Don't Overstate Green Claims

Today's New York Times features an article entitled Cooling Off on Dubious Eco-Friendly Claims that hits a core theme in Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000: don't overstate claims.  In a world of attentive consumers, and detail-focused bloggers, gaps between product claim and reality are easily exposed. 

The problem...occurs when marketers make exaggerated claims about a product’s attributes, which may be fine when selling toothpaste or vacations. Most people probably know that the toothpaste will not actually make their teeth sparkle or help them get a date.But when a company says its product will improve the environment, consumers can sense if the claim is puffed up, Mr. Lawrence said. “This can really backfire with environmental advertising,” he said.

We see this constantly via unstructured text mining.  Skepticism abounds in the consumer-generated media airwaves about companies overstating green claims, and often the commentary will link to evidence, data, or corroborating commentary reinforcing the push-back.  This is why I keep pounding away at the theme of "credibility" throughout my book. If the claim, positioning, or ad-message lacks credibility, the "wisdom of the crowds" -- or even just the hyper-attentive minority -- will call out the inconsistencies and disconnects.