"Going Green" at sporting events.
Article Type: Brief article
Subject: Sports associations (Green market)
Author: Yoshida, Masayuki
Pub Date: 06/01/2009
Publication: Name: Sport Marketing Quarterly Publisher: Fitness Information Technology Inc. Audience: Academic Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Sports and fitness Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2009 Fitness Information Technology Inc. ISSN: 1061-6934
Issue: Date: June, 2009 Source Volume: 18 Source Issue: 2
Topic: Event Code: 240 Marketing procedures Advertising Code: 80 Targets & Markets
Product: Product Code: 8691000 Athletic Associations NAICS Code: 81399 Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) SIC Code: 8699 Membership organizations, not elsewhere classified
Geographic: Geographic Scope: Japan Geographic Code: 9JAPA Japan
Accession Number: 201712753
Full Text: The Tokyo Marathon is an annual marathon event hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Supported by approximately 10,000 volunteers, the event attracts more than 30,000 participants every year. Driven by the symbolic representation of the event, the popularity has soared over the last three years. At the 2009 event, one of the most interesting marketing campaigns was perhaps "Green Project." In order to offset CO2 emissions that occurred during the event, green wristbands and shoelaces were sold not only to promote the "Going Green" message, but also to raise money for planting trees. To support recycling, the volunteers' jackets and caps were made from recycled materials. Toyota also provided fuel-efficient hybrid-electric vehicles, including shuttle buses, for the management of the event. CO2 emission control, recycling, energy efficiency, and the use of green materials are believed to be critical not only to solving global warming, but also to creating a positive brand image in order to break out of today's highly competitive business environment. From a marketing standpoint, green orientation has been proliferated among Japanese firms, and sport organizations are not an exception.

Dr. Masayuki Yoshida

Sport Business Program

Biwako Seikei Sport College

Email: yoshida-m@bss.ac.jp
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