Saturday, October 18, 2008

Can an auto dealership be green?

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a TV ad on a local Hampton Roads (Southeastern Virginia) auto dealership in which they stated they were "green." Their reasons were stated as two points -they sold fuel-efficient cars as well as hybrids - and that was it. I was a little dumbfounded to say the least. Don't most dealerships sell fuel-efficient cars? Why was this so unique? I don't think fuel-efficient cars really address carbon off-sets or can really be deemed as a "green" qualifier. And while Hybrids are a great idea for consumers to become more eco-conscious, does this really qualify a dealership to be green? And my last point, what was the response of their advertising agency to their client in developing this "green" ad? While we cannot completely know what happen in the client/ad agency conversation, this does set-up a good example of how important it is for marketers to really understand the principles of green marketing, the standards in environmental claims, and the subsequent ramifications of such marketing techniques. What do you think?

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