Hcl Technologies

Introduction

This report serves to provide University of Wisconsin-Madison Mu Kappa Tau marketing organization members who have an interest in green marketing with the information they need when pursuing a career in the marketing field. The focus of this report is to provide readers with the necessary skills and resources to succeed in marketing and to discuss Patagonia and how this company has become a leader in the environmental discourse community. This report will discuss important skills needed for success in marketing, sources for marketers to stay informed, and professional associations marketers can join to network and continue their career goals. Finally, the report explains the issue of green washing in the green marketing discourse community and why we should avoid this and strive for sustainable marketing practices.

Valued Skills for Marketers

Analytical Skills

According to the most recent Forbes Insight survey, 64% of executives surveyed strongly agree that data-driven marketing is crucial to success (Preschem, 2016, p.1). With Big Data becoming such a phenomenon, there is a wealth of data available to businesses, and it is becoming more important than ever to master its interpretation. It is crucial that marketers possess the skill to look at data, tell a story, and create successful marketing plans from the patterns observed. HCL technologies tracked online consumer data and categorized consumers into three different groups in order to send them tailored marketing messages (Preschem, 2016, p.1). Analytics makes it much easier to reach the target market and is the most valued skill in business today.

Digital Skills

Digital skills are becoming increasingly important in today’s technological world. According to a Forbes article titled 10 Must-Have Digital Marketing Skills For 2016 And Beyond, digital marketing has become the focus of most marketing strategies. Skills such as website and video development are becoming some of the most important skills that companies are looking for in a marketer. The author, Angela Ruth, states that “video content is becoming king within content marketing” (Ruth, 2016, October 11). It is important that marketers know how to create engaging videos that reflect a company’s attributes. Patagonia includes videos of their “Worn Wear” campaign on their website. The point of “Worn Wear” is that Patagonia makes their products to be high-quality and repairable so that consumers can keep their product longer rather than wasting more resources to buy a new product (Patagonia, 2016). Brand videos help consumers see what different companies value.  

Creativity

In marketing, it is important to be creative because things are always changing in the digital world and competition is forever present. John Rudaizky, a marketing leader at EY, said “ultimately, marketers are still expected to deliver creative, inspiring content that sets their brand apart from their competitors” (Bacon, 2016, p.3). Although marketing has been changing in the past few years, creativity remains an important aspect of the field. As the world becomes more complex, marketers need to use a combination of their analytical, digital, and creative skills in order to reach their target market. Creativity is extremely important today for green marketers because we are dealing with the negative effects of climate change. As a majority of companies are moving towards sustainability, it is important to have a creative lens so that marketers can think of new ways to increase corporate social responsibility or promote new products that help decrease harm to the environment.

Staying Current and Informed

Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog

Jacquie Ottman has a consulting company whose mission is to market new products to meet consumers needs in the most sustainable way possible. This consulting firm has a respect for natural resources and a desire to eliminate wasteful practices. Because they are striving to be environmentally friendly, they have to be extremely creative to devise marketing plans that do not harm the earth. Jacquie started a blog based on the consulting firm titled “Jacquie Ottman’s Green Marketing Blog”.

One of her latest articles discusses the topic of whether plastics can be “Green”. Jacquie discusses an article that suggests plastics are more green than we think. When it comes to packaging, plastic has typically been chosen over more accepted materials of metal, glass, paper, etc. This article suggests that more easily recyclable products do harm the earth as much as plastic, but Jacquie refutes this statement as there is no proof and she urges the decreased use of plastics (Ottman, 2016). This resource provides a myriad of different sustainability topics that are very relevant to the green marketing discourse community.

Marketing Week Trade Magazine

Marketing Week is an industry leading magazine that delivers news, insights, and trends to its readers. It provides information in print and online and it also hosts an annual marketing week live event in London. This magazine reaches an audience of over 130,000 marketing professionals each week. It discusses news in the marketing industry and helps keep readers up to date on the newest company ideas and industry trends.

Marketing Week focuses on all aspects of marketing, including green marketing and social purpose. One article titled How Marketing Can Put Social Purpose Into Practice discusses the importance of companies developing a social purpose. The author, Charlotte Rogers, defines social purpose as “an effort to contribute to society that is aligned with core activities” (Rogers, 2016, p.15). Whether companies are committed to developing sustainable practices or engaging with the community, companies that promote their social purpose have a better competitive edge.

This same article talks about some companies that value helping the environment. Rogers provides pictures of a protest in London in which the protestors are holding signs that read “If it’s melted, it’s ruined!” and “There is no Planet B” (Rogers, 2016, p.18). This relates to global warming as Ben and Jerry’s is drawing a metaphor between melted ice cream being ruined and our planet being ruined as melting ice sheets are exposed to climate change. Ben and Jerry’s is very successful with their social purpose campaigns because it allows them to connect with customers who value similar issues.

Professional Marketing Associations

American Marketing Association

American Marketing Association, or AMA, is a professional association for marketing professionals. AMA offers a wealth of resources to marketing professionals and helps connect marketing professionals across the field. They offer many different events and webcasts in which members can participate. The events come in three categories: conferences, trainings, and virtual events. AMA provides “forward thinking content to keep members at the forefront of marketing practice” (American Marketing Association, 2016). One event that pertains especially to marketing students is the AMA International Collegiate Conference. This provides students with a chance to attend a three-day event where they can hear from industry leaders in the marketing field and network with members of AMA.