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Published on Center for Media and Democracy (http://www.prwatch.org)

Green Marketing, Greenwashing and Bitter Eco Villains - What's A Corporation to Do?

Adweek has an interesting article [1] examining environmental corporate social responsibility [2] in light of the latest consumer survey data designed to help companies profit from green marketing [3]. They caution corporations to "realize they're swimming against a turbid current of anti-corporate sentiment. ... This is the backdrop against which greenwashing [4] has become a household word among eco-activists. And it threatens to become part of ordinary consumers' vocabulary as well. ... When you learn that a brand you use" is greenwashing, "it's like getting a holiday card that says a donation has been made in your name to a cause you dislike." On the other hand, a new TNS survey [5] finds what some might call a 'bitter' market segment who do "not respond well to green messaging [6]." These so-called Eco Villiains are "predominantly Midwestern, middle-income family-men in small to mid-sized metro areas. Eco Villains do not believe in global warming [7], disdain eco-conscious products and suspect that environmental media coverage is propaganda [8]."



Source URL:
http://www.prwatch.org/node/7322