DMA Introduces 'Green Marketing' Professional Development Program: A Certificate in Eco-Responsible Marketing

DMA announced the launch of the ERM certificate program at DMA08, the six-day Global Event for Integrated Marketing, which concludes today in Las Vegas, NV.

"Today, marketing strategies need to incorporate responsible environmental stewardship," said Meta Brophy, director, publishing operations, Consumers Union, and chair of DMA’s Committee on Environment and Social Responsibility (CESR). "Marketing professionals in for-profit and nonprofit organizations alike have an important role to play in shaping sustainable business. DMA’s ERM certificate program, which we believe to be the first of its kind in the world of advertising and marketing, is designed to instruct marketers from all fields on practices that will help their marketing efforts to be relevant, responsible, and results-driven in increasingly important ways."

The ERM certificate curriculum, which launches December 1, 2008, seeks to inform marketing professionals about the environmental impacts, positive and negative, specifically relating to the direct marketing process, and how the business decisions they make about this process can enhance sustainability from a "triple bottom-line" perspective — profit, environmental performance, and social responsibility. Initially, there will be nine core modules, followed by five elective modules, from which Certificate holders must complete at least two.

The first course, "The DMA Environmentally Responsible Marketing Certificate — Build a Long-Term, Sustainable Environmental Policy or Program," is scheduled as a live online briefing on Monday, December 1, from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. (EST).

Additional courses with their tentative go-live dates include:

• Understanding Product and Process Life Cycles — Evaluating Alternatives in Marketing Strategic Planning and Execution (January 22, 2009)
• The Commitment to Consumer Choice (CCC) — Meet Customer Expectations and Stave Off Do Not Mail Legislation (February 12, 2009)
• The DMA Green 15 — 15 Strategies to Improve Efficiency & Help the Environment (February 26, 2009)
• Hit the Bull’s Eye — List & Data Management Strategies to Green Your Marketing & Improve Your ROI (March 17, 2009)
• Eco-Beautify Your Marketing Campaigns — Sustainable Design & Production (April 22, Earth Day, 2009)
• Follow the Paper Trail — Paper Sourcing, Certification & Labeling (May 21, 2009)
• Make Sustainable Paper & Packaging Decisions that Don’t Break the Bank (an elective, live at DM Days 2009 Conference, June 2009, date to be determined)
• What’s the ROI of Sustainable Marketing? Consumer Trends & Research (an elective, live at DM Days 2009 Conference, June 2009, date to be determined)
• Recycle Please — Recycling & Pollution Reduction Opportunities for Direct Marketers (June 23, 2009)
• Avoid Green Fatigue & "Greenwashing" — Rules & Regulations for Making Environmental Marketing Claims (July 21, 2009)
• Green Your Fundraising to Meet Donor Expectations (an elective, live at DMA Nonprofit Conference, August 2009, date to be determined)
• Understand & Calculate the Carbon Footprint of Your Marketing Campaign (an elective, DMA09 Conference & Exhibition, October 2009, date to be determined)
• Going Green in a Global Marketplace: International Trends in Green Marketing (an elective, DMA09 Conference & Exhibition, October 2009, date to be determined)

All courses will be offered in live online briefings and at various DMA conferences in 2009 (there is no separate charge for courses that are offered as part of a DMA conference registration). All courses — both online and those offered at DMA conferences — will be recorded and offered to enrolled professionals online and on-demand after the event.

Commenting on the ERM program, Senny Boone, DMA’s senior vice president, corporate and social responsibility, said, "The faculty for this curriculum is drawn from marketing professionals and others who represent a diverse set of companies and organizations. Many of them are members of DMA’s Board-level CESR, or are highly experienced in environmental compliance for their respective organizations. This program will empower professionals to examine the environmental impact of the marketing process for better results."

The new ERM Certificate program, Boone pointed out, builds on DMA’s repertoire of environmental initiatives which date back to 1989. In 2005, the association formed its CESR and launched an aggressive environmental action program.

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In 2008, marketers — commercial and nonprofit — will spend $176.9 billion on direct marketing, which accounts for 52.1 percent of all ad expenditures in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures will generate approximately $2.057 trillion in incremental sales. In 2008, direct marketing accounted for approximately 10 percent of total US gross domestic product. Also in 2008, there were 1.6 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly support 9.3 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 10.9 million US jobs.

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