Reflection
The knowledge and understanding of this assignment in management simulation have built
important concepts of marketing. The skills and learning acquired throughout this assignment
are of various types. The most important skill that this project developed is using the right
branding strategies which may not create bogus information for customers. Additionally, using
multiple marketing strategies and their art of implementation in branding is also a skill that may
not erode customer trust and maintain company reputation. The knowledge that the project built
is based on various concepts and case studies that are real-time and practical.
The concept of greenwashing in marketing has revealed many aspects of creating bogus and
fake promotional strategies that may either enhance customer traffic or worsen the situation
even further for marketing institutions
Throughout the assignment; greenwashing is considered to be the fake attribute that falsely
generates an image and builds a company reputation. The practical understanding of this
concept was further built by the example of the H&M company which incorporated a collection
of ambiguous sustainable practices and did not show any real impact on the environment.
An important concept that this assignment built is how to enhance consumer perception in
marketing and how consumers are attracted to false information and marketing approaches.
Furthermore, the concept of changing the perception of consumers comes from eco-friendly
products and services. The companies expose their products and services to the consumers in
a way that they look environmentally friendly and consumers think the companies are following
ethical principles and create positive intentions to buy the same.
The assignment further developed case study analysis which improved the concepts of false
branding even more. The companies nowadays create a false branding approach to prove their
eco-friendly products which don't exist in reality. This results in a bad reputation, legal suits, and
loss of trust in their brand. Nowadays, public backlash is very common that such companies
face. The use of greenwashing in marketing showcases benefits that companies may reap by
following this strategy. These are given below:
● Capitalise on eco/health trends
● Justify higher prices
● Avoid real transformations
Furthermore, the learning of the assignment also adds some tactics that the greenwashing
strategy uses and these are; use of vague language, avoiding third-party verification, and
highlighting minor or positive impacts and ignoring negative impacts on the environment.
Further learning is about the psychological impact that the tactic of greenwashing has on
consumers. The falsification of brands breaks ethical values and erodes the trust of consumers
in the products. The case example of H&M makes the learning even more effective for this
module. The case study shows how greenwashing breaks the legal values and companies are
exposed to legal suits. Penalizing the companies for using fake practices, and actions by
Norway to flag H&M as a deceptive company are two examples that show how important it is to
avoid deceptive marketing tactics.
The skills and learning developed during this project are based on the above marketing
concepts and techniques that helped me create a to-do list of what to avoid during marketing
and branding a product or service, for example how greenwashing may increase short-term
revenue but the long-term effects are erroneous which include bad reputation, lack of trust, and
confidence in business.
Teamwork has been an absolutely good experience to maximise the output of this project. My
experience with teamwork created a shared environment where knowledge and ideas about the
marketing concepts were exchanged. The work was divided and duties were assigned to each
team member. I think team building not only shares knowledge but also develops an interest in
completing a project within a deadline. My experience with team members also enhanced my
communication skills and I had the opportunity to think of practical examples, as every team
member was providing real examples of marketing that companies have adapted.
This experience will support me in the future by devising strategies that follow ethical rules and
principles. The strategies to use practically should follow ethical values which may not deceive
consumers. Real examples and case studies such as that of H&M are beneficial for using them
at a practical level. However, teamwork will not only enhance my knowledge-sharing ability but
will also improve my understanding of the subject and concepts.