As Coca-Cola expanded its green initiative in 2011, they unveiled a “living” billboard made out of plants. In Manila, Philippines, Coca-Cola and the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) partnered to produce a 60×60 foot billboard advertisement made out of 3,600 Fukien tea plants. The plants are potted in recycled Coca-Cola bottles that contain organic fertilizers, and are watered by a drip irrigation system. These plants can absorb 13 pounds of carbon dioxide each year, meaning that this billboard will absorb over 46800 pounds of carbon dioxide in a year (if the billboard is kept up for a full year)
Inspiration for trade promotion
We find this a beautiful innovative advertisement by Coca-Cola and the WWF, which has received a lot of positive feedback and media attention. It could be a very nice source of inspiration for trade promotion and tourism promotion organizations in developing countries. For example for green ‘destination marketing’, eco tourism or sustainable tourism promotion, CO2 compensation programs, clean production and consumption etc.
What do you think? What kind of ideas could you generate out of this good practice?
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Introduction
In December 2009, according to Trade Forum, a group of 12,500 smallholder tea farmers achieved Rainforest Alliance certification through a public-private partnership (PPP) project between Unilever (world’s biggest tea company), the Rainforest Alliance and the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA). The scale of the partnership has started a revolution in the same way that the coffee industry has been influenced by the sustainability movement of the past decade, particularly in light of the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s recommendations to smallholders in emerging economies to meet the increased demands for world food production.
Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, stands out in a country where tycoons are often the children of politicians. He failed twice to get into college, learned his English from the radio and stumbled on the internet during a trip to America as an interpreter. He typed the phrase “Chinese beer” into a search engine and found no results, wherein, he saw an opportunity.
As we all know, innovation is a key aspect for being successful in international markets and trade promotion. Authors Barry Jaruzelski and Kevin Dehoff in ‘Strategy + Business’, describe three fundamental innovation strategies. Organizations that follow either one or combinations of the three strategies consistently and significantly outperform their rivals.
The role of social media is expanding rapidly and many organizations of all types are trying to stay afloat amidst the changes. In this regard, ‘Mashable.com’ describes the good practices in social media from the presentation of Jeremiah Owyang, an industry analyst at Altimeter Group – a digital consulting firm, during the Word of Mouth Marketing Association Summit.
The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) introduced a concept of regional trade promotion, almost 5 years ago. Ever since, it has successfully implemented the concept at trade shows in Europe and the Middle East. The concept is titled ‘Asean Fusion‘. It demonstrates that a vision towards regional co-operation instead of competition can be very successful in trade promotion.
The second world’s largest exporter next to China is Germany, despite its high labor costs and strong euro. It is the home of durable “Mittelstand” companies that have survived hyperinflation and two world wars.
The winner is….
Reyna won the prize for her ideas to develop ‘Live and love green’ and ‘Me and My style’ games. The games reflect a unique approach for the Philippines lifestyle sector and would offer a good basis for a campaign through social media and to be supported by a mobile app.
Congratulations Reyna, and keep the creativity flowing!