THE IMPORTANCE OF A GREEN MARKETING STRATEGY IN BRAND COMMUNICATION - M. COUTINHO MULTI-BRAND CAR DEALER CASE IN NORTHERN PORTUGAL

Year 2020, Proceedings of The Third Economics, Business And Organization Research (EBOR) Conference, 351 - 373, 31.12.2020

Sónia Nogueıra

Abstract

Today’s consumer is better informed, are very concerned to sustainability and has an enormous power to disseminate information and opinions. This brings to the brands the need of understanding the importance recognized by their customers regarding the adoption of sustainable marketing strategies thinking how to introduce and develop sustainable practices and actions in their marketing strategies. Sustainable Marketing emerges, in this context, as an innovative way to do marketing, creating an approach these new consumer demands. It involves long-term, sustainable strategies that truly add value to society, companies and the environment. This research seeks to understand how M. Coutinho (an important multi-brand car dealer in Northern Portugal) incorporates a sustainable brand communication strategy consistent with the sustainable products they offer. In order to respond to the objective of the research, it was defined as the focus of the investigation to describe the adoption of Green Marketing-Mix techniques and its impact on global marketing strategy for M. Coutinho case. This approach makes it possible to verify if the car dealer is following the sustainable brand concerns required by consumers and how they communicate it. The research developed was essentially exploratory and qualitative. Qualitative research encompasses a variety of methods that can be applied in a flexible way allowing individuals to respond to greater reflection and expression of their views, thus allowing a collection of feelings, experiences and behaviors in their own terms and context and allows the collection of concrete information based on the interviewees' perceptions. In order to obtain the answers to the proposed objectives, the qualitative research technique used the face-to-face semi-structured interview to the marketing director of the chosen company. The present investigation gave important contributes allowing to understand the types of environmental practices adopted, the car dealer sustainable intentions and opportunities such as visibility, proximity to consumers requirements and needs, financial sustainability and sustainable brand identity. It also presents some sustainability risks and the way the brand seeks the approximation to consumer’s demands. Encouraging sustainable behavior and adopting a value sustainability in recruitment the company also encompasses an internal strategy of green marketing. All the marketing mix and brand communication includes a sustainable marketing language considering always its benefits: notoriety, cost reduction, good citizenship, dealer’s promotion and competitive advantage. This article brings a new contribute for literature review on the topic of Green Marketing and brand communication strategy. The scarcity of resources, the pollution and serious health problems caused by overexploitation of natural resources lead to reflection on the concept of sustainable consumption. Green marketing is becoming more and more in fashion and it becomes, therefore, a new paradigm to be considered. Several factors have contributed to the emergence and growth of this concern: global warming, climate change, deforestation, overpopulation and perhaps the most important one, pollution. There is an increasing interest in establishing relationships between marketing and sustainability: it is one of the main trends that shape contemporary marketing. In addition, there are also a greater number of companies committed to the issue of sustainability and the development of a sustainable marketing communication and this article brings an important contribute to this development.

Keywords

Brand, Green Marketing, Strategy, Sustainability

References

• Afonso, Lardina (2017). Marketing Verde – desafios e oportunidades. In Remondes, Jorge (2017). Marketing Highlights. Chiado Editora, pp. 61-78.
• Almeida, M. (2013). Green marketing e a sustentabilidade empresarial: Estudo de caso da empresa Pecol – Sistemas de Fixação S.A. (Dissertação de mestrado, Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra). Retrieved from: https://comum.rcaap.pt/bitstream/10400.26/13482/1/M%C3%B3nica_Almeida.pdf
• Belz, F. M., & Kartens, B. (2010). Strategic and Instrumental Sustainability Marketing in the Western European Food Processing Industry: Conceptual Framework and Hypotheses. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265477421_Strategic_and_Instrumental_Sustainability_Marketing_in_the_Western_European_Food_Processing_Industry_Conceptual_Framework_and_Hypotheses/download
• Bodger, Amanda; Monks, Melissa (2009). Getting in the red over green: the risks with green marketing. Journal of Sponsorship Vol. 3, N.3, pp. 284-293.
• Chamorro, A., Rubio, S., & Miranda, F. J. (2009). Characteristics of research on green marketing. Business Strategy and the Environment, 18(1), 223-239.
• Chang, A.;Tseng, C. (2005). Building customer capital through relationship marketing activities – A case of Taiwanese multi level marketing companies. J.In- tellect. Cap.6 (2), pp. 253-266.
• Charter, M., Peattie, K., Ottman, J., & Polonsky, M. J. (2002). Marketing and sustainability. Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society in association wth the Centre for Sustainable Design. Retrieved from: http://www.cfsd.org.uk/smart-know-net/smart-know-net.pdf
• Choudhary, A. & Gokarn, S. (2013). Green marketing: a means for sustainable development. Researchers World: Journal of Arts, Science and Commerce, 4 (3), pp 26-32.
• Choudhary, A. & Gokarn, S. (2013). Green marketing: a means for sustainable development. Researchers World: Journal of Arts, Science and Commerce, 4 (3), pp 26-32.
• Connolly, M. 2009. Green is the new black. Pro AV, 26 (6): 16.
• De Craecker, F., & De Wulf, L. (2009). Integration of Green Marketing within the automotive industry. (Dissertação de mestrado, Universidade de Halmstad). Retrieved from: http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:239714/FULLTEXT01.pdf
• Elkington, J. (1994). Towards the sustainable corporation: win-win-win business strategies for sustainable development. California Management Review, 36 (2): 90-100.
• Elkington, John (2018). 25 Years ago I coined the phrase “triple bottom line”. Here’s why it’s time to rethink it. Harvard Business Review.
• Fuentes, Christian (2015). How green marketing works: practices, materialities and images. Scandinavian Journal of Management 31, pp. 192-205.
• Grant, John (2008). Green Marketing. Strategic Direction, Vol. 24, Issue 6, pp. 25-27. Hartmann, P. & Ibáñez, Apaolaza V. (2006), "Green value added", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 24 No. 7, pp. 673-680.
• Jabbour, C. (2010). In the eye of the storm: exploring the introduction of environmental issues in the production function in Brazilian companies. International Journal of Production Research, 48(21), 6315-6339. Retrieved from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00207540802425401
• Jones, P., Clarke-Hill, C., Comfort, D., & Hillier, D. (2008). Marketing and Sustainability. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 26(2), 123-130. Retrieved from: https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/02634500810860584
• Kapelianis, D. & Strachan, Sandra (1996). The price premium of an environmentally friendly product. South African Journal of Business Management, Vol 27, No 4, a813
• Lewandowska, Anna, Witczak, Joanna & Kurczewski, Przemyslaw (2017). Green marketing today – a mix of trust, consumer participation and life cycle thinking. Management, Vol. 21, Nº 2, pp. 28-48.
• Martins, Helena Maria Santos Silva (2017). The importance of green marketing for portuguese companies in the footwear industry. Master Degree Thesis. ISCTE.
• Neagu, Olimpia (2012). Communication in the ecological marketing. Studia Universitatis Vasile. Goldis Seria Stiintele Vietii, Vol. 22, Issue 4, pp. 587-595.
• Ottman J.A. (2011), The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools, and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding GREENLEAF PUBLISHING, ISBN978-1-906093-44-0.
• Ottman, J. A. (1993). Green Marketing: Challenges and Opportunities for new marketing age. New York: NTC Business Books.
• Papadas, K., Avlonitis, G., & Carrigan, M. (2017). Green marketing orientation: conceptualization, scale development and validation. Journal Business of Research, 80, 236-246.
• Peatie, K.; Crane, A. (2005). Green marketing: legend, myth, farce or prophesy? Qualitative Market Research, Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 357-370.
• Peattie, K. (1995). Environmental Marketing Management: Meeting the Green Challenge. London: Pitman.
• Peattie, K. & Charter, M. (2013). Green Marketing. In Baker, Michael. The Marketing Book. Gram Britannia. Ed. Butter Wealth.
• Polonsky, Michael Jay (1994). An Introduction to green marketing. Electronic Green Journal 1(2), pp. 24-29.
• Pomering, A. (2017). Marketing for sustainability: Extending the conceptualisation of the marketing mix to drive value for individuals and society at large. Australasian Marketing Journal, 25(2), 157–165. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ausmj.2017.04.011
• Prakash, A. (2002). Green Marketing, Public Policy and Managerial Strategies. Business Strategy and the Environment, 11, 285–297. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.338
• Reutlinger, J. (2012). SUSTAINABLE MARKETING – The Importance of Being a Sustainable Business. (Dissertação de mestrado, Universidade de Lahti). Retrieved from: https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/50565/Reutlinger_Janina.pdf
• Ribeiro, H. (2017). The importance of green marketing for portuguese companies in the footwear industry. (Dissertação de mestrado, ISCTE). Retrieved from: https://repositorio.iscte-iul.pt/bitstream/10071/15213/1/helena_silva_ribeiro_diss_mestrado.pdf
• Simão, L., & Lisboa, A. (2017). Green Marketing and Green Brand – The Toyota Case. Procedia – Manufacturing, 12, 183-194. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2017.08.023
• Theron, Edwin & Terblanche, Nic S. (2010). Dimensions of relationship marketing in business-to-business financial services. International Journal of Market Research Vol. 52 Issue 3, pp. 383-403.
• Yoganathan, Dhanushanthini; Jebarajakirthy, Charles & Thaichon, Paramaporn (2015). The influence of relationship marketing orientation on brand equity in banques. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 26, pp. 14-22.