Customers Reward Marketing and Advertising that Employs “Green” Messages, According to New Report from Environmental Leader

82% of Survey Respondents Plan to Increase Spending on Green Marketing

FORT COLLINS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A newly-released study shows that customers reward companies that use so-called “green marketing” messages. While marketers are known to chase trends, it appears that the increased spending on green advertising and marketing is primarily due to firms finding distinct additional marketing and advertising advantage with green messages.

“While green marketing is showing itself particularly competent in selling, most marketers appear to try to use it as a branding device”

The report, “Green Marketing: What Works & What Doesn’t – A Marketing Study of Practitioners,” is the fruit of a series of surveys conducted by daily trade publication Environmental Leader along with a group of marketing trade publications including MarketingCharts, MarketingVOX and MediaBuyerPlanner.com.

Eighty-two percent of the more than 370 survey respondents said that their companies intend to increase spending on green marketing. The Internet proved the most popular medium (74 percent), followed by print (50 percent) and direct mail (40 percent).

When split into groups that do or don’t measure advertising results, media-measuring companies tend to spend more on their green efforts, according to the survey.

“We found customers were willing to pay more for the same product when presented in a green marketing message,” said Jennifer Nastu, a study co-author. “This was generally seen as a nice opportunity, as most firms perceived that they were – in reality – greener than their customers initially thought they were.”

“While green marketing is showing itself particularly competent in selling, most marketers appear to try to use it as a branding device,” said study editor Tig Tillinghast. “We are now starting to understand that it’s under-utilized in its most effective application.”

Companies that perceive themselves to be greener spend the most on green marketing, suggesting that “greenwashing” may not be as prevalent as some suppose. Respondents perceiving their firms as less green tended to avoid green marketing messages. Similarly, it appears that management deliberately moves to make greener operational choices first, and only later markets with green messages.

The report includes over 20 charts as well as case studies on leading brands.

More information here: https://reports.environmentalleader.com/report/green-marketing-what-works-what-doesnt-a-marketing-study-of-practitioners/.

Environmental Leader is the daily online energy and environmental publication that corporate executives depend on for daily industry insight. Environmental Leader is headquartered in Colorado. For more information visit: http://www.environmentalleader.com.

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