October 15, 2009 – 1:00 PM EDT
Green marketing today has become increasingly challenging, as more companies enter the marketplace, customer expectations rise, and information about companies and products becomes more widely accessible. The challenges are equal for consumer-facing companies as well as those selling to businesses, government, and educational institutions. All face the green marketing paradox: greater demand for companies to "go green," but greater scrutiny for those that do.
How can companies ensure that their messages comply with legal requirements, customer expectations, and effective marketing strategies? Join a conversation among a panel of experts moderated by GreenBiz.com executive editor Joel Makower, including Stephen Wenc, president of UL Environment, and Suzanne Shelton, president of the Shelton Group, and Brooks Beard, a partner at Morrison & Foerster, about the ins and outs of green marketing effectively and legally in today's marketplace.
Speakers:
Brooks Beard is a partner at Morrison Foerster, where he has a trial and appellate litigation practice focusing on complex commercial matters. He sits on the Steering Committee for Morrison & Foerster’s Cleantech Practice Group. In this rapidly evolving area, he is currently providing counseling and litigation advice on issues surrounding false or deceptive advertising allegations relating to environmental or “green” claims made by companies in connection with consumer products and services. His co-authored paper, “Greenwashing – Avoiding Greenwashing: The Brave New World of Environmental Marketing Claims,” was published last year in Bloomberg Corporate Law Journal.
Suzanne Shelton is president and CEO of the Shelton Group, an advertising agency entirely focused on motivating mainstream consumers to make sustainable choices, which she started eighteen years ago. Shelton Group conducts four consumer opinion studies annually – Utility Pulse, Eco Pulse, Green Living Pulse and Energy Pulse® -- to continuously track shifting consumer perceptions on these topics. Shelton uses those insights in brand positioning, advertising, direct marketing and Interactive work the agency performs for its clients, which include the American Institute of Architects, BP Solar, Cree Lighting, e3 Bank, Scana Gas and Vectren Energy.
Stephen Wenc is president of UL Environment , which provides independent green claims validation, product certification, training, advisory services and standards development. Wenc leads global operations and development of the company’s business in the environmental sector. Previously, Wenc served as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, managing UL's legal department, government affairs office, anti-counterfeiting operations and ethics and compliance group. Wenc is a former partner at the law firm of Bell, Boyd & Lloyd in Chicago, where he represented a range of large- and mid-cap clients, including UL, as part of the firm's antitrust and trade regulation group.
Moderator:
Joel Makower is Executive Editor of GreenBiz.com and author of "Strategies for the Green Economy," among other books. For more than 20 years, he has been a well-respected voice on business, the environment, and the bottom line. He is a regular lecturer to companies and business groups and has served as a Batten Fellow at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. From 1991 to 2005, Joel was editor of The Green Business Letter, an award-winning monthly newsletter on corporate environmental strategy. The Associated Press has called Joel "the guru of green business practices."
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