Two Sides North America Defends Paper and Print on Many Fronts

Submitted: The Two Sides Team July 16, 2015

Check out the great article about Two Sides by Patrick Henry of What They Think.

This article by Patrick Henry appeared on the WhatTheyThink? website on July 9, 2015.

Persuading a Fortune 500 company to backtrack from any of its consumer messaging is a formidable feat. Getting more than 30 of them to do it may be the stuff of public relations legend—but it’s all part of the routine for Two Sides North America.

This not-for-profit organization exists to battle myths about the harmful impacts of paper and printing upon the environment—misinformation that damages the reputation of print by obscuring its sustainability and social value. The first step in busting the myths, says Phil Riebel, president of Two Sides, is to find out where the negative communication is coming from.

As the group understood when it launched in the U.S. in 2012, anti-print messaging can originate anywhere there is a vested interest in nudging people away from the use of paper. Two Sides initially identified the top 30 companies in banking, telecommunications, and other sectors known to be encouraging consumers to embrace paperless electronic billing. The group then began to monitor the mailings, web sites, and other marketing channels of about 45 of these companies to see how the messaging was being framed.

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