Green Information—Where Do Consumers Get it?

According to “Online sights,” from Burst Media, consumers are wary of green advertising claims.

The majority, 52% are sometimes skeptical. And less than 5% always believe green claims.

If consumers are skeptical of green advertising claims—where do they go to look for information on green products and practices?

A plurality, 39.4%, view the internet as the best source of information.

Friends and family, traditionally trusted sources, were cited by less than 10% of consumers.

“Green consumers are turning to the internet,” said Chuck Moran, chief marketing officer for Burst Media. “This poses an incredible opportunity for advertisers who are marketing ‘green’ products online.”

In the Burst survey, the internet ranked first for green information with consumers across all age groups.

However, Shelton Group reported in a survey on the “wired generation”—consumers 18 to 24—that the internet ranked only fourth for green product information. Ads, product labels and news coverage ranked higher. In addition, an equal percentage of respondents claimed to learn about green products from friends and family and from the internet.

Shelton analysts explained the contradiction by explaining that ads, labels and news coverage are passive sources—whereas the internet requires searching.

The wired generation “is interested in green products but is not actively pursuing information on green products as much as we might believe,” said Adam Kustin of Shelton.