In announcing the creation of the “public relations manager, sustainability,” position on Friday, TP said it has promoted media relations staffer Veronique Meuneier to tout the area’s “green” highlights.It will be interesting to see if more posts like this are set up in PR, especially as “green marketing” is beginning to be met with some skepticism by reporters.
USA Today last week covered the green “branding onslaught” and offered a bit of advice from Middleberg Communications’ Thomas Basile, who heads the firm’s sustainability group:
“You have to be able to stand up to the scrutiny of consumers, media, bloggers and environmental advocates.”
Walking the walk is about more than PR, but building trust is a huge part of it. As a Cone/Boston College poll recently found, only 47% of consumers trust companies to tell them the truth in environmental marketing. [We also covered a Bite PR study on the risks of green PR back in February.] Having a staffer in place who specializes in green issues, can avoid dreaded accusations of "greenwashing."
Jeff Miller, Travel Portland’s president/CEO, said he was keeping up with a growing number of travelers’ requests for “green experiences” in creating the sustainability PR post. But he also noted that the staffer that fills the role is steeped in both PR and environmental practices.
Meunier, who last year planned a “green media research tour” and is part of a team that encourages businesses to adopt sustainable practices, takes up the post on May 5.