According to an article in MediaPost, numerous companies are running tie-ins to green causes in honor of Earth Day on April 22nd.
- RadioShack has an electronics trade-in tied to winning an eco-friendly car
- AAA is offering green driving tips
- Nickelodeon is hosting Big Help Earth Day
How many consumers will take advantage of these offers, or take time to heed some of the green advice being given?
OgilvyEarth recently conducted a study regarding consumer intentions vs. consumer actions when it comes to shopping and living sustainably, a phenomenon they have labeled the "Green Gap." In other words, a green gap is the difference between a person's aspirations for living green and a person's reality in living green. A troubling matter not only for environmentalists, but also potentially for marketers.
- 82% of Americans have "good green intentions"
- 16% are dedicated to fulfilling them ("Super Greens")
- 66% are ignored by marketers ("Middle Greens")
- 18% are Green Rejectors
OgilvyEarth says that many of the "world's leading corporations are staking their futures on the bet that sustainability will become a major driver of mainstream consumer purchase behavior."
What's the dilemma? Besides the 70% who claim they would rather cure cancer than fix the environment, OgilvyEarth found that green marketing messages remains a much more niche position rather than mainstream.
"Existing green marketing is either irrelevant or even alienating to most Americans."
Half of Americans equate environmentally friendly products with "Crunchy Granola Hippies" or "Rich Elitist Snobs." What about the Everyday Americans, the Middle Greens? Marketers need to recognize there are a different segments of green consumers who respond differently to messaging.
Another concern? The number one barrier Americans claimed to living and shopping sustainably was cost, not only financially but also emotionally. Middle Greens say they feel shunned by those around them because of the negative judgment associated with going out of their way to purchase green products. They want to feel normal, not different. Until green "feels normal" the Middle probably won't fully embrace green products.
A final piece to this puzzle: the study found that 73% in the survey would prefer to buy an environmentally responsible product from a well-known mainstream company (Clorox's Green Works) instead of from a company who specializes in being green (Seventh Generation).
Not a surprising statistic since the majority group wants to shop and live sustainably, but also wants to feel normal doing so.
How far have we fallen into the Green Gap? Not so far that we can't get out, especially if marketers acknowledge the need for different messaging for the various segments of green consumers. Also, if more mainstream and trusted brands like Clorox produce environmentally sound products, this might help bridge the green gap as well.
Image: Danilo Rizzuti/freedigitalphotos.net
Sources:
Study: Green Gap Is Bigger Than Ever, mediapost.com, 4/19/11
Mainstream Green: Moving sustainability from niche to normal, Ogilvy and Mather (OgilvyEarth), 2011
