Green Branding- Its importance and development in the Indian perspective.

The aspiration to "Go Green" is an instinctual and emotive one for many brands and the methods of branding has often been far more yearning, compulsive and passionate than the discipline itself. Of late there has been a remarkable upsurge in green branding efforts of companies. Green branding, which is rather motivated by several reasons such as a progressive effect on the company profitability as is the case in IT organizations or it may be inspired by Corporate Social Responsibility as is the case in McDonalds. In some case the particular cause of green branding has Corporate Reputation Management which has Wal-Mart as a prime example or it may be due to the reason of Sustainability and portrayal of a positive image of the company while staying in the right side of the fence .Green branding is portrayed as a long term approach of a firm necessitated all the more because of limited natural resources and involves best utilization of the limited resources. Many Green Branding strategies have been constructed around corporate branding and functional marketing communications. The success of some green products like CFL bulbs can be ascribed to this unique and purposeful marketing strategy where the customer can easily identify the benefits as well as the more sustained returns on the increased investment. This study attempts to understand the world of green branding while exploring its development what is motivating the end user preference for green brands in India. It further attempts to relate India in the global context of green branding and highlight its growing importance in the universe of green branding. The study also reflects the myths that surround green branding efforts and dispels them with proper reasoning and justification. It concludes with the prediction of the trends that are emerging from the increased interest in green marketing initiatives in India.