First, let’s see how this authentic, natural brand got its start. There really is a Burt, and he really did keep bees in northern Maine. He sold honey off his pick-up truck and lived a simple life on land with 30 bee hives and a flock of chickens. He resided in a converted turkey coop.

In 1984, Burt met Roxanne Quimby, a single mother who was finding it difficult to find a job. Burt had saved up a lot of beeswax, so they decided to sell beeswax candles. Later they made lip balm, and the business grew. Eventually they moved the company to North Carolina, mostly to take advantage of lower taxes and gain access to potential employees.

From the beginning, Burt and Roxanne wanted everything they sold to be as natural as the beeswax, so they used only natural ingredients. They also wanted to be environmentally responsible, so all of their packaging was recycled or recyclable.

They did something else, too—the owners made a solemn commitment to “The Greater Good,” as they called it. For example, Burt’s Bees formed a group of volunteer employees called Ecobees, whose role is to develop company-wide initiatives that both educate and implement their sustainability goals. The company also created its own rock band, The Beemones, to help raise money to keep kids in school.

Burt’s Bees has achieved outstanding success with its products as well as its approach to business. It has acquired the kind of legendary reputation attributed to such entrepreneurial, socially conscious brands as Ben & Jerry’s (ice cream and frozen yogurt) and Tom’s of Maine (toothpaste and deodorant). Also like the founders of these other brands, original owner Roxanne Quimby, who bought Burt’s share of the business years ago, sold out to a larger organization. In 2007, Burt’s Bees was purchased for US$ 925 million by Clorox.

It is a rude irony that a company known for caustic bleach now owns a company known for everything natural. But Clorox is a diversified company that also owns the Brita water filter brand and Hidden Valley salad dressings. Clorox recently introduced a line of natural cleaning products called Green Works to jump on the environmental bandwagon.

Reportedly, Clorox plans to keep its own brand name off of Burt’s Bees. That’s probably a smart move. Burt’s Bees may benefit from its parent’s deep pockets, but a close association with the Clorox name could create an undesirable consumer perception. Clorox will likely handle the Burt’s Bees business gingerly, as long as sales stay strong.

Which brings us back to the authenticity of the Burt’s Bees brand. Assuming Clorox does not become a liability, Burt’s Bees should maintain its enviable position in the marketplace. The company makes over 150 products that, on average, are 99 percent natural. Only natural preservatives are used, and most of the containers are created from recycled materials. The packaging has a down-home feel to it, with illustrated graphics that include a likeness of Burt and drawings of bees. The color palette is primarily warm yellow and red.

The company is stepping up its marketing in an effort to differentiate itself in the personal care products category. In February 2008, Burt’s Bees launched a new ad campaign that directly addresses what “all-natural” really means. One ad carried the headline, “How do you get all the soft without the suspicious?” The ad text discusses the milk and honey used in Burt’s Bees, as opposed to chemicals used in competing products. The end of the ad asks, “Have you read your body lotion label lately?” Burt’s Bees worked with the Natural Products Association to develop standards for personal care products, and as of May 2008, Burt’s Bees products have carried the “Natural Seal for Personal Care Products.

Burt’s Bees is standing behind its commitment to the environment in another unusual way. The company is “among the first companies in the nation to subsidize its employees' purchases of renewable energy certificates, also known as carbon offsets,” according to the News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina). “The employee subsidy is akin to a company offering matching contributions to a charity that an employee chooses. In this case, the money supports for-profit wind energy producers in the U.S.”

One successful marketing ploy for Burt’s Bees has been its “Mobile Tour.” This is the third year the company will make appearances at events and festivals during the spring and summer in cities across the US and Canada. Burt’s Bees calls the tour a “grassroots, interactive experience” that includes hand massages, product demonstrations, free samples and a “learning wall” that highlights the company’s commitment to The Greater Good. It’s a good way to get up close and personal with Burt’s Bees.

Burt’s Bees products are already marketed worldwide, but largely in specialty stores. A key goal of Clorox is to get the brand into big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart. That should make Burt’s Bees a well-known name—perhaps as well known as its corporate parent. That’s just the kind of buzz Burt’s Bees wants.

Barry Silverstein has been a frequent brandchannel contributor since 2007. He has thirty years of advertising and marketing experience and is currently a freelance writer and marketing consultant. He founded and ran his own direct marketing agency and held executive positions with Epsilon, a leading database marketing firm and Arnold, a major ad agency. Silverstein is the author of three marketing books, including the McGraw-Hill book, The Breakaway Brand, which he co-authored with Arnold CEO Fran Kelly.