Katmandu is asking the question how green are you

Temecula Ca. JUNE 2, 2008. Green, Greener, Greenest. Katmandu asks its customers how they rate themselves. Director of marketing Mark Robinson invites customers to discuss topics pertaining to global warming, gas prices, and air quality. Sounds like a novel approach to marketing, and it is… but Katmandu welcomes the opportunity to discuss the environment and to introduce its green fabric Environ2. Who is Katmandu? Katmandu is a portable media and dye sublimation company with a unique product and a special message.

Katmandu believes that consumers are concerned about the environment and has responded by creating a truly unique product. The KAT-101 is made from recycled aluminum and is combined with Environ2, a dye sublimated fabric that is sold throughout the United States and Canada .

"We are not on a green mission, but we do believe in what we’re promoting so it makes it fun to market as companies are asking questions and are willing to talk to their customers about green materials, " explains Mark Robinson .“ The new Kat line has very unique benefits and the biggest benefit Katmandu can boast about is that its line is truly green , very economical, and works well. The aluminum for the stands is purchased from recycled aluminum and can be recycled again and again, as the Environ2 can.

By purchasing products that are manufactured from recycled materials the products in essence recycle themselves and that is the message Katmandu wants its dealers and the dealer’s customers to understand.

The Prius hybrid may be cool among Hollywood stars and the DVD of “An Inconvenient Truth” may still be flying off shelves, but it’s still not so easy selling green. Katmandu offers some simple, yet very effective tools for selling green. Target those who are mandated to be green, for instance civic institutions, school systems and hospitals. Study the market to become familiar with who is mandated to do what in your area with regards to using green in their advertising and signage. In short, target those who are talking "green."

Review internet advertisements by car dealers, medical and dental companies, home builders, and ad agencies. See if they use words like "environment,""employee health/safety," "social responsibility," "caring for the community." You can help them make good on their promises!

Help them find you. Get involved with local environmental groups and service organizations and become the spokesperson that can say there is something different, better and it’s green. As your reputation as the green display expert grows, prospects will come to you just as they are coming to Katmandu and its KAT line of green products.

According to Ferris Kawar, a researcher for Greenopia, a website and line of books on finding green establishments in select U.S. cities, today’s green consumer has many more options and more advertisements to sort through. He believes that the new green consumers are a larger group, but not as well informed as they were a few years ago.

So… consumers will have to do some legwork to figure out which companies have a true commitment to the environment and which are just trying to capitalize on the growing market for green products. This deception already has coined a term: "Greenwashing."

Katmandu is sending out free samples of its new Environ2 recycled fabric to trade show companies, display and event companies, ad agencies, marketing companies and looks forward to a greener world.

"We do not want people to discount the message as purely marketing,” Robinson says, so BEYOND THE GREEN features of our KAT line we have been focusing more on the benefits and features associated with our products. Green product’s acceptance and ultimate survival has always relied on the consumer’s belief in that product. As more companies go green and ads and press releases are viewed, it will be up to the consumer to decide if the features of the products live up to the benefits of using them.