Environmental/Green

About 7 in 10 Americans at least sometimes consider the environmental impacts of the products they purchase when shopping, per the latest "Green Gap Trend Tracker" [download page] from Cone Communications. But, they might companies to tone it down just a bit when it comes to their "green" messaging: 48% say they are overwhelmed by the amount of environmental messages they hear and see. That percentage hasn't dropped much from 2008, either, when it stood at 52%. Read more »

Despite a perception that corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability programs can impact corporate reputation, companies that have these programs in place often fail to integrate them into their corporate communications strategies, finds Grayling in its latest quarterly survey of in-house communications professionals. Just 48% of US organizations surveyed (and 66% globally) with these programs say they have been included in communications strategy. Read more »

Of companies that have been subject to social media criticism however strong (ranging from a single complaint to a full-scale campaign), fully 72% rated their preparedness as average or below, with 20% being completely unprepared, according to [pdf] a July 2012 report by Ethical Corporation and Useful Social Media. Just 15% of companies reported that they were fully engaged with the problem. Read more »

A significant proportion of US consumers believe that store brands are equal to or even better than national brands in several key areas, including ones traditionally seen as national brand differentiators, finds Ipsos in May 2012 survey results. For example, while a somewhat unsurprising 9 in 10 said that store brands compare equally or favorably to national brands in terms of value for the money, 7 in 10 also said that store brands were either better than or about the same as national brands for offering high-quality products. Similarly, most respondents said that store brands were on equal or better footing when it comes to offering products they trust (78%) and offering innovative products (67%). Read more »

A high proportion of consumers worldwide feel they are spending too much on unnecessary items and are looking to scale back and live more simply, finds Euro RSCG Worldwide in April 2012 survey results. Young consumers (aged 18-34) in particular seem to believe that they have wasted lots of money on things they don't really need, with 52% feeling this way, compared to 47% of the 35-54 set and 45% of those aged 55 and over. Half of the youngest group say they are tired of overconsumption (buying/consuming too much) and are looking to scale back, a sentiment shared by 54% of the 35-54-year olds and 57% of those 55 and over. Read more »

The majority of consumers from different regions across the world prefer to buy from, work for, and invest in companies that give back to society, but the proportions willing to pay extra for products and services from these companies are drastically lower, finds Nielsen in a March 2011 report. Indeed, consumers in North America are almost twice as likely to say they prefer to buy products from these companies than to say they would pay extra for their products and services (64% vs. 35%). Read more »

Companies appear to have their work cut out from them when it comes to getting their environmental claims across to consumers, finds Cone Communications [download page] in its 2012 Green Gap Trend Tracker, released in March. Just 44% of American consumers trust companies to tell them the truth when it comes to environmental messaging, relatively unchanged from 43% who showed such trust last year, but down from 47% in 2008. And consumers will not be shy in their response: slightly more than three-quarters said they would stop buying a product if they discovered that an environmental claim was misleading. Read more »

45% of Americans say that quality is the factor that most influences their car-buying decision, representing 22% growth from 37% who cited the factor in 2010, according to a CarMax survey released in December 2011 conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. Data from the survey indicates that price is the second most influential factor, voted by 22% of respondents, down from 28% in 2011. Fewer Americans also cite safety as being most influential when choosing a car, selected by 15% of respondents this year, compared to 22% in 2010. By contrast, resale value has grown in importance, rising from 4% of respondents last year to 7% this year, while environmental or green factors have remained unchanged at 6%. Read more »

Large percentages of Gen Y adults age 18-34 have engaged a variety of activities to promote positive social change in the last 12 months, according to [pdf] a study from Walden University and Harris Interactive released in September 2011. Results from the "Social Change Impact Report" indicate 81% of Gen Y adults have donated money, goods or services. Read more »

Concern about climate change/global warming was less pronounced than that about issues such as air and water pollution, water shortages, packaging waste and use of pesticides, according to The Nielsen Company's 2011 Global Online Environment & Sustainability Survey of more than 25,000 internet respondents in 51 countries. During Q2 2011, three out of four global consumers rated air pollution (77%) and water pollution (75%) as top concerns, compared to 71% and 69% in 2009, respectively. Read more »