Dodging Green Clichés to Command Attention

Resource Professionals Come Together

In 2007, a set of individuals from the resource industry chose to work together and utilize their shared skill-set to offer a higher level of carbon offset than what was currently available on the market. Collectively, the group numbered over 200 professionals, and they brought to the table applied expertise in forest ecology and health, silviculture, biology, archaeology, finance, and engineering.

While they believed their strong industry relationships would prove beneficial, they felt that their real strength was in their ability to fully integrate their value chain--a promise they believed that few others could truly make. Their claims directly related to their hands-on experience: as they already created and managed forests, they could guarantee a high level of quality and accountability.

The Start-up Conundrum

At some point, most start-ups find themselves in the position of having to prove themselves. Borealis wasn’t that different. Although their partners had track-records decades long, their new venture was still a fledgling, with few clients and no visibility.

While they accepted this for what it was, the whole scenario was in ways unwarranted. At that very moment, they had the capacity to develop and deliver projects of up to one million tons. All the same, they needed to start making inroads with two distinct groups. The first would be in B2B sales to large corporations, utilities, and governments requiring high quality and large volumes of offsets. The second would be B2C indirect, by selling through partner organizations.

Other considerations that came into play were: The partners’ backgrounds (lumber, oil and gas) which often have negative environmental associations; An offering that was less diverse than that of their competitors; And, that they had no real brand equity or credibility to leverage in what was becoming a highly competitive landscape.

“Just Don’t Make it Green!”

One of the most revealing moments in the branding of Borealis was during our initial survey of the marketplace. The space was visibly weak from a marketing standpoint, with an even distribution of those who seemed well intentioned but amateurish, to those heavily steeped in “green” rhetoric. While the group at Borealis was concerned about sustainability, they were also a viable, professionally managed business.

We’re particularly careful when it comes to green marketing. From a purely tactical standpoint, it’s often a weak position: the clichéd images, predictable imagery, and “we’re the good guys” sensibility has become awfully well worn. We see it everywhere, and as a result, much of it has turned into pure static. More than that, though, when you center your message around sustainability, you had best be concentrated on that alone, or, be subject to sometimes harsh (and possibly deserved) criticism.

We asked Borealis to remain mindful of this. Sure, do good, if that’s what you believe you’re doing. Don’t, however, make it seem like that’s the sole reason you’re in this. Plainly acknowledge you’re a profit-focused business, and concentrate on doing what you do well. This informed our approach to the brand identity, which we believed should take a bold, stark, top-shelf kind of approach.

Reliable High Quality Offsets

Given their unique offering, strong operational capabilities, collective experience, and ability to oversee the entire lifecycle of this process, Borealis’ brand was shaped as that of a quality boutique outfitter. While many others would get text-heavy, and often seem like they didn’t have much care for how they were perceived, we encouraged Borealis to present themselves succinctly, and as professionals concentrated on every detail.

Their finished identity system played off their name, using an optical illusion of sorts to convey the phenomenon found in the breathtaking Aurora Borealis. These sets of stylized concentric circles, a sober color palette sparked by hot magenta, and some elegant typographic selections resulted in something quite understated, yet, sophisticated--certainly not what one would expect from an upstart carbon offset provider.

Throughout our planning, a few words came up again and again. Those were: dependable, professional, refreshing, and vital. We believe the end result conveys just that. Borealis’ website and brand assets establish a starting point to capture attention in an over-saturated green market. Their value proposition is now clearly articulated through effective messaging and design and they are equipped to begin real discussions with suitable clients.