Sustainability in businesses

As each day goes by the earth’s landfills pile up and air quality gets worse. With this major situation companies are becoming more aware and are acting on it. This concept according to the book, Principles of Marketing, is referred to as being socially responsible. This is when a company or business has concern for society’s welfare and also allows their products or services to be sustainable.

Many companies have begun to practice sustainability and have focused their products on being “Green.” This is a marketing strategy that allows consumers to know that their product or service has been part of a socially responsible process and they know that with their purchase it will not harm the environment or other unethical behavior.

Nike has joined the “Green” eco-friendly practice and has used this type of marketing strategy in previous products. Although it was successful they have begun a different marketing strategy when presenting their new more sustainable Air Jordan Basketball shoe. In the article from Bloomberg BusinessWeek called Quality over Green: Nike's New Air Jordan, they reveal that although the shoe has shifted to a less toxic, earth friendly, sewing machine manufactured design they are allowing the marketing to be on what it has in the past, its performance.

I think it is important that companies are creating earth friendly products and making that apart of what they do. It is interesting how Nike is just making that a way of design and allowing the shoe to sell it for what it is and what is known of from past styles. The article makes one realize that not everybody is concerned about being eco friendly and they are just in love with the product that they are buying, but it is important that although Nike knows that they will probably sell either way they still are running a socially responsible company. The book sums up this subject matter plain and simple, “It is simply the right thing to do.”

Jana,Reena. Bloomberg Businessweek. Quality over Green: Nike's New Air Jordan. 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 20 March 2012.