green awards

The Global GREEN AWARDS™ invite entries for its new media categories of ‘Best Green Use of Online Media’ and ‘Best Green Use of Mobile Apps and Technologies’, in recognition of the importance and impact of new media to the success of creative campaigns.
 
Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are a few of the most popular online media channels with a growing subscriber base everyday. With the advantage of being globally visible and accessible, it’s no surprise that online media presents marketers with a unique marketing opportunity. Online media truly does put the ‘social’ back into media as marketers can now interact with existing and prospective consumers on a real-time basis. With 79% of the largest 100 companies in the Fortune Global 500 index using at least one social media platform, there is no doubt regarding its importance as a marketing tool. US President Barack Obama perhaps epitomises the success and reach of a social media campaign, with his presence through blogs, MySpace, Twitter and Facebook. The live streaming of the Presidential inauguration on Twitter and through a CNN-Facebook partnership generated a record number of posts, comments and page views. In the UK, the Labour party also used social media to interact with voters, especially through their Twitter hash tag ‘#labourdoorstep’.
 
With the growing concern about organisations’ environmental impact, social media provides an avenue to efficiently provide information about environmental credentials. Whether used as a pre-emptive or reassurance technique, social media is a powerful ‘make or break’ communications strategy. Greenpeace’s recent Kit-Kat viral is testament to the power of social media in bringing about change. The much discussed Kit-Kat ‘Give the Orangutan a break’ viral received a staggering 1.5 million views on Facebook. In the wake of the resulting consumer uproar, Nestlé was forced to take action and stop purchasing palm oil from the supplier in question.
 
Social media has been come to be regarded as the panacea of communications, yet it remains to be seen if the same is true with respect to sustainability communications. Owing to the reduced use of resources, social and online media come across as an eco-friendly way of marketing. The reduced resource use is not limited to tangible materials only, but should ideally include intangible resources such as the energy used in creating, producing and hosting an online campaign. The Global GREEN AWARDS™ seek to recognise the best examples of a digital communications strategy which balance their carbon footprint versus traditional media.
 
The GREEN AWARD for the ‘Best Green Use of Online Media’ seeks to recognise the best example of incorporating social media in communicating a sustainability message.  Entries to this category are open to any form of online or digital media platforms: websites, internet forums, social networks, viral marketing, digital TV, podcasts etc. Judging criteria will involve the innovation and creativity of the digital platform and the message communicated, ease of navigation, interaction and understanding and the overall suitability of the chosen medium to the intended message.
 
This year the Global GREEN AWARDS™ feature a new category of ‘Best Green Use of Mobile Apps and Technologies’ to recognise and celebrate the impact that these mobile platforms have on our daily lives. This category is open to software developers and stand alone campaigns, who have added to the creation of a green and ethical mobile infrastructure. Judges will be looking for innovation and strategy, along side the implementation of a reduced carbon footprint.
 
President, Chartered Institute of Marketing and Global GREEN AWARDS Steering Group Chair, Sir Paul Judge, commented: “The Green Awards bring together and make more visible a wide range of ideas and achievements designed to help our world to become more liveable by making it more sustainable.  By allowing and encouraging agencies and clients to write up and submit their activities the Awards spread good practice and allow other organisations to benchmark their own environmental policies and practices.”
 
The Global GREEN AWARDS will be presented at a gala ceremony on 2nd December 2010, co-hosted by green entrepreneur Jo Wood at the Natural History Museum in South Kensignton, London.
 
The Global GREEN AWARDS are now open for entry from worldwide organisations in sixteen categories. More details on the Steering Group and GLOBAL GREEN AWARDS can be found at www.greenawards.co.uk

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(Social Media Strategist Ltd a media partner for the Global Green Awards 2010)