Red, White and Blue: It’s the New Green
By Bruce Olive
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Oct 29, 2008
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I guess even if mother earth isn’t, the rest of us are fed up with everything green. I should have known that when I traded my Torch red Corvette Z06 for a silver Prius last year. I mean, I love the Prius and all, and I really dig it when it costs so little to fill up, but there are days when I miss the heady all American rumble and kick in the pants acceleration of a six liter V8.
So no wonder that corporate America is looking for the next big thing after green. With greenwashing at an all-time high, organizations have formed for the sole purpose of informing consumers about greenwashing practices. From green toothpaste to green turbines, we have pretty much seen saturation of what was, and still is, a good thing to do. Nothing wrong with green. It’s just that we have flat out used up all its goodness in marketing. There is NO differentiation left in a green market position.
So what is next? Well, here we are today, with a global economic crisis, about to get a new President, the cost of most things at an all time high, and suddenly the urge to outsource is dwindling. As gas prices and shipping costs continue to rise, more domestic manufacturers are reversing direction and looking to domestic production to cut costs. It costs nearly three times as much as it did in 2000 to transport a cargo container from China to the U.S. As a result, a return to a “Made in America” sentiment is on the rise, particularly in manufacturing and industrial sectors facing higher shipping and energy costs. Couple this with the proliferation of “Buy Local” campaigns for food and produce, and you have the perfect storm brewing for a grass roots red, white and blue revival. Sure, there is some risk of a jingoistic perception, and we do need to acknowledge our neighbors to the north and south. But it could be time to move green off of center stage, and let red, white and blue play for awhile.
Think about it. With America licking its wounds, isn’t it time for a little pride? Isn’t it time to rebuild our labor force? Regain our position in the world economy? I don’t think green is going to disappear. But I think there is some great scope for differentiation by being among the first to jump back on to the red, white and blue bandwagon.
