When Green and Mainstream Collide:  An Interview with Dan Shapley of TheDailyGreen.com

The audience for green-themed media reached new heights in 2008, and that audience is increasingly finding its information on the Web. That was the message delivered by Dan Shapley, editor of TheDailyGreen.com, at Good And Green™-The Green Marketing Conference. The growth in the green audience corresponds with the collision of environmental issues and real world consumer concerns – from the recalls of toxic toys and tainted food, to the rising cost of energy and the increasingly dire warnings about global warming.

“Statistics show that mainstream media sources are spending less time and energy reporting on the environment, even as green themes become increasingly important to a wider swath of the American public," Shapley says. "That audience is turning to the Web to find the information it craves."

Which makes his site that much more valuable for today’s growing number of eco-conscious consumers. TheDailyGreen.com is published by the Digital Media unit of Hearst Magazines and is a consumer-oriented news and service website devoted to assisting consumers interested in a more earth-friendly lifestyle.

Originally launched in beta on Earth Day 2007, the site has grown quickly into one of the most trusted and respected green media sites on the Web. Consumers say they come to The Daily Green looking for tips, news and lifestyle information, including recipes. Some of their key interests are saving money and energy, finding non-toxic product and food alternatives, and learning more about global warming.

"When we survey our audience, we find that 85% trust the information they find on The Daily Green," Shapley said. "While that's gratifying for us, it's also critical for advertisers, who know their brands will be associated with a trusted source of news and information."

What sets The Daily Green apart?

Firstly, it is directed at a mainstream audience, not just committed environmentalists. It is inviting – "puckish, not preachy" is its unofficial motto – it is focused on issues that are relevant to everyday Americans. And, Shapley says, it is "relentlessly useful." Every day, The Daily Green surveys the Web to see what interests people, and then its editors add an environmental twist to mainstream issues—giving today’s readers the information they need in an online environment that speaks to their core values and beliefs.

Secondly, it's connected to Hearst Magazines Web sites, like Good Housekeeping and O, The Oprah Magazine, and to some of the most powerful forces on the Web, like MSN and Yahoo. These partnerships allow The Daily Green to extend its reach to the mainstream, broadening the green audience.

TheDailyGreen.com has managed to find success with the one area of green marketing that is still somewhat elusive for so many brands: Connecting your green message with a more mainstream consumer. The Web offers unprecedented opportunities for integrating an advertiser's content with editorial content. Hearst Digital Media also develops multi-media campaigns that give advertisers reach across multiple brands, from magazines and custom printing to the Web and e-newsletters.

To maintain its integrity and respect among consumers, TheDailyGreen.com is a media company that is not willing to compromise its content—even if it means losing an ad sale. While the site is more than open to creating special advertising features that help highlight the products and services of their brand partners, they appreciate and respect the wall between advertising and editorial.

"The audience perceives advertising as an endorsement by the media brand. That's a powerful association for advertisers, but it's also a potential pitfall," Shapley says. "It means that the advertisers on our site have to share our core values. It means that advertisers must have an honest green message to relay. If it's not a match, our audience perceives it."

Shapley and his team work with their brand partners to ensure their online environment is exactly what readers expect--a practice that is not only beneficial for readers, but for brands as well. “As I said, they are really hungry for this information,” says Shapley. “When our surveys tell us the audience is looking for non-toxic product alternatives, or organic food, or energy saving tips, we know they're looking for information not only from our writers, but from advertisers as well.”

Shapley’s reading list includes novels such as The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Juno Diaz, pop-sociology like Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, and green manifestos like Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat and Crowded. But, as the editorial head of TheDailyGreen.com, Shapley admits that most of his reading time is spent scouring his RSS feeds and scanning environmental-focused news services. “I read Slate's 'Today's Papers' religiously and use various services to monitor in real time what the Web audience is searching for,” says Shapley.

Proving once again that the real secret to green marketing success can be found in the daily conversations of today’s consumers.