The Atlanta Journal Constitution today brings news of the greening of corporate America to the South. Having gone to school in the region and lived there for 10 years, we can understand the slight delay in timing for this news to make it front and center in the southern rags. And yet, one shining star in the region has led the rest of the pack in this now illustrious movement towards corporate social responsibility. Interface carpets has become a champion amongst the green set for its progressive stand on environmental issues. And considering the industry and the region, that is truly a monumental achievement. So yet another round of props go out to Ray Anderson.

Of most important note here though is the delicacy required by companies in the smash and grab of “green” for gain. It simply isn’t as easy as changing the incandescent light bulbs for the twisty ones, and then changing the color of the logo to green. The PR opportunities are so juicy that it is easy to mistake an action for an opportunity. The disingenuous of this kind of action followed by ensuing communications tactics for short-term gain will backfire in the long run. Consumers are too smart and the transparency afforded them today with the web reveals all in due course.

Paul Dusseault who handles the Novelis account at PR firm Fleishman-Hilliard says his role is to personalize numbers by “telling stories” that might attract media coverage. As we were so candidly reminded in the now infamous New Yorker article about PR firm Edelman’s “handling” of the greening of Wal-Mart, emphasizing the good news and spinning the bad is what PR does best.

Therein lie the shortcomings of the approach that many companies take to this here greening trend. First, they don’t go far enough. Secondly, they don’t (re) position the brand to accurately reflect the (new or existing) green components, and then communicate this aspect effectively. While earned media through PR is considered more credible and potentially more affordable, it has a very limited ability to build brand without ground cover from paid media (advertising). Essentially, the first step is determining whether you are a green brand (unlikely), or simply a brand with green components (more likely). Creating an effective brand platform that captures the truths of the brand (with green possibly playing a now more important role, but still less so than those all important primary attributes like performance, quality, style and taste), and then using the best channels to communicate and connect with customers is the green fleece.