Home Depot Goes Green

Home Depot is putting its own environmental label, Eco Options,
than 2,500 products, from organic plant food to all-natural insect repellent. Ad Age reports that Home Depot has clearly taken the opportunity to be first to market with a label and is the first major retailer to seize on the surge in consumer concern about greenhouse-gases emissions.

The retailer plans to back the initiative with a national print push, including ads in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and consumer and shelter publications, according to a spokeswoman at Home Depot.

It will interesting to see if this resonates within consumer discussion. Generally, Eco-friendly topics are not the most talked about issues by consumers online. Therefore, I have some tips that I'd give executives over at Home Depot if they want to increase the buzz surrounding Eco Options.

1. Create a blog or sponsor a discussion forum relating to Eco-Friendly discussion
2. Leverage its NASCAR sponsorship to help promote its new ECO Options (i.e. Have Tony Stewart make special guest appearances or set up booths at NASCAR events)
3. Make a special website and encourage consumers to visit it
4. Develop an interactive campaign by encouraging consumers to send in photos or videos of themselves updating their homes using Home Depot ECO Options products
5. Communicate offerings to individuals living a "Green" lifestyle
6. Partner with another "Green" company to help promote Eco-friendly products
7. Create infomercials or mini-videos relating to the environment
8. Expand national print push beyond the Wall Street Journal and NY Times (i.e. place ads in home building media)
9. Communicate benefits of using energy efficient products in homes
10. Reach out and get opinions from key influencers discussing "Eco-friendly" topics related to home building in the blogosphere.


Below is a Brand Association Map highlighting some of the key themes associated with "Eco-Friendly". The map is interesting because it shows the relation between home building and "Eco-friendly" product discussion. Online consumers discussing "Eco-friendly" options in regards to home building largely mention energy efficiency and panels (i.e. solar panels).


You can find out more about Home Depot's Eco Options by visiting Home Depot Eco Options.