Inspiration brought to you by the TM Planning Department

A recent article in AdAge implies that green marketing is not necessarily as appealing to consumers in recent months. I do not dispute their research, but their reasons for the change include consumer fatigue and efficacy concerns. I am certain some are feeling like all products are suddenly “green” and it can be difficult to sort out which ones actually are while others are only green washing. And certainly efficacy is a legitimate concern. However, as more studies are released about consumers cutting spending due to the recession I was surprised that this specific reason was not part of the mix.

The best part of the article came at the end with some things to keep in mind when “going green.”

Don’t expect much or any sacrifice from consumers. Whether it be paying more, accepting less performance, sacrificing convenience (with bottled water) or even listening to a loud snack bag, consumers have shown they’re not willing to sacrifice much to buy green.
Don’t overstate the case. Consumers will find out when green products don’t work, and will tell others. Proposed Green Guide standards from the Federal Trade Commission make it more likely that claims that mislead will be subject to litigation.
Do have selling points beyond green. For most other consumers, green is, at best, a tie breaker. If the product doesn’t have some other functional, sensory or emotional benefit, it probably won’t fly outside of highly fragmented categories that can live on truly eco-involved “dark green” consumers.
Green marketing may work best indirectly. That is, by showing how companies change broad practices and seek to improve corporate images with consumers rather than sell specific products based on green appeal. Most environmentally-friendly consumer behavior takes behavioral changes. Generation Y and Millennial consumers are more likely to embrace them, but it will take time for the market to develop.

Some of these make consumers look impatient and/or less savvy then they truly are, but do offer some interesting points.