Appearances can mislead

To minimize green marketing confusion, most Americans (59 percent) support government regulation of key phrases commonly used in environmental marketing and advertising, according to the "2008 Green Gap Survey" by Cone and The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, MarketingCharts reports.

The "Green Gap"

Four in 10 (39 percent) Americans preferentially buy products they believe to be "environmentally friendly." Nearly half (48 percent) believe products marketed as such have a positive (i.e., beneficial) impact on the environment.

But "green" or "environmentally friendly" products are merely those with less negative environmental impact than previous versions or competing products. And only 22 percent of the population understands that.

Among Americans surveyed:

• Some 47 percent trust companies to tell them the truth in environmental messaging (which suggests a "lack of control they feel around complex environmental issues," noted Bradley Googins, executive director of The Boston College Center).
• 45 percent say they believe companies are accurately communicating information about their impact on the environment.
• 61 percent say they understand the environmental terms companies use in their advertising.

"The gap creates significant risk of embarrassment for companies and disillusionment for consumers," said Mike Lawrence, Cone's EVP of corporate responsibility. "Activists are closely monitoring green claims and can quickly share information online about the actual environmental impact of a product. The result can be accusations that a company is engaging in 'greenwashing' and is misleading the public."

Government/Third-Party Oversight

Respondents cited the following as possible entities that could play an oversight role:

• Third-party organizations (certification) - 80 percent
• Watchdog groups, news media, bloggers, etc. (reviews and reporting) - 78 percent
• Government (regulation) - 76 percent
• Industry or business groups (self-policing) - 75 percent

Effective Environmental Marketing

Environmental messaging, when done correctly, has a high benefit potential:

• Some 38 percent of Americans say they feel informed by environmental messaging.
• 11 percent say it empowers or inspires them to act.
• Just 14 percent of the population says environmental messaging makes them feel either cynical or overwhelmed.

MarketingCharts has more findings on what makes for effective and credible communication about products or services.