So how has ISO managed to achieve this remarkable penetration? Firstly, there is its heritage. ISO, as we know it today, was founded in 1947. However, although ISO has been around for more than half a century, it was the launching of the ISO 9000 series of standards in 1987 that heralded the evolution of ISO into a household name (or at least a “boardroom name”). Prior to ISO 9000, standards tended to be perceived as highly technical documents, the domain of engineers. ISO 9000 was the first standard of interest to all organizations, everywhere, from small companies to whole government departments.

Athina Koutroumani, desk officer for the European Eco-label in the European Commission, says that the idea was to develop a voluntary, European-wide scheme that consumers would recognize, and understand that it meant a product or service had met rigorous environmental criteria.

“An in-depth study on the revision of the Eco-label scheme has recently been completed,” says Koutroumani. “Most companies and organizations which have joined the scheme are happy with the European-wide scheme, and almost all of the companies participating in the scheme use the Eco-label in their marketing campaigns.”

“The Flower especially helps companies to access markets in other Member States, especially in the area of public procurement where green procurement policies are gaining ground,” Koutroumani continues. “However, it is true that the penetration of the scheme in the European market could be further enhanced. Among consumers, awareness of this label greatly varies in the 25 Member States, largely because the number of categories of products that can get the label is still small. The evaluation study showed that participating and non-participating companies highly rate the competitive rewards associated with raising consumer awareness of the Flower.”

Koutroumani concedes that national eco-labels have a longer history than the Flower, and therefore often have greater awareness among consumers. The Eco-label's marketing and branding work therefore is largely about consumer awareness and demand.

Retailers, especially, have an important part to play in promoting the Flower. After the success of the First European Flower Week in 2004, another one is scheduled for October 2006 to continue to increase awareness of the EU Eco-label. Each participating Member State will target the most promising product groups and will organize campaigns to reach out to consumers, while involving retailers and manufacturers. Ten countries are already planning to participate, half of which are new Member States and who did not have the chance to participate in 2004.

But while heritage helps, it is not the only factor that influences the success of brands in the complicated world of certificates and standards. The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) only began in 1989, yet its brand and the EFQM Excellence Award is fast becoming an international mark for excellence in business. The EFQM Excellence Model is now being implemented in over 30,000 companies and/or departments worldwide.

“ISO sets standards on how companies should do things—we look at how a company can surpass expectations,” says Melissa Rancourt, head of operations at EFQM. “The EFQM complements ISO standards like ISO 9000.” Indeed a special issue on EFQM was distributed with ISO's magazine in 2001, highlighting the complementarities of the two.

But unlike ISO, EFQM is a little more generous with its brand identity. “Members of EFQM can use the EFQM logo,” says Rancourt. “It acts as a stamp of approval, saying that the company is in the pursuit of excellence. One company even put the logo on its Christmas cards, and you often walk into the lobby of a member organization and see its EFQM membership certificate highly visible on the wall.”

Rancourt is little concerned that this liberal use of the EFQM could dilute or confuse its message. “We use a trusting approach. After all, we are dealing with excellent companies. If something is odd or they are not sure about how to use our brand then they will usually contact us and ask.”

Rancourt also believes that EFQM's success is largely down to the passion of its members. “We have a brand strategy and critical success factors. Indeed, we are undergoing a rejuvenation strategy, which we believe will drive the brand stronger and further into the marketplace. But for the 30,000 companies following the EFQM model we try to encourage them to spread the message. I follow EFQM, what about you?”

Standards only work if enough organizations adopt them. The best branding strategy is to ensure that adopters become ambassadors.     

[13-Mar-2006]