Captivating Connections.

how false are your 'green' claims?

As if consumers aren't skeptical enough...

"More than 95% of consumer products marketed as 'green,' including all toys surveyed, make misleading or inaccurate claims, says a report today.

The number of products claiming to be green increased 73% since 2009, according to a survey by TerraChoice,an Ottawa-based marketing firm owned mostly by Underwriters Laboratory of Canada. The UL network does independent product testing and certification.

'The biggest sin is making claims without any proof,' says Scot Case of UL Environment, adding that companies want consumers to 'just trust them.' The report finds 'vagueness' is the second-leading problem (a shampoo claimed it was "mother-earth approved") in 'greenwashing' -- a term that refers to misleading, false or unproven green claims.

The report comes as the Federal Trade Commission is proposing stricter advertising rules. In updating its Green Guides, last revised in 1998, it warns companies not to make blanket claims such as 'eco-friendly' or cite unqualified certifications (a paper towel product once claimed it 'fights global warming.')"

Sucks to be the brands and companies REALLY doing it right.

is there a math to buying local?

According to Micahel Pollan (author of "Omnivore's Dilemma" and overall local food pro), yes!

He "has become a figurehead for the local-food movement, which advocates buying in-season produce from nearby farms.

Proponents say such food is healthier and that the way it is grown and shipped is better for the environment. But it often is more expensive. Mr. Pollan says the real problem is that subsidies keep the prices of some, largely mass-produced foods artificially low.

Still, he tries to strike a middle ground between advocate and realist. In his Berkeley living room, the 55-year-old Mr. Pollan discussed where he shops for food and why paying $8 for a dozen eggs is a good thing."

Check out this interview. It's quite enlightening and will certainly make you think twice about how and where you purchase some of your food.

how are you marketing to moms?

It doesn't hurt to read how to do it better (or betterish), right?

Those of you who read my latest issue of Vested Interest, looking at Green Consumers Today, and attended the presentation yesterday, knows this rings true...

"The motherhood market is both graying and greening, according to a new report from Experian Marketing Services, and the changes are fairly sweeping.

'The universe of moms of children 18 and under who are 35 plus has grown from 40.9 million to 44.9 million in just four years,' Jan Jindra, Experian product manager, tells Marketing Daily. 'And of moms who are 35 and under -- the group most likely to be influenced by advertising -- we are seeing big shifts in their willingness to buy green products.'

That's exciting, she says, because typically it has been older consumers who have been most likely to purchase green products. 'While the true 'Brown' segment has stayed very consistent at about 20%, we've seen the number of younger moms classified as 'Potential Greens' decline from 48% to 25%, as they are moving into the 'Thinking Green' and ultimately, the 'Buying Green' categories.

She attributes that shift to more information available about the impact of green choices on children's health, whether it's reading about organic milk or the benefits of free-range chicken. The growth trend toward green purchases among younger moms, at this point, is outpacing the 35-and-older mothers by at least 5% a year.

She says the report also indicates that the recession -- with a more intense focus on household budgets -- has helped increase women's influence in all family purchases, with 69% of moms saying they are the most influential person in the household when it comes to making purchase decisions."

check out the greenest brands in the u.s. of a.

"Burt's Bees and Whole Foods lead the 2010 ImagePower Green Brands Survey's list of top 10 U.S. brands perceived to be the greenest, with Aveeno and Microsoft joining the list this year. The fifth annual study also found that in the U.S., people are more concerned about the economy than the environment, while in developing countries, such as Brazil and India, the environment takes precedence.

Making the top 10 brands list in the U.S. after Burt's Bees and Whole Foods were, in order, Tom's of Maine, Trader Joe's, Google, Aveeno, S.C. Johnson, Publix, Microsoft and Ikea."

despite it all, do consumers still care about green?

You bet your compost pile they do!

"New data from market researcher Mintel shows that 35% say they will still pay more for 'environmentally friendly' products, despite changes in the economy. And about half of the most committed shoppers say they are buying 'as much or more' organic food than before the crash.

Still, in 2009, growth in green space all but stalled. 'We've been tracking this for six years, and we are now seeing that this number has reached a plateau,' senior market analyst Chris Haack tellsMarketing Daily, 'and that seems to have been happening regardless of the recession. It seems to have reached its saturation point.'

In its analysis of the food and beverage and personal care categories, which he says are among the most mature in their green offerings and account for most of the purchases, people say they are spending less but remain committed. In food and beverages, Mintel reports that sales growth of natural and organic food, which grew 24% from 2006 to 2008, rose just 1.8%.

'People are trading down -- buying cheaper foods,' he says, 'but they don't want to make a trade all the way down to processed foods.' Some 21% of organic food buyers say they have cut down or eliminated organic purchasing, and another 20% have switched to less inexpensive organic options. Based on their commitment and the economy picking up steam, Mintel forecast a 20% growth rate in green food and beverage purchases from 2010 to 2012.'"

is ethnic + organic a winning beauty combo?

"

It's certainly no news that the demand for ethnic beauty products has been exploding, with annual sales of hair, makeup and skincare products now totaling $2.7 billion a year, says a new report from Packaged Facts. But what's less obvious, author Timothy Dowd tells Marketing Daily, is 'the stunning popularity of the use of 'natural' or 'organic' claims with this audience.' And just as impressive are the number of companies reaching out with products that are viewed as ethnic-suitable rather than ethnic-specific.

'It's human nature,' he says. 'We all want to stand out, and we all want to fit in. So on one hand, people of any ethnicity want to belong to American society, and use the same brands. But they also want to focus on their individual heritages.'

The result is that not only do ethnic consumers -- who will number roughly 119.7 million by 2014 -- spend on beauty potions specifically targeted to their ethnicity, but they also spend roughly $6.9 billion on general-market personal care products, or about 150% more than they do on ethnic-specifics.

Dowd says he was particularly struck by the market research company's findings on green preferences -- just how important eco-attributes are to the ethnic audience."

hbo embraces digital entertainment.

Does this mean I can get Curb Your Enthusiasm on my laptop now??

"HBO looks to be on the verge of unveiling its Internet streaming service in a wider way.

A Web site called HBO GO, subtitled 'It’s HBO on your computer,' appeared online weeks ago, promising access to scores of TV episodes and films. There’s one catch: you must already be an HBO subscriber through your cable or satellite company. The Web site currently works in beta form for Comcast and Verizon FiOS subscribers.

The site is an outgrowth of the company’s tests of HBO on Broadband, an effort to export the on-demand experience of television to the computer."

green is still good.

"Marketers have heard a lot in the last year about the ways green consumers have scaled back to accommodate tough economic times, but a new study suggests it would be a big mistake to interpret reduced sales as reduced interest.

In fact, according to new research from GfK Roper Consulting, there's been little change in their commitment to the environment -- just a big shift in how they approach it, replacing idealism with hard-boiled pragmatism.

'Consumer commitment to green living is very stable,' Tim Kenyon, senior analyst for GfK's consumer trends division, tells Marketing Daily. 'But if products are too expensive, they will find other ways to express that commitment. They may buy fewer green products, but they'll do things like cut their energy costs or reduce consumption.' The study finds that 60% of people now believe green products are too costly, a 6-point increase from 2006.

The recession has ushered many of these consumers from environmental altruism to a more practical approach, he says, with green purchases more likely to be driven by the desire to save money, be healthier, or get more value. They're also measuring the worth of their time differently, with 28% saying they are 'too busy' to do what it takes to be green.

For marketers, that means it's essential to focus on green innovations that consumers will regard as both easy and affordable. And while the report also finds that environmental awareness is becoming more mainstream, there is also a growing cynicism about marketers in general. 'They are frustrated,' Kenyon says. 'On one hand, they say product packaging is a leading source of information about environmental claims, and on the other they also say those claims can be confusing and misleading.'"

can green help qsrs?

According to research, green initiatives may help qsrs gain consumers (or at least increase frequency):

"While eco-friendliness isn't a make-or-break factor in choosing a QSR for most consumers, it may encourage greater frequency by making consumers feel good about their choice, judging from a new survey from M/A/R/C Research.

The study surveyed 7,000 U.S. consumers who had dined within the past month in one or more types of QSRs (burger, chicken, Mexican, pizza, sandwich, seafood).

Asked how important it is to them that fast-food restaurants participate in green initiatives, nearly half (48%) said this is very important (29%) or extremely important (19%). Fifty-two percent of women and 44% of men fell into one of these two categories. About a third (34%) of total respondents ranked green initiatives somewhat important, 10% not very important and 8% not at all important.

Over half (51%) said they 'prefer' fast-food restaurants that care about green issues but won't go out of their way to patronize them, and 39% said that green issues have no impact on their QSR choices. However, about one in 10 (11%) said they are willing to inconvenience themselves to patronize a restaurant that demonstrates environmental responsibility,

In termes of frequency of visits, nearly half (46%) said they support green initiatives, but that these do not affect their usage pattern, while more than one-fifth (21%) said they would visit a specific QSR more often if they knew that the restaurant focused on green practices."

going online in order to get green(er).

Here's another (and often) overlooked reason why people are often choosing to shop online:It's greener.

According to new a Shop.org survey, "35% of respondents believed that online shopping is better for the environment than store shopping," while "60% of those who believed in the environmental merits of online shopping said they would shop online more as part of a greener lifestyle."

Even better? The recession doesn't seem to be really hurting this belief:

"In a Cone survey, over four times as many respondents said they were more likely to buy green products today than expected to buy fewer."