Research From Three Leading WPP Companies Reveals Americans Consider
Themselves Leading Cause in Global Warming
NEW YORK, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The results of the 2007 ImagePower(R)
Green Brands Survey, conducted by WPP's Landor Associates, Penn, Schoen &
Berland (PSB) Associates and Cohn & Wolfe (C&W), were released today in the
United States and United Kingdom. The survey findings indicate a shift in
the U.S.'s collective consciousness -- green is no longer an issue
marginalized to fanatical environmentalists; nearly all Americans display
green attitudes and behaviors versus a year ago. The survey was conducted
by PSB's Internet Surveys Groups (ISG) and represents a sample of the
American and British populations for their respective perceptions of green
and its effect on branding and marketing. The survey also found that 40% of
the U.S. population feels that the leading issue driving concern around the
environment is global warming, while 20% blame themselves for the state of
the environment.
A similar survey conducted in 2006 indicated that most U.S. consumers
were unfamiliar with the concept of green and how their actions affected
the environment. The results of the 2007 survey, however, not only show how
Americans' attitudes have changed, but also bring to the forefront business
imperatives for corporations currently in the green space, or considering
entry. No longer can corporations just say they offer fuel-efficient
vehicles, organic foods or energy-efficient products -- it is now a cost of
entry in many industries and corporations need to begin thinking ahead.
Corporations must consider the next level of greenness such as ensuring
their overall business practices are sustainable and that the greenness at
the supermarket or car dealership represents greenness in bringing the item
to market.
"Consumers have woken up to the environmental consequences of their
purchase decisions, and are changing their behavior to ensure they limit
their negative impacts on our environment," said Russ Meyer, Chief Strategy
Officer of Landor Associates. [0]"The survey indicates that consumers are
demanding more green products and business practices, but the challenge
will be for companies to effectively navigate through this evolving
consumer landscape to ensure their sustainability practices are seen as
more than just lip service."
When asked what their perceptions were of green brands, respondents
said they are often seen as better quality, though at a higher cost. This
perception of green equating premium is one that makes good business sense
for anyone considering entering the space. The good news for Whole Foods,
Toyota and Sub-Zero (ranked among the greenest of the green) is that even
non-users are more likely to use green brands and consider them the next
time they make a purchase.
In addition to surveying participants on their beliefs of what
constitutes a "green practice" and which brands are most adept at executing
green strategies, the survey also categorized participants' levels of
involvement into shades of green, or green attitudes. The result of this
segmentation is that all Americans exhibit some sort of green attitudes and
behaviors. The difference in behaviors can best be seen at their extremes,
by "Muted Green" and "Active Green" participants. Muted Greens are not
convinced that the environment is in trouble and make the minimum effort to
support environmental change, while Active Greens believe taking care of
the environment is society's responsibility and are doing everything they
can to make a long-term impact on their environment.
"We found that being green is universal, but personal definitions of
green tend to vary. Consumers want and feel the need to exhibit green
attitudes and behavior to one degree or another," said Tom Agan Managing
Director of Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates. "Americans feel the need
to take more action whether it's through limiting our eco-footprint,
embracing companies and brands practicing sustainability and eco-friendly
practices, or limiting our energy consumption."
That green is no longer viewed as exclusively a concern of the
"granola" or "tree hugging" population indicates one of the greatest shifts
in the United States in recent history. However, respondents to this survey
place some of the burden and responsibility to rectify the situation on
government agencies and politicians.
Annie Longsworth, EVP and Managing Director of Cohn & Wolfe San
Francisco said, "The results of this survey should be a call to action to
all major corporations as consumers are becoming increasingly cognizant of
what makes green sense and are being drawn to those that are incorporating
smart strategies. In the categories considered laggards in green by
consumers, like online technology, travel and petroleum, it is imperative
that green practices are effectively communicated in order to build and
retain customer loyalty."
Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. conducted 1504 interviews on
the Internet among US general population between April 6 and April 8, 2007
and 1,525 interviews among the UK general population. Respondents were
screened to meet the following criteria: Age 18 or over, gender, age, and
region was weighted based on US and UK census information, respondents
rated only the brands that they were familiar with.
Top 10 Green Brands:
1. Whole Foods
2. Wild Oats
3. Trader Joe's
4. Toyota
5. Honda
6. Sub Zero
7. Ikea
8. Body Shop
9. GE
10. Aveda
About Landor Associates
Landor Associates is one of the world's leading strategic brand and
design consultancies. Founded by Walter Landor in 1941, Landor pioneered
many of the research, design and consulting methods that are now standard
in the branding industry. Partnering with clients, Landor drives business
transformation and performance by creating brands that are more innovative,
progressive and dynamic than their competitors.
Landor's holistic approach to branding is a balance of rigorous,
business-driven thinking and exceptional creativity. Its work spans the
full breadth of branding services, including brand research and valuation,
brand positioning and architecture, naming and writing, corporate identity
and consumer packaging design, branded experience, brand equity management,
brand engagement and digital branding.
With 22 offices in 17 countries, Landor's current and past clients
include some of the world's most powerful brands, such as BP, Cathay
Pacific, Delta, Diageo, Emaar Properties, FedEx, Frito-Lay, Hyatt Hotels,
the City of Hong Kong, LG Group, Microsoft, Numico, Procter & Gamble,
PepsiCo and Telefonica.
Landor is part of WPP, one of the world's largest global communications
services companies.
About Penn, Shoen & Berland Associates
Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates (PSB) has nearly 30 years of
experience in leveraging consumer opinion to provide clients with a
competitive advantage, or more simply -- providing clients with Winning
Knowledge(TM).
PSB brings an extensive network and unique knowledge base to bear on
communications issues. PSB uses experience and global reach to deliver
unrivaled business and political insights.
PSB executes polling and message testing services in over 70 countries
for Fortune(R)500 companies and major political campaigns to develop brand
positioning, guide successful advertising campaigns, generate favorable
publicity, and advise in crisis management decisions.
About Cohn & Wolfe
Cohn & Wolfe is a strategic marketing public relations agency dedicated
to creating, building and protecting the world's most prolific brands. With
offices in the U.S. and Europe, the agency creates and implements powerful
communications programs that help clients build their brands and their
bottom lines.
The core areas of expertise include consumer, healthcare, technology
and corporate communications. Cohn & Wolfe ranks number one by clients for
creativity, media placement, client service, senior management and
strategic counsel. Cohn & Wolfe also consistently ranks among the top "Best
Agencies to Work For" in an annual, industry wide employee survey. For more
information, visit http://sfo.cohnwolfe.com .
NOTE: A summary presentation of the survey is available to members of the
media upon request.
For More Information:
Mindy Romero Jennifer Bennett
Manager, Public Relations Senior Account Executive
Landor Associates Cohn & Wolfe
212-614-5261 415-365-8528
mindy_romero@landor.com jennifer_bennett@sfo.cohnwolfe.com
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