According to a report in Marketing Daily, consumers want to “buy green” but often don’t really know what that means. The article refers to a new study on green marketing from the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and Cone LLC, a marketing firm.
About one in four people say they consistently buy earth-friendly products. But the study found that 48 percent of “green” consumers believe the products benefit the earth, while just 22 percent understand that they do less harm than conventional products.
And 47 percent trust companies to tell the truth in environmental messages. “The public has more confidence in their ability to understand the meaning of environmental advertising than they should have,” Mike Lawrence, EVP/corporate responsibility at Cone, told Marketing Daily. “And sooner or later, they’ll find that out, and be really unhappy.”
Here are some things that marketers can do to improve their green cred:
- Use third-party certification such as EnergyStar or Certified Organic. Eighty percent of green shoppers say that’s important and 63 percent say it influences their purchases.
- The more specific, the better in green product claims. While 36 percent say they would believe a paper product’s claim to being “environmentally friendly,” the number rises to 60 percent if the product is marked “made with 80 percent post-consumer recycled paper.”
- Take advantage of endorsements from government agencies or watchdog groups. More than three-quarters of respondents say advocates, the media, and regulators help keep companies honest about their environmental impact.
Only 14 percent of consumers say they’re “overwhelmed” or “cynical” about the avalanche of green marketing claims, while 11 percent feel “empowered,” and 38 percent say they appreciate the information.
