Battling Big Business: Countering Greenwash, Infiltration, and Other Forms of Corporate Bullying

Citation

Moloney, K. (2003), "Battling Big Business: Countering Greenwash, Infiltration, and Other Forms of Corporate Bullying", Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 215-215. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563280310487676

Field Marshall Rommel used to drive out into the North African desert before a battle and look back at the camouflage his troops had rigged up. He was illustrating a principle always useful in competition and worse: how does one look to competitors and opponents? Battling Big Business looks at business communications from the viewpoint of committed environmental activists. What they often see in green messaging from companies is “greenwash” – what they deem to be dis‐information put out to develop a perception of environmental friendliness.

The communications plans (pp. 21, 33) which they see behind greenwash is sometimes collaborationist; it seeks dialogue with (some) environmentalist campaigners. The goals are to isolate environmental radicals, cultivate idealists, and co‐opt the realists. Generally the activists believe that greenwash public affairs has three tactics: deny any problem with your product, delay effective action about any problem and dominate the agenda or negotiation about any solution. Lubber et al. analyse what businesses allegedly do “from relatively innocent PR measures to complete intelligence operations” and then suggest counter moves. For example, do you agree with the activist view (p. 182) that emphasising corporate brand values makes companies more vulnerable to attacks of a personality trait nature, i.e. not reliable, uncaring, etc? Having perused this book, the corporate communicator can have a good guess at what is in the mind of her counterpart. A good General wants the same sort of insight.