• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, April 28, 2008

Green Messaging Has High Recall, But Many Consumers Skeptical

According to a new Burst Media survey, consumer recall of advertising with "green" messaging is very high, with 37.1% of consumers saying they frequently recall green messaging and an additional third recalling it occasionally.

The survey found that 22.7% respondents say they seldom or never believe green claims made in advertisements:

• 65.3% of respondents say they "sometimes" believe green claims made in advertisements
• 12.1% say they "always" believe green advertising claims.
• 41.6% of consumers frequently or occasionally research the claims made in green advertisements
• 30.1% refrain from any further research

The survey found that four out of five (79.6%) respondents use the Internet to conduct personal research on green initiatives and products, and many respondents find the availability of corporate information on green and environmentally safe products and services lacking. Burst's survey showed that:

• 41.6% would rate corporate information as only average
• 20.8% rate the information as fair
• 17.2% rate it as poor

The survey also revealed additional findings about the green consumer. These include:

• More than four out of five (81.9%) respondents have incorporated some level of green activity into their lives - only 12.9% are "not green at all".
• Although most respondents have integrated green activity into their daily lives, few (5.2%) are "completely green".
• Most respondents are "aspirationally green" - a plurality (43.9%) incorporate a few things that are green into their daily lives but "have a long way to go", and another 38.0% attempt to be "as green as possible, but not 100%".

Respondents most frequently cite "good for the environment" as the reason they include green behavior in their daily lives. Other reasons cited for going green include:

• "to impact the future"
• "to live a better quality of life"
• good for the community (32.5%)
• desire to make a difference (31.2%)
• desire for a healthy body (29.8%)
• desire to live simply and use less (29.2%)

Three out of five respondents who are "aspirationally green" cite "good for the environment" as a reason for going green - clearly the leader among all reasons offered. Among the "completely green" segment the top reason for going green is "to live a better quality of life", followed by "good for the environment".

Survey data showed that the most popular online green content is recycling information, and healthy recipes. These are followed by information on alternative energy sources, natural remedies, eco-friendly cleaning products, green technologies, nature/outdoor recreation, tips for simple living, gardening/organic gardening, and organic foods.

Jarvis Coffin, CEO of Burst Media, says "Businesses that can support their claims... in a way that incorporates the consumer in the conversation are at an advantage in the marketplace... Information that is accessible, transparent and easy for consumers to share... reach consumers in relation to a core personal value."

For more information about the study, please visit Burst Media here.