Global and local businesses are actively engaging in green marketing, the practice of promoting environmentally-safe products. But what affect does it have on the consumer?
A Rutgers–Camden marketing professor researching the subject says people who see themselves as global consumers have a stronger connection to companies who engage in green marketing.
“People see what’s happening to the environment, so they’re more concerned about it,” says Yuliya Strizhakova, an assistant professor of marketing at the Rutgers School of Business–Camden. “They respond more positively to a global company that tries to build their image on environmental protection and fair trade.”
Strizhakova has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Von Allmen Center for Green Marketing at the University of Kentucky for her research on the effectiveness of green marketing efforts by global and local companies in emerging and developed markets.
She is coordinating her research with Robin Coulter, a marketing professor at the University of Connecticut, and Linda Price, a University of Arizona marketing professor.
“We want to know if those green marketing efforts work for consumers,” Strizhakova says. “Lots of companies try to do it and some are truly committed to it. People almost expect it now.”
Strizhakova says a brand that has pledged its commitment to the environment, such as Starbucks, not only gives it a competitive advantage, but also brings attention to environmental issues.
However, a company’s environmentally-conscious efforts are promoted differently in developed markets like the United States and United Kingdom than they are in emerging markets like Brazil and Russia.
“One reason is the lack of research on consumer attitudes and their willingness to pay for green marketing in emerging markets,” Strizhakova says. “Companies seem to stay away from emphasizing it too much. I think they’re more likely to emphasize price. If they were to support a cause, a product might cost more and consumers may not be willing to pay more.”
But Strizhakova says corporations unwilling to invest in green marketing in emerging markets may be short-lived because concern for the environment is becoming a more pressing issue worldwide.
“Hopefully, we’ll see more companies become environmentally conscious,” she says. “The world is more conscious of it because we don’t have any other choice but to start conserving energy. With the oil spill on the Gulf Coast, it’s an even bigger concern.”
Strizhakova also says her research will also determine if people respond differently to companies that support global environmental issues than to those that support local environmental issues.
“Our conclusions will be relevant for effectiveness of environmental causes for both global and local brands and in relation to global and local charities,” she says.
Strizhakova will present her research at the Von Allmen Center for Green Marketing in December.
A Lansdale, Pa., resident, Strizhakova teaches marketing research and advertising at the Camden Campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Media Contact: Ed Moorhouse
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E-mail: ejmoor@camden.rutgers.edu