Study Finds High and Low Income Shoppers Equally Likely to Buy Green

It's appears to be a big time for green shopping surveys. Earlier this week we shared the results of a Cohn & Wolfe Green Brands survey that showed that the recession has not squashed consumers' desire for green products. Another survey, this one conducted by Miller Zell, a retail consulting firm, dispels the notion that only well-heeled shoppers are willing to pay premiums for green products.

Miller Zell conducted an online survey of 999 consumers, with a portion of the questions devoted to their attitudes around products that are marketed as being green, or eco-friendly. Respondents were asked whether they would pay a premium for a green product, and then, if so, how much of a premium they'd pony up. Consumers fell into three income categories—high, middle and low—and while more low-income respondents said they were unwilling to pay any premium for green good than respondents in the other income categories, those low-income respondent who would pay a 10-cent premium outnumbered the middle and high income respondents who would pay that amount.

This ought to make marketers perk up. But what's behind that high percentage? Miller Zell posits that it represents the large number of "Millennials"—the generation following Generation X, and whose members were born starting in the early 1980s— who are just now entering the workforce are therefore low income. An important characteristic of these newbie adults is a greater concern for the environmental causes, relative to older generations.

But it's also important to note that their greater willingness to pay a premium for green products gets seriously tested once the premium exceeds a dime. Fewer low-income respondents were willing to pay 30, 50 or 70 extra cents for green products than those earning middle or high incomes. (These responses were all for a product with a base price of $2.49.)

The study also found that both men and women, in all income brackets, were more willing to buy green goods at mass merchandisers than at specialty stores or drug or convenience stores. And overall, respondents said they're most likely to buy green products at grocery stores. Wal-Mart's efforts to create a sustainability index

Sixty-two percent of respondents said that having green product options influences their unplanned purchase decisions.

Finally, the survey revealed a good appetite for more product information. That's a sentiment also reflected in the Green Brands study, and one that may one day address—though initially the retailer plans to rate the sustainability of companies rather than products. On average, close to 40 percent of shoppers want more product information – and an even higher percentage of Millennial shoppers are dissatisfied with the available green product information.

You can download the full results of the Miller Zell study here.

Photo: Spooning.

http://www.triplepundit.com/pages/high-and-low-income-shoppers-equally-likely-to-buy-green.php

Where Does Your Brand Name Sit?

By Tom Parrette, Director of Verbal Branding at Addis Creson
Addis Creson
Published: Thursday, July 09, 2009 LOHAS JOURNAL e-newsletter

After years in the naming business, one simple truth never changes: naming is both art and science. Coming up with a winning name requires an awareness of the symbolic power of words (art) and a basic knowledge of linguistics (science). If you rely too heavily on one or the other, you’re likely to be disappointed.

There’s also no substitute for good old-fashioned creativity. No algorithm or methodology or matrix or focus group can substitute for having an expert way with words.

That being said, names don’t just live in the creative ether. All namers have ways to organize their creative processes. One of the most common methods is to think of brand names in terms of loose categories, from highly conceptual (Virgin) to highly literal (General Electric).

As you search for the perfect name, here’s a framework to get you thinking about the range of possibilities.

Suggestive
By blending separate words (to create “portmanteau” words) or combining familiar syllables, these names convey product or company purpose. They rely on visual and auditory cues to suggest what they stand for.

Examples: Genentech, Photoshop

Evocative
Like suggestive names, evocative names convey brand attributes but don’t provide a literal explanation. Usually these names focus on a specific characteristic (in the case of Titanic, size) to express value. Note that none of the examples below reveals what the brand actually offers.

Examples: Oracle, Titanic, Yahoo!

Arbitrary
Arbitrary names have no direct correlation to company or product. They depend on acquired meaning. The associations consumers make for themselves in relation to a brand name are often the most powerful—and memorable.

Examples: BlackBerry, Virgin

Coined
Pure invention, coined names rely on uniqueness and their ability to stand out from the crowd. From a purely tactical standpoint, these names can also be the easiest to trademark.

Examples: Exxon, Kodak

Descriptive
These no-nonsense names describe what a product or company does in the most direct way possible. Their literal tone gives them an iconic quality, as if they are the universal brand standard.

Examples: Reader, General Electric

Surname/Geographical
The names in this category equate the value of place or proper name to brand. The reputation of the geographical location or surname endows the company with its character or quality.

Examples: Martha Stewart Living, Boston Market

Namers often work within a context like this, although they might apply different terms and explanations. Bear in mind there’s no inherent hierarchy here—“descriptive” is not necessarily better than “coined.” It all depends on what you’re naming and the context in which the name will appear. And there’s plenty of overlap between the categories below, which is often where the creativity comes in.

http://www.lohas.com/articles/102150.html

PR Wire Interview: Matt Reid, Waggener Edstrom on Cause Marketing

News editor Rose Gordon speaks to Matt Reid, EVP, social innovation practice, Waggener Edstrom, about the agency's new study, "The Opportunity (and risk) in Doing Good: Consumer views on the role of business in society."




http://ow.ly/gPlE

CO2penhagen

CO2PENHAGEN 2009 IS DENMARK’S MOST INNOVATIVE SHOWCASE OF EXPERIENCES AND GREEN TECHNOLOGY

This is the first time ever that a music- and artfestival runs entirely on renewable energy.

CO2PENHAGEN takes place at Denmark’s Technical University just outside Copenhagen on September 4-6 2009, with 3000 visitors expected every day.

The goal is to visualize the knowledge already present at technical universities and spotlight businesses’ green products. It all takes place in a CO2-neutral miniature society surrounded by art and music.

The festival is an entertaining event that proves that green energy can coincide with great design. Renewable energy is more than solar panels and windmills. CO2PENHAGEN is developed through collaborations between businesses, local and international artists and Danish students. Students at Denmark’s Technical University are some of the main drivers behind the collaboration.

One of the CO2PENHAGEN founders, Katrine Vejby, who worked as a BBC producer for ten years, says:

“It is going to be wild and visionary. CO2PENHAGEN will be an entertaining event unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. The festival states Denmark’s position as a frontrunner within user driven innovation and design”.

4th - 6th September, 2009
Copenhagen, Denmark

www.co2penhagen.com

12 county firms named ‘Companies to Watch’

A dozen Boulder County companies were among 50 recently named Colorado Companies to Watch through an award program founded by the Edward Lowe Foundation.

Colorado Companies to Watch is organized by the Colorado Office of Economic Develop-ment and International Trade, in association with economic development councils through-out the state. A panel of independent judges selects the companies based on factors such as employee or sales growth, entrepreneurial leader-ship and sustainable competi-tive advantage.

Longmont-based RidgeviewTel; Lyons-based Oskar Blues Brewery, which has its brewing operations in Longmont; and Rocky Mountain Urgent Care, which is based in Aurora but has a facility in Longmont, all made the list. Also making the list were several Boulder-based companies: Justin’s Nut Butter, EcoProducts, KMLabs, Log-Rythm, Namasté Solar, Pangea Organics, Precision Photonics Corp., Rocky Mountain Sustain-able Enterprises and SparkFun Electronics.

http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=16914

Sundance's Grains of Change Film Festival

Sundance's Grains of ChangeFilm Festival beginning this Saturday, July 4th at 4:00pm Eastern/3:00pm Central and every Saturday for the next 8 weeks.

Grains of Change Season 2 Line-Up

Keegan Sheridan (Kashi): Keegan Sheridan speaks about the benefits of a natural lifestyle and how she applies her nutrition expertise in her unique role at Kashi as their Natural Lifestyle Business Partner.

Rico Montenegro (Fruit Tree Planting Foundation): Rico Montenegro talks about his role as chief arborist at the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation and the organization’s goal to benefit the planet through the planting of fruit trees.

Patrick Dollard (Center for Discovery): Patrick Dollard talks about the Center for Discovery and how the organization uses food and farming to benefit individuals with a broad range of disabilities.

Michel Nischan (Wholesome Wave): Michel Nischan discusses the work of Wholesome Wave Foundation and how his experiences with local farming have taught him more than nutrition.

Trevor Paque (MyFarm): Trevor Paque talks about how MyFarm transforms private urban yards into abundant gardens that supply the local community with vegetable boxes.

Paul Maschka (San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project): Paul Maschka talks about his role as an urban gardener and involvement with the San Diego Food Not Lawns organization.

Chef Ann Cooper (Renegade Lunch Lady): Chef Ann Cooper speaks about the importance of transforming children’s relationship to food and teaching them how to make healthy food choices.

Marydale Debor, Diane D’Isidori, Ann Gallagher (Plow to Plate): Marydale Debor, Diane D’Isidori, and Ann Gallagher talk about their role in the creation of Plow to Plate, a coalition dedicated to promoting healthy, local food.

http://www.sundancechannel.com/grainsofchange/

Conversations key to social media, says Nike's Pestridge

LONDON: Brands need to spend more time talking to consumers and "keep the quality of those conversations strong" if they are to enjoy the maximum benefits from using social media, says Simon Pestridge, global brand director, sportswear at Nike.

An increasing number of advertisers are attempting to utilise social media to connect with consumers, but the rapid growth of the medium has meant that a best practice approach has been slow to emerge.

Speaking at the recent Revolution Forum in London, Pestridge argued that in difficult economic conditions, brands need to "peel back the layers and focus on what you are great at."

More specifically, he said consumers "want authenticity and will look to brands they trust. So if you get this right, the media you choose to use becomes a secondary consideration."

The sportswear company is aiming to "carry on a legacy of innovative thinking" through "developing products that help athletes of every ability to reach their potential" and pursuing "opportunities that set Nike apart from the competition."

With regard to producing innovative marketing, the main challenge is to "push the boundaries of what's possible whilst not going off too far into left field."

In order to do justice to Nike's products, the company must also "ensure we engage the consumer in an equally innovative way that cuts through the clutter that surrounds them," Pestridge said.

Successfully achieving this goal, he added, depends on "the quality of the work" produced, which is of enduring appeal despite the fact consumer behaviour is changing in the downturn.

This is especially true of social media, where, "perhaps more so than in other forms of media, people are influenced by what they like and what they are hearing and seeing."

Indeed, Pestridge argued, while "ten years ago media spend would significantly outweigh production in an above-the-line campaign", this has now changed.

If a brand puts "more into the production of a campaign and keep that quality high, social media and online can work for you," he concluded.

Data sourced from Revolution; additional content by WARC staff, 01 July 2009




http://www.warc.com/News/TopNews.asp?ID=25344