Penguin Classics Goes Green With Nature Conservancy
By Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly, 4/21/2008 3:02:00 PM
Doing its share to highlight the environmental cause, Penguin Classics has launched a major campaign supporting The Nature Conservancy's "Plant a Billion Trees Campaign." Starting now and running through August, Penguin Classics is linking the promotion of some of its environmentally-themed titles--from the likes of Rachel Carson, Ralph Waldo Emerson and others--to The Nature Conservancy's push to drive people to donate $1 to plant a tree.
Not only is the publisher taking out ads in major papers--one ran in the New York Times Book Review over the weekend--but it has also created bookstore displays, with space for free bookmarks, for retailers. (All materials direct readers to make donations at nature.org.) The ads, and bookmarks, all picture three titles--Carson's Under the Sea-Wind, John Muir's Mountains of California and Emerson's Nature and Selected Essays.
Maureen Donnelly, v-p and director of publicity at Penguin Classics, said the imprint "fell into" the partnership with The Nature Conservancy and added that the campaign offered a smart, timely way for the Classics to further brand itself while supporting a good cause. "All publishers are being more green, and I think this takes it a step beyond that." (In 2006 Penguins Classics did a similar outreach through a branded literacy campaign with the National Basketball Association.)
According to Donnelly, over 30 booksellers have ordered the Penguin displays. Donnelly added that both Powells.com and Amazon are featuring a promo of the outreach online, as well.
