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Who Are Today's Green Consumers?

February 1, 2008

Posted by Dr. Kim Sheehan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Advertising
University of Oregon

Who do you think a "green" consumer is? Whatever your notion, you're probably right. More and more, consumers are becoming interested in products and services seen as beneficial to the earth. Consumer studies find that about one-half to two-thirds of the population is interested in environmental issues and think about these issues when exercising their buying power.

Academic articles (such as K. Chitra's recent piece in the Journal of Services Research) and current consumer practitioner research (such as the GfK Roper Study) identify two key green-consumer groups:

  1. (1)People who are genuinely interested and involved in the environment. These individuals actively search for and almost always recommend eco-friendly products and services. The GfK Roper (2007) study calls this group the 'True Blue Greens' while Chitra's (2005) study calls them the 'Addicts.' While the studies vary in their estimates of the size of this group, we can estimate that 20-30% of Americans belong to this deeply concerned consumer group.
  2. (2)People who are less environmentally aware, but still have favorable attitudes toward green products. They know about environmentally friendly products, but may not be willing to give up comfort or convenience to buy green. Many say they simply don't have the time to make educated environmental decisions. The GkF study found about 35% of the population has these characteristics (referred to as 'Green-Back Greens' and 'Sprouts'), while the Chitra study found about 50% of the population (called 'Aspirants') held these attitudes.

These two camps do share some qualities:

  • they seek information on the environment (Shrum et al, 1995 ), not only in terms of purchases, but also in terms of how they lives their lives;
  • they're concerned with issues they think of as real problems with workable solutions (Peattie, 1999);
  • they depend on print sources like newspapers or magazines more than television and radio for environmental information;
  • they also use the Web, relying strongly on 'activist' sites for information; and
  • they're fairly cynical and skeptical of advertising, so they rarely respond to ambiguous or misleading messages (Shrum et al, 1995).

Additionally, both groups contain subsegments of individuals strongly involved with a 'pet' issue (such as animal rights, water pollution or recycling). And as much as they're involved with their pet issue, they may not be interested at all in other environmental issues.

You can see evidence of these types of green consumers through the comments posted on the Greenwashing Index Web site. Many site visitors want to know more about the information presented by advertisers in their ads, especially TV ads. Advertisers should consider directing consumers to their Web sites or other resources for the company's environmental position. Advertisers should also have a clearly written point of view to share with consumers; as Shrum (1995) noted, ambiguous messages aren't working.

Consumers commenting at the Greenwashing Index Web site also seem to be knowledgeable about many environmental issues. Comments regarding the Ford ad with Kermit the Frog call into question the value of Ford talking about the MPG rating for their Escape SUV. Consumers are savvy enough to know what a good MPG rating is and is not. Advertisers should study what consumers already know about the environment and how they feel about it.

Similarly, the comments about the Honda ad discussing Honda's development of Hydrogen Fuel Cells shows that Web site visitors know enough about this technology to raise their skepticism of the ad. Advertisers shouldn't talk down to consumers about environmental issues. If consumers aren't interested in the issue, there may be little an advertiser can do to get them interested, but if they are interested, they probably already know a lot. Respect consumers' intelligence and help them learn more.

Consumers appreciate ads offering solutions, but the solutions can't be owned by consumers alone. Today's green consumers know they should use compact fluorescent light bulbs — what they want to know is whether companies are using CFLs at their facilities and offices, too. They want to make sure if businesses are talking the talk, they're walking the walk as well.

We'll continue to evaluate consumer comments to better understand the Green Consumer, ca. 2008. Stay tuned!

Sources:

Chitra, K (2007). "In Search of the Green Consumer." Journal of Services Research 7, 1, 173-191.

GfK Roper Consulting (2007). "Green Gauge Study." Available: http://www.gkfamerica.com/news/gkf_roper_environment_companies.htm

Peattie, K. (1999). "Trapping versus Substance in the Greening of Market Planning." Journal of Strategic Marketing, 7, 2, 131-148.

Shrum, L.J., McCarty, J., and McCowrey, T (1995). "Buyer Characteristics of the Green Journal of Advertising Consumers and their Implication s for Marketing Strategy." Journal of Advertising 24, 71-90.

Zinkhan, G.M. and Carlson, L. (1995). "Green Advertisement and the Reluctant Consumer." Journal of Advertising 24, 2, 1-6.

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