Marketers warned of consumer cynicism about DM 'greenwash'

by Hugh Filman, Direct Response 09-Nov-07, 12:15

MARKETING DIRECT GREEN DM CONFERENCE - Consumers are becoming more aware of environmentally friendly direct marketing practices but are also becoming 'increasingly cynical' about companies' motivations for doing so, a consumer researcher warned.

Speaking at the Marketing Direct conference 'Profiting from Green Policies', Paul Mackenzie, head of qualitative research at Simpson Carpenter, said research conducted specifically for the event showed that consumers do care about the environment and are doing their bit, but most are wary of what marketers are doing.

Mackenzie said: "They are concerned but also suspicious and increasingly cynical about the whole green approach. They see green marketing going on and they see 'greenwash' going on and they think: is this just the latest fad and a means to sell?"

Mackenzie noted that, while it might be a minority of people who are concerned about the green practices of companies using direct marketing, it won't be for long: "It is only a matter of time before the link is made to direct marketing. Once they make that link -- and they are starting to -- it could be a real issue for brands."

Mackenzie outlined four steps that marketers could take to ensure that their direct marketing is more green:

Print on recycled paper.
Minimise the size of envelopes and packages.
Keep the number of pages down to a minimum.
Limit the use of plastic and laminates.

But he cautioned the attendees to the conference to be very careful and to trumpet their green initiatives sensitively, advising marketers not to shout about their environmental credentials but to let consumers discover these elements themselves: "Self-discovery is going to be a lot stronger than you shouting about it being on recycled paper. If they can find out about it themselves, it can be so much more powerful."

He also said that companies have to remind consumers to recycle marketing materials at their end, pointing out ways they can do that.