Editor's View - November 2011

Marketing From A Master
By Wanda Jankowski, Editor-in-Chief

Portico’s Gregg Haft On The State Of Eco-Friendly

Gregg Haft, president, Portico Brand Group (212-951-7260, porticohome.com), shares insights into the state of sustainability today.

The Portico Brand Group includes sustainable lifestyle brands Portico Home + Spa, Pure Luxe by Portico and FASE. The group serves residential and hospitality markets. Portico Home + Spa has organic cotton bedding and bath programs with Hyatt hotels and resorts. In September 2011, Revman International was granted a license giving it exclusive rights to design, manufacture, market and distribute eco-friendly bed and bath linens for the hotel and spa industries.

Q: Going “eco-friendly” has been associated with “more expensive.” Is this still true?

“While the price differential has narrowed significantly over the past few years, eco-friendly products do remain more expensive than their non-organic equivalents. There has been a more significant decrease in demand with companies that have not been true to their environmental commitment. However, companies that have maintained authenticity and are able to offer value-added products are able to make the cost difference less material.

“Regrding response to the economy, consumer behavior seems to only be affected when the product offering does not have other value-added attributes in addition to being eco-friendly.

“Our hospitality mission focuses on showing hotels that they can purchase sustainable products and remain cost neutral. This is achieved in how our products are technically developed. We work closely with suppliers to figure out solutions that enable us to remain eco-friendly without significantly driving up the costs.”

Q: Are the number of hotels and spas that feature eco-friendly products on the rise?

“There is a definite increase among hotels, spas and spa resorts wanting to adopt more eco-friendly initiatives. Whether it is waste management programs or carbon offset initiatives, these establishments have shown a tremendous shift towards sustainable practices. We believe the reason behind this increase in demand is directly related to the new generation of guests who have a much higher level of environmental awareness and sensitivity than did their parents and grandparents.”

Q: What is the greatest challenge facing the eco-friendly product sector?

“It is educating the consumer, management teams and guests. Without the proper education, it is difficult for them to differentiate between true authenticity and green-washing or misleading claims.

“What set Portico apart from competitors is that we walk the talk. We are committed to producing authentic sustainable products from farm to finish and product to packaging without compromising great design, impeccable quality and affordabilty.”

Minda Gralnek, former vice-president and creative director of Target and currently head of her own namesake marketing firm, shared marketing tips and popular trends in her presentation “Through the Lens of the Red Bull’s Eye: Market Trends in Home Lifestyle” at 41 Madison Ave. during N. Y. Tabletop Week at the end of October.

Her marketing suggestions can be applied by both retailers and suppliers:

  1. Make the “old” new again. Gralnek showed a photo of Lady Gaga attending a function dressed in avant-garde attire and holding a Royal Albert Old Country Roses teacup and saucer. Gaga happens to collect teacups. The decades-old tabletop pattern was seen in a new light paired with interest from a modern-day icon.
  2. Be aware of your surroundings. In the U.S., the distance between rich and poor has been widening for some time. Those who are not wealthy are craving more of a middle ground. Even if the products you sell are at the low end, seek to cross market segments with some better-quality items. If you feature expensive brands, don’t ignore the middle class and offer some aspirational price point items.
  3. Zig and zag. Create “buzz” and freshen perceptions of your store or brand by having it show up in unexpected places or in unexpected ways. Gralnek noted that mass-merchant Target’s past participation in a Milan high-design trade exhibition caught the attention of the press and had attendees taking a second look at the brand.
  4. Be a social butterfly. Use Twitter, Facebook or other social media to build your brand. These media are based on creating more personal relationships among people and between consumers and brands. It is the existence of an emotional connection between a brand and its followers that creates loyalty—and multiple purchases.
  5. Share your story. Define your store’s or brand’s story and history through marketing and the products you sell or make. Pendleton’s blog includes images of 1920s-40s Hollywood mega-star Mary Pickford wearing a Harding blanket shawl and Harding duster coat, bringing a renewed sense of glamour and heritage to its apparel lines.

In creating displays and promotions for your store, tap into these trends, cited by Gralnek, to connect with your customers’ mindsets:

  • Artisan— handmade and crafted looks are “in”
  • Made in America—U.S. products have increased cachet with consumers
  • Casual looks—informal and relaxed doesn’t mean inexpensive
  • Color—the down economy has consumers seeking brighter, upbeat designs
  • Pop Culture—think of influences such as “Mad Men” on updated retro looks
  • Fashion—influences come not only from apparel designs, but from that sector’s drive to often and regularly offer new goods
  • Mixing and Matching—high-priced with low, new with old, casual with formal
  • Architecture—Mid-Century Modern is on-trend today

In your cross-merchandised displays, ads and catalogs, Gralnek advises, “Show your customers new ways to use your products.”

Hope this helps!

LDB INTERIOR TEXTILES is published by EW Williams Publications Company
Phone: 1-201- 592-7007 Fax: 1-212-988-0588