Marketing an Environmental Issue: A Case Studyof The Wilderness Society's Core Messagesto Promote National Forest Conservationfrom 1964 to 2000

Abstract

While many studies have highlighted the struggles faced by corporate America as it attempts to embrace a "green" marketing orientation, there is little known about the attempts of environmental organizations to market their messages to these same publics. The intent of this case study research is to identify and describe core messages used by one national environmental organization, The Wilderness Society (TWS), to promote forest conservation (1964-2000). The results demonstrate that TWS has consistently applied elements of marketing in its promotion of forest conservation from 1964 to 2000 and has had a strategic approach to developing and maintaining continuity with its messages over a 36-year time period. This new knowledge allows us to begin to understand the particulars of the historical and current use of marketing within one of the leading U.S. environmental organizations. The Wilderness Society's experiences in using marketing to address environmental issues suggest a role for marketing in the environmental policy arena.