Ask the Okala Experts

It should come as no surprise that surveys of consumers indicate a strong desire for verifiable green marketing claims. For the past two years claims of ‘green marketing’ have expanded to a point where consumers have become overloaded regarding such marketing claims. Recent consumer marketing data confirms the skepticism related to this overload.

In July of 2008 the Gandalf Group spoke with 1500 adult Canadians about their views and attitudes regarding the impact of environmental issues. The responses indicate that design teams and marketers need to pay greater attention to consumer attitudes if they hope to connect with consumers concerning ecodesign strategies.

The results:

• Most Canadians say there are so many conflicting claims about the environment that they’re not sure what to believe.
• Canadians overwhelmingly want regulation and labeling to clear up the confusion. They want to know:
  
  • What is just a marketing ploy?
  • What is legitimately environmentally friendly?
• Eighty-five percent of Canadians want standards enforced on producers and labeling that certifies and explains terms such as organic, low emissions, and green.
• Two-thirds of Canadians say the term “green” has been used so much that it doesn’t have much meaning for them anymore when a company claims it.¹

Confirming these attitudes in the U.S., an Ipsos Reid study conducted in the spring of 2008 indicated that at the time, seven in ten Americans either strongly or somewhat agreed that when companies call a product ’green‘ it is usually just a ‘marketing tactic.’ U.S. consumers, the study reports, seem to be wary of firms who label products as ‘green’ or ‘environmentally friendly.’²