Going Green is a Grand Fit for Roanoke Retailer

During a client meeting last summer, we got into a discussion about green marketing and cause marketing. Grand Home Furnishings, based in Roanoke, VA, has always given to causes that they cared about and they also felt they should do what they can to be a “green” company – one that cares about the environment and does what it can to conserve our natural resources. They’ve never done much to promote these facts. With more and more people looking to buy from good corporate citizens, they wondered how they should proceed to market the things they were already doing. But, they didn’t feel comfortable tooting their own horn. And when it came to being green, they didn’t want to over promise, either.

The Yaffe media staff, who are also passionate about being green, went to work to find a way to promote being green in a way that fit the client’s personality and reality. Working with the local TV stations, they put together a program, “Go Green” that fit the bill perfectly. The NBC station in Roanoke (WSLS) and Grand would co-sponsor a series of 12 video vignettes that would give the viewers tips on how to live green. Some of the vignettes will even feature Grand’s Executive Vice President, Robert Bennett on camera with the station GM.

In addition to the on air vignettes, Grand got online banner ads and videos, along with news sponsorships. The banner ads, which linked to the Grand site, suggested things like donating your old furniture to charity when you’re buying new furniture – in essence, recycling your furniture. Versions of the green campaign were developed for other markets Grand operates in.

The whole campaign achieved the goal of giving Grand an active role in the “green” movement, without being about touting what they are doing to make the company green. In today’s marketplace, you need to use all the tools in your arsenal to make your brand stand out. Good corporate citizenship is one way that is getting a lot of credence today, especially from consumers in the under 35 age bracket.