The Direct Marketing Association has put in place a number of environmental responsibility initiatives that look really, really good. So why haven't more direct marketers jumped on the bandwagon?
InMyHumbleOpinion is a Commentary.
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I have to hand it to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). They have put in place a number of
environmental responsibility initiatives that look really, really good.
For example, their “Recycle Please” program promotes recipient recycling of “advertising mail.” (I guess the term “junk mail” exists in the mailbox of the beholder.) There’s a nice logo, and the DMA website provides guidance to direct marketers on how to promote recycling.
The Echo Green Marketing Award competition offers a recognition incentive for campaigns that demonstrate “sustainable, creative and strategic environmental considerations throughout the life cycle of the direct marketing process, while delivering outstanding results, as well as inspiring eco-action, promoting green awareness, and/or otherwise making a positive impact on the environment.” (That’s from the DMA website – its possibly an homage to the David Olgilvy school of long copy advertising.)
And there is the DMA’s “Green 15” initiative. Launched in 2007, it sets a pretty high bar for environmentally responsible practices so that DMA can achieve its goal (which was stated in 2008) of reducing one million metric tons of carbon emissions between 2009 and 2013 through smart list management and resulting direct mail marketing activities. According to the DMA’s website, “accomplishing this goal requires all DMA members to take active steps now, by adopting the ‘DMA Green 15,’ a set of operating principles for efficient and responsible marketing that affect environmental performance.”
Eliminating one million metric tons of carbon emissions is an ambitious and admirable goal, and DMA should be commended for taking the carbon bull by the horns.
The trouble is that, to date, too few of DMA’s members have embraced these green initiative to get to that “tipping point” (or critical mass, or whatever your favorite over-the-hump phrase is) where it really makes a dent in the industry’s overall performance.
The statistics speak for themselves. Senny Boone, DMA’s Senior VP for Corporate and Social Responsibility, told WhatTheyThink that the DMA’s corporate membership is hovering right now somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000. (Given these economic times, it is a likely bet that the roster is closer to 3,000 in length.) According to the stats given on the DMA website, "more than 80" companies have adopted the “Recycle Please” program. That is a success rate of about 2.7% – pretty good if this were shotgun-style direct mail, but it doesn’t seem like anything to brag about for a member program. (Granted, the statistic listed by DMA on their website is two years old. Why has it not been updated? Is the success of this initiative that unimportant?)
Similarly, only eight companies have taken the “Green 15” pledge – a hit rate of just 0.27%, assuming a membership of 3000.
To be fair, some of DMA’s members are not ink-on-paper marketers, and that influences the statistics in some way, since they are not going to participate in in-on-paper programs. And there are probably a number of DMA operational reasons (less revenue, loss of the staff champion, etc.) why the promotion of these environmental initiatives has taken a back seat to things that seems more urgent.
Still, given the upsurge in environmental activism focused paper users in general, and direct mail marketers in particular, one would think the DMA would make a higher priority of getting its membership to endorse and align with practices that demonstrate an understanding of the issues and a proactive approach to environmental responsibility. At least In My Humble Opinion. What do you think?
