Polar Bears, Melting Ice Caps And Flowers: Advertisers Risk Cliché Meltdown In Rush To Go Green

PRLog (Press Release) – Mar 17, 2008 – More and more big corporations and brands are getting to grips with our cultural shift to a greener and more sustainable commercial climate.  But as they compete for consumers’ approval and, of course, their money, many advertisers appear to be resorting to an easy consensus of green iconography.  The same visual images are being used again and again and clichés have emerged – generating a sense of greenwash (green image without tangible commitment to change).  

Advertising planners at London advertising agency Euro RSCG London have discovered the five most over-used ‘green’ images in mainstream advertising and marketing. They are:

Polar bears on ice caps (Examples: Ariel, HSBC, Phillips, Ben & Jerry’s)   
Flowers (Examples: Toyota, VW, Ibuyeco.co.uk)
Children playing (Examples: Phillips, B&Q, Earthwatch)        
Exotic animal species (Examples: HSBC, Eon, GE)
Blue skies with green fields (Examples: Eon, B&Q, Anchor Butter)

Chief Strategy Officer at Euro RSCG London Russ Lidstone said: "Many companies continue to use the same signifiers and symbols to represent 'the environment' in their communications. To the consumer these images fall into a sea of 'green' that fails to challenge or provoke appraisal. In addition the reliance on the same images perpetuates the idea of greenwash - lots of brands using the language of green, potentially without justification."

Lidstone concludes that “based on our research advertisers need to go back to basics, engage with consumers, understand their mindset and develop fresh ways to get their environmental message across in a compelling way.”  

Euro RSCG analysed over 100 advertising executions from the past 12 months to arrive at the list of most over used ‘green’ images.  The agency then used this information in a series of discussion groups with consumers, which demonstrated that these images are increasingly failing to engage with consumers. This information was supported by a proprietary quantitative study of 1000 UK adults.

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For further information please contact:
Georgina Lipscomb
Propeller Communications
T: 0870 066 4608
E: georgina.lipscomb@propellercom.com

About EURO RSCG:

Euro RSCG London is a top ten UK advertising agency with a client roster including Citroën, Evian, Kraft, News Group Newspapers, Peugeot and Reckitt Benckiser. Euro RSCG London is part of Euro RSCG Worldwide, a leading integrated marketing communications agency made up of 233 offices located in 77 countries throughout Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific.

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