Keep your message environmentally friendly

Traditionally, marketeers with an environmental bent tend to have to think about quite obvious concerns when it comes to how they communicate with their consumers. Questions like "is the direct mail we are using printed on recylced paper?" or "should we send an email, text or letter?" (McCafee estimates the energy consumed in transmitting and deleting spam is equivalent to the electricity used in 2.4 million U.S. homes), might be the ones that spring up. But what if we totally changed the media used to get the messages out there.


In 2009, this is exactly what has been happening. More and more brands have begun using 'natural media' to get their message out there. Brands like O2, Puma, Vodafone and Gumtree have all used the services of companies like CURB Media and Street Advertising Services to use natural resources, whether it be dirt on the street, bubbles in the air, or crops in the field, to create messages for consumers.

And it doesn't stop there. Now CURB Media has launched its latest low-impact innovation. GlowFungi, also known as DiscoFungi - basically glow-in-the-dark bacteria. The harmless bacteria's glow is a natural reaction, requiring no chemicals, and can last up to a week. It seems that good bacteria can not only help the marketing folk sell yoghurt, but it might even help them get their message across. Watch this space for the first brand to make 2010 the year of the glowing fungi!

It may not be for everyone, and it certainly won't replace much of the marketing we see today, but it certainly shows us that being good to the environment and marketing can be happy bed fellows.