One of the other interesting trends is increasingly marketing-led companies. This can be a good thing if the marketer is making a promise the company can deliver. Less so if that isn't the case.

As in - we have created a product or service that does one thing, but when marketers get their hands on it they are saying it does something else. Now we have a choice - ignore marketing, or change our product or service to deliever what they have promised!

So how does this relate to green initiatives? I believe that if marketers hearts are in the right place, and if their campaigns are based upon solid audience insights and spot-on intuition, then it's ok to do a little greenwashing because it will push the company to deliver upon that promise.

In all honesty that is where Jack Morton is right now. We've taken steps internally to improve the environmental sustainability of our operations (and I am really happy with our progress there) and we've developed tools and processes for a green approach to our client work.

The reality, though, is that while we've made major improvements in our exhibit work, we are not delivering on the promise of being green in many of our client events, mobile tours and other communications initiatives.

We'll get there...of that I have no doubt. But the greenwashing conundrum is real - and I am convinced that we have to continually beat the drum that we ARE a green-focused company in order for us to actually BECOME one.

The good news is that many of our clients have environmental initiatives and we, as experiential marketers, can help them ensure that they are threading that through all of their audience touchpoints - that they are behaving green when they are in the market with events or other experiences. That makes our job a little easier :)