GREEN CONSUMPTION?

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Green Not Consumers GO Button
According to a recent Yankelovich survey, Going Green, of 2,763 consumers and their environmental attitudes, only 34% of consumers feel much more concerned about environmental issues today than a year ago. And less than one-quarter of consumers feel they can make a difference when it comes to the environment.

J. Walker Smith, president of Yankelovich, concludes that "While (consumers) are highly aware of environmental issues due to the glut of media attention... 'going green' in their everyday life is simply not a big concern or a high priority."

Even though Al Gore's book, An Inconvenient Truth, received widespread acclaim from media and scientists alike, 82% of consumers neither saw the film nor read it, says the study.

Mr. Smith asserts that consumers are far more knowledgeable about green than they're generally given credit for. Al Gore's "10 Myths" in An Inconvenient Truth are not considered myths by consumers at all. According to the Survey:

Only 7% of consumers believe Gore's "Myth" that it's already too late to do something about climate change
Only 4% believe global warming is a good thing
Only 8% agree that the warming that scientists are recording is just the effect of cities trapping heat rather than anything to do with greenhouse gases
Smith says that companies can exploit the "green-ness" of their products since the environment does represent a niche opportunity in the marketplace, with just over 30 million Americans (13% of the 234 million people 16+) "strongly concerned" about it. Smith posits that it makes sense to try and leverage the ‘new and improved' green product to consumers.

The Yankelovich Marketing Action Framework illustrates the degree to which all consumers - from "Green-less" to "Green-Enthusiasts" - are currently likely to buy a product based on its green features.

Green Marketing Action Framework (Yankelovich)

Consumer Category

% of Respondents

Mindset

Position

Greenless

29%

Lowest Attitudes & Lowest Behaviors

Unmoved by environmental issues & alarms

Greenbits

19%

Behaviors Higher Than Lower Attitudes

Don't care but doing a few things

Greensteps

25%

Moderate Attitudes & Moderate Behaviors

Aware, concerned, taking steps

Greenspeaks

15%

Behaviors Lower Than High Attitudes

Talk the talk more than walk the walk

Greenthusiasts

13%

Highest Attitudes & Highest Behaviors

Environment is a passionate concern

Source: Yankelovich Going green, July 2008

Smith suggest that marketers "... employ behavioral tactics that move consumers up the continuum to greater levels of ‘green-ness'... (vs.) focusing on these segments in isolation... "