Well, folks, we're definitely approaching the top of the "Green" Hype Cycle! How do we know? We've been told that "green is the new black," taken from the fashion world, and also that "green is the new green," as in money. And everyone wants to go green! Trademark filings may not be measure of the latest Spring fashions on the couture runways, but they are definitely the measure of the "greening" of American business. In their "2008 Annual Report on Trends in Trademarks," law firm Dechert LLP provided some highlights about the flood of trademark applications for phrases containing green, clean, and "eco-". The year 2007 was all green as far as trademarks were concerned; new applications were at a record high, and environmentally-conscious "green" branding was leading the surge. For example, applications for GREEN terms and phrases more than doubled in 2007, from 1100 to 2400. The phrase "Go Green" appeared in various forms in over 100 proposed marks. (OK, so we're not that original!) The word CLEAN appeared in 900 applications and the combination GREEN and CLEAN appeared in 74 filings. The prefix ECO- was found in nearly 900 applications as well. The folks at Dechert noted that if all the new ECO-branded products filed in 2007 actually came to market:

An ECO Citizen could buy an ECOHOUSE in ECOTOWN from an ECO REALTOR. Clad in ECO STUCCO and topped with an ECOROOF, the house would be equipped with an ECO HEATER, ECO HANGERS in the ECO CLOSET, an ECO JOHN and ECO SHOWER (accompanied by ECO TOWELS), and an ECO RUG on the floor.

What does that mean for the rest of us? All of this activity, from companies large and small, means it will become more difficult to position a brand as “environmentally friendly.” We’re moving into the next stage where differentiating among green products and services is going to be the prime concern of your customers. Think about how you will brand, label, and market your green solution. How you will differentiate your offering is a critical to your marketing strategy.