page much further back than the original press event, this story indicates a weak un-mandated 2025 goal for energy producers in the state.  Can we really compare that to California’s specific and bold mandate for rolled back green house gases to 2000 levels by the year 2010?  

Why should Governor Huntsman and the people of Utah care? Cleaner air is needed today, not in 17 years – tourism and public health depends on it. Cleantech investors are placing billions of dollars behind initiatives that offer great environmental promise in states that remove obstacles for these new start ups to flourish – every state should covet cleantech investment. 

I repeat my question from previous blog entries: Will Utah lead or follow? Will Utah or any other state or company demonstrate environmental staying power or just publish press releases?

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Editors take just a minute or two to read your business news pitch.   They may only read the headline, or if you’re lucky, they’ll get through a few sentences.  If you have compelling news written clearly and succinctly, they may even read a few paragraphs. 

The February issue of PR Tactics featured an article on brevity written by the PR Maven, Margo Mateas.   The article stresses the importance of grabbing the editor’s attention and conveying your point quickly.   

So remember, keep it short and sweet.  If your pitch is more than a few paragraphs, cut it down.  And when writing a press release, keep the most important information at the top.  Also, keep this PR strategy in mind when planning your entire campaign.  A PR campaign formed around a simple, newsworthy idea is most likely to get noticed.

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