Spring is here...and, as usual, with it comes a marketing blitz for any and all products related to changing seasons, home improvement, gardening, outdoor activities, and vacations and traveling, and all this on top of the regular weight of marketing we are all exposed to everyday. However, there is something different about this seasons’ onslaught of attempts to subtly and not-so-subtly influence my decision-making: more advertisements and product descriptions are extolling some form of environmental benefit and commitment than I can recall from ever before.
I would love for this new interest in promoting environmental benefits and responsibility to be fueled by a genuine transformation in business practices, yet a cursory review of the ads forced upon me over the last few days suggest otherwise.
As consumers, the greatest responsibility we have to each other is to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, far too many sustainability claims in these ads are empty and misleading.
Not Just a Garden Hose
As a trivial, yet indicative example, consider the ad I saw for a variety of garden hose extensions. I had searched for similar products to replace one that did not survive an unexpected winter frost, but had yet to actually purchase one. Cue the targeted advertisements. Over the next 48 hours, I was shown every possible variation of garden hose possible. If you haven’t looked into garden hose extensions then trust me that you are not missing out, I have now seen them all and they are all the same... and just as simple as you would expect.
What was interesting about these ads, however, was that many of them claimed to be an environmentally-friendly alternative--and they made this claim directly in the main copy of the ad. This was not a side-note but rather a principal product attribute to be shouted from the roof-tops.
Intrigued, I thought I should read more--I mean how much more environmentally-friendly could one hose extension be than another? Is there now a renewable-energy powered and water-smart factory utilizing only reclaimed and recycled materials which specializes in garden hose extensions?
This would be enough to herald a new era of business responsibility...until you realize that sustainability-marketed products are not necessarily sustainable products.
But...Maybe Just a Garden Hose
Unfortunately not. Apparently, it means a garden hose extension which was once shipped in a plastic bag is now no-longer shipped in a plastic bag. Nothing has changed with production, operational processes, resource-use, employment and community-engagement standards, supply chains, or transportation and distribution--they just aren’t stuffed into a plastic bag anymore.
This company has done the absolute bare minimum required of it to attempt to manage it’s impacts on the environment.
On one hand, this is a step in the right direction. Single-use plastics are a scourge on the planet and there is no reason nor any excuse to use them for such trivial matters as packaging a garden hose extension. But on the other hand, it is insulting. This company has done the absolute bare minimum required of it to attempt to manage it’s impacts on the environment--and I mean the absolute bare minimum--yet they think it is enough to convince consumers to buy from them, to support them, to choose them as a company we want to be part of society and our communities.
When I think of just how little this company was doing yet how loudly and proudly they were trying to broadcast it, I can't help but picture the foundation of their marketing plan: "Sure we are still going to unnecessarily pollute ecosystems and endanger human- and wild-life, but we are going to do so marginally less than we did last year! Pretty awesome of us, huh?"
I know I am being facetious, but sometimes a step in the right direction is just not enough when what we need is a leap in a new direction. Ditching completely unnecessary single-use plastics does not make you great, it just makes you less bad--and that is not much to advertise about.
Sustainability-Marketed vs. Sustainable
This ad and the rabbit-hole I followed down after it reminded me of a study released in 2019 by the NYU Stern School of Business Center for Sustainable Business. This study investigated the market dynamics of consumer packaged goods for the period of 2013 to 2018. Impressively, over 50% of all growth in the market for consumer packaged goods over five years came from sustainability-marketed products.
Consumers who want to be intentional in the impacts of their shopping--and the brands that want to participate authentically in this transformation--have the potential to lead positive change in the world.
This would be enough to herald a new era of business responsibility...until you realize that sustainability-marketed products are not necessarily sustainable products. What this study shows me is
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- Consumers are entering a new era of shopping--one where they want to be intentional in the impacts of their shopping--and this is great news.
- Some businesses are authentically engaged in meeting the changing interests of these consumers, but unfortunately far more are willing to mislead, misinform, and all-out greenwash to convince consumers that they are good rather than put in the effort to actually be good.
- Consumers are entering a new era of shopping--one where they want to be intentional in the impacts of their shopping--and this is great news.
Consumers who want to be intentional in the impacts of their shopping--and the brands that want to participate authentically in this transformation--have the potential to lead positive change in the world. As we believe at Motive, the world is better when companies are good corporate citizens, and consumer demand is the most important force in driving companies to be better corporate citizens.
Yet the well has been poisoned by each and every brand that is over-playing their commitment to being better. From simple exaggerations and misleading statements to the more nefarious intentional greenwashing, far too many brands have taken advantage of the good intentions of consumers far too many times.
Help for When You Need It
The seasonal ad blitz is in full swing. As consumers, the greatest responsibility we have to each other is to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, far too many sustainability claims we will all see in these ads are empty and misleading; but thankfully, they can be debunked with data, research, and insight.
We are building Motive to make this type of research more accessible, more convenient, and more accurate. If you want to be intentional in the impacts of your shopping, we are building Motive for you--and if you are not sure where to start, feel free to connect at any time!
Motive is building RealScore from insights like these. Our Beta program is launching soon...Reserve your seat now!
