John Grant - Greener Marketing

John Grant

This edition first published 2020
2020 John Grant.

Edition History
John Wiley & Sons Ltd (1e, 2007)

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Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Names: Grant, John, 1964 author.
Title: Greener marketing / John T Grant.
Other titles: Green marketing manifesto.
Description: First Edition. | Hoboken : Wiley, 2020. | Revised edition of the authors The green marketing manifesto, c2007. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020008311 (print) | LCCN 2020008312 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119689119 (hardback) | ISBN 9781119689102 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119689133 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Green marketing.
Classification: LCC HF5413 .G722 2020 (print) | LCC HF5413 (ebook) | DDC 658.8/02dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020008311
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020008312

Cover Design: Pentagram Design

Come the day when historians can reflect properly on this particular, post1980s era of capitalism, I have no doubt that marketing (and advertising in particular) will be seen, in the round, as an egregiously irresponsible and damaging industry driving decades of wasteful consumption, converting wants into needs, exploiting the worst aspects of human nature whilst frittering away the creative talents of countless young people indentured into the dark and demeaning arts of flogging more stuff.

In that regard, I find myself closely aligned with Pavan Sukhdev, banker turned sustainability guru, who has described advertising as the drug we need to quit.

So you may wonder why the author of this splendidly insightful and stimulating book should have entrusted me with the task of contributing a Foreword? It may be that he has some sympathy with my overall position (he himself sourced that quote from Pavan Sukhdev, for instance!), evidenced by the fact that John Grant has worked as hard as any marketing person I know to encourage his colleagues to think more deeply about their industry to change their mindsets, to stop treating everything as if it was a bit of a game. Or it may be that he and I are united in our belief that time genuinely is running out to reset capitalism (as John puts it) which in turn means fundamentally resetting marketing.

Todays converging crises (accelerating climate change, collapsing ecosystems and worsening inequality) pose a radically different challenge to todays prevailing economic paradigm not least because theres no possibility of trying to grow our way out of them. Any more of todays growthatallcosts will put our chances of enjoying in the future a stable climate (let alone a fair and thriving economy for the whole of humankind) permanently out of reach.

Thats a pretty tough call for companies wrestling with these dilemmas even for those that have built up an impressive track record over the last decade or so. The achievements of a lot of those sustainability leaders are generously celebrated here, as well as those of many less wellknown innovators and champions and John has plenty of wise and timely words for those just waking up to the reality of todays galvanic tippingpoint.

John wears his own impressive expertise in sustainability lightly but its not possible either to critique todays marketing industry, or to propose fundamental improvements in the way it operates in future, without that kind of expertise. There are many, many years of frontline experience reflected in these pages.

Jonathon Porritt

Marketing rightly has a mixed reputation.

If you write a list of what is wrong with the world, marketing is implicated in overconsumption, inequality, fake news, populism, obesity, ocean plastic, climate change, and so much more.

But if you want to change the world fast as we have to then marketing can be pretty useful.

This book is a handbook for creative marketers who are up for that challenge.

It is full of inspiring examples and strategic angles, as well as things to avoid (like greenwash).

Lets start with why we need to change the world.

We are in a climate and ecological emergency. Dont just take my word for it 11 000 scientists signed a declaration in November 2019 saying as follows:

Scientists have a moral obligation to clearly warn humanity of any catastrophic threat and to tell it like it is. On the basis of this obligation and the graphical indicators presented below, we declare, with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from around the world, clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency.

An immense increase of scale in endeavours to conserve our biosphere is needed to avoid untold suffering due to the climate crisis (IPCC 2018).

We have very little time left to radically transform our economies and societies.

If we dont succeed, we will see global temperatures rise far enough to do untold damage.

If we do succeed, we also stand a chance of building a fairer, more human and liveable society.

And whether we succeed or not, just the attempt could be a hugely worthwhile adventure.

Extinction Rebellion say the first step is each of us declaring an emergency. And committing to respond accordingly. This book covers what respond accordingly might mean for marketers. It is based on the early efforts of a diverse global movement of marketing clients, creative agencies and entrepreneurs committed to doing good during their day jobs. Not just seeming good or being fashionably on trend but actually doing good.