Advertising Agency Urges to Stop Using Confusing Green Buzzwords
The J. Walter Thompson (JWT) advertising agency recently ddid a study in which it found that many of the “green” terms used in marketing can often confuse consumers. Some of the major offenders include environment, going green and sustainability.
From the findings of this study, JWT urges marketers to “Drop the buzzwords” to vanques consumer confusion. It seems that the biggest problem with that more clarification is needed when using many of these terms for their products.
I recently wrote about how their are too many green labels on the market, well “green” terminology is the same way. They are too many buzzwords thrown out there that are used solely to sell more products. Consumers are often left in the dark as to why the particular product may be “green”.
It’s so tempting to buy a product when flashy green words are displayed. I’ve gotten caught in the trap as well. One of the keys to ensuring that we as consumers are not deceived is to make sure we take it upon ourselves to properly research the product before we buy. Marketers also need to do their share by properly defining all the terms they are using and not abuse their use. All green buzzwords are not bad, as long as they factual.
I agree that too many companies jump on the environmentally-friendly bandwagon to promote their brands. Someone in marketing must have suggested this strategy but the executives were too money hungry to actually make their product green.
It’s good that this marketing agency did this study, but I doubt anything will change as a result of it. The government needs to step up and regulate these things. The companies will keep exploiting vagueness until they are forced to stop.
Everyone is out to make a buck, so it was only a matter of time til marketeers added “green” labels and bold print to their product without any validity to it. If there is a new product I am interested in buying, I try to first research it and talk to others to see if they’ve heard anything that I may have missed. The key to anything is knowledge… isn’t that what they drilled in our heads back in elementary school?
It’s amazing how big companies like to just use the green movement to sell more items at higher prices, isn’t it?
We have to promote our products properly. We mustn’t make our customers confused of the products. At the time the customers know the truth, they will not want to use the products anymore.
I mentioned this is in another comment, that many people find the terms confusing.