Issue 97, 15/07/08

In this Issue

In Other News

TrinityP3 TV Workshops for Advertisers are soon to be scheduled for October. Stay tuned for more details.

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With 'green marketing' becoming more and more a priority for Australian advertisers,  there has been a rise in companies overstating their position and committment to reducing carbon emissions, resulting in heavy penalties from the ACCC.

So in this edition of TrinityP3 e-news, Chris Sewell shares with you our top 10 ways to avoid the wrath of the ACCC and keep your 'green' claims crystal clear.

Don't ‘green-wash’ under the TPA

Before you jump on the 'green' bandwagon, here are our Top 10 ways to avoid being caught ‘green-washing’ under the trades practices act.

1. An intention to mislead is not required.  It does not matter if your green claims were not intended to mislead. Any green claim must be accurate and not mislead the consumer in any way.  

2. You need to be able to substantiate any environmental claim. Being able to substantiate claims you make is the way you demonstrate you have a ‘good faith basis’ for making the representation.

3. Don’t make sweeping generalisations. It is the overall impression you give to the consumer that is important. You need to be careful not to inadvertently mislead the consumer through vague or ambiguous wording in your advertising.

4. Don’t use jargon. Using scientific or technical language could be seen as confusing to the average consumer and may lead them to make incorrect assumptions.

5. Be clear whether the claimed benefit is referring to the packaging or the product inside.  This is relevant when a non-recyclable product is packaged in a recyclable package. 

6. Do not over claim the level of scientific acceptance. If the science is currently under dispute, or inconclusive, you need to take care.

7. Claims should be made for real benefits. The example that is often quoted is the claim of ‘CFC free’ as no competing products contain CFCs because it is prohibited to use them in almost all aerosols.

8. Pictures work in the same way. Images may also be seen as making sweeping claims about an environmental benefit. This may be misleading.

9. Contact the ACCC to get a copy of ‘Green marketing and the Trade Practices Act’. It is written in plain English and will give you more details and background.

10. Contact TrinityP3. We offer clients an environmental service that is designed to deliver realistic, tangible outcomes in an economic and viable manner. Adapt to a changing business climate with environmental best practice benchmarking and process changes. If your current marketing requirements cannot be changed in the short term TrinityP3 can help you to offset your carbon footprint. And we can recommend a good legal firm if you do not already have one.

Click here to read about our range of Green Marketing services or contact Christopher Sewell at chris@trinityp3.com

FAQ at TrinityP3

Where do we get our benchmarks from? Do we do work for agencies? What are our rates? How do agencies feel about working with TrinityP3? And how can we ensure confidentiality?

TrinityP3 sets itself apart from other consultants because of our :
• 100% independence
• Broad, relevant industry experience, and
• Fixed upfront costs

Visit the new TrinityP3 website's Frequently Asked Questions page for the answers to many of the most popular enquiries about how we work.

Easther at adtech

Russell Easther has recently retured from adtech Singapore where he moderated an industry panel on Integrated Marketing Strategy & Planning.

Russell currently consults to TrinityP3 clients on a range of services including:
• Digital Brief Enhancement
• Digital Process Mapping
• Digital Agency Search & Selelction
Russell also conducts TrinityP3 Digital Training Workshops designed to up-skill your team on the current digital landscape and future opportunties.

For more information on TrinityP3's Digital services email people@trinityp3.com

After a second opinion?

As an advertiser, you may have been presented a concept by your agency and are unsure as to the genuine merits of the work. Monty Arnhold, an experienced, award-winning former Creative Director/Copywriter will examine the concept without any pre-conceived notions, and will appraise the concept on a number of parameters.

Monty's company, A Second Opinion, is expert, impartial, creative appraisal of advertising ideas. And as far as we're aware, A Second Opinion is the only specialist creative appraisal service in Australia and could be invaluable in helping advertisers to determine which ideas to run with, and which to reject.

For more information on A Second Opinion, click here.