Green Awareness Report

Outputs Available: PDF, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, HTML

This report can be used as a directional gauge regarding a population’s reception of a city service like an enhanced recycling program. A business could also use this data to effectively target a marketing program and improve the quality of its mix of goods and services as it caters to the various “Green Segments.” Fill in a title when running this report.

The green awareness report contains summary statistics on the percent makeup of both residents and workers within a given trade area as defined by four “Green Segments.” Benchmarks for the U.S., region, and state are included. The four “Green Segments” are explained below:

This segment comprises approximately 62 million Americans who think and act “Green,” hold negative attitudes toward products that pollute, incorporate Green practices regularly and include Green as one of their purchasing criteria. A portion of purchases typically go toward environmental causes, and they are likely to buy from eco-friendly companies.

Behavioral Greens tend to be optimistic and have traditional values. They are concerned about their own health while balancing career and personal interests. Family is important to them, but their children are out of the house so they focus on relaxing and maintaining healthy lifestyles. Some Behavioral Greens are entering retirement and enjoying a new chapter in life.

Segment Snapshot:
• Mature adults and retirees
• College graduates or higher degrees
• Above-average incomes
• Typically own their homes
• Liberal
• Shopping behavior - brand loyalists, knowledgeable consumers and approval seekers

How to Reach Them:

This group tends to be more receptive to traditional advertising than any of the other GreenAware™ segments. Behavioral Greens maintain that they remember ads when shopping, that advertising can help them learn about available products and that they expect advertising to be interesting

This segment is concerned about the future of the environment and over the past three years the number of Think Greens, consumers who think Green but do not necessarily act Green, has increased by more than 4 million. This consumer group consists of 48 million adults and represents 22 percent of the total adult population - or twice the market share of True Browns, the least environmentally conscious and most distrustful of Green causes.
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Think Greens have an active role in their health, trying to stay active and eat healthy. Home is important to them; they like to make their place homey and spend time decorating and remodeling. Their children are grown up so they have more free time to pursue their interests. They like to travel and continue learning.

Segment Snapshot:
• Established and mid-life adults
• College graduates or higher degrees
• High incomes
• Typically married
• Likely to own their homes
• Liberal or conservative
• Shopping behavior - brand loyalists and informed consumerss
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​How to Reach Them:

In reaching out to Think Green consumers, marketers are best
served by a strategy that contains a strong educational component. Providing information to these people while they are still early in the evaluation process is more likely to yield brand loyalty when they move to the purchase phase. Traditional media outlets such as direct marketing will fulfill a Think Green’s desire to understand.

This segment neither thinks nor behaves along particularly
environmentally conscious lines. However, 71 percent of them express concern over the future of our environment. Over the past three years, the number of Potential Greens has decreased by more than 14 million, yet this is the largest of the four segments. This consumer group consists of 71 million adults and represents 36 percent of the total adult population.
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The Potential Greens segment is also the youngest GreenAware™ group. They are still into self-discovery. Always on the go, they multitask, are busy with life and like to be up to-date. They are tech-savvy and always looking for the next upgrade. This is a perfect group for marketers to “show the way” to become Green.

Segment Snapshot:
• Mainly young, diverse adults
• Education ranges from high school through some college
• Below-average incomes
• Typically single or divorced
• Likely to rent
• Shopping behavior - up-to-date with the latest electronic products

How to Reach Them:

Get your message to Potential Greens via traditional advertising, such as direct mail, periodicals, radio and transit.

This consumer segment is not environmentally conscious and may in fact have negative attitudes about the Green movement. True Browns represent an opportunity for marketers. Those who know how to connect with True Browns today are more likely to foster long-term relationships with these consumers. Then, as True Browns migrate to the environmentally friendly segments, marketers will benefit from enhanced brand loyalty and support.
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True Browns are ambitious and status-driven adults who value entertainment and social life. Self-confident, they value individualism and self-discovery. They also have to make decisions quickly and prefer everything to be accessible, quick and easy. Interestingly, 60 percent of them express concern about the future of our environment.
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The True Brown consumer group consists of 34 million people and represents 11 percent of the total adult population. It is the smallest of the four segments, and there is a declining trend, indicating that consumers in this group are moving into one of the other three environmental segments as ecological consciousness grows.

Segment Snapshot:
• Mainly young, established adults
• Education ranges from high school through postgraduate studies
• High incomes
• Typically single or married
• Likely to own their homes
• Conservative
• Shopping behavior - impulse shoppers

How to Reach Them:

Marketers who desire to reach True Brown consumers will be best served by presenting their cases with a quick, easy and accessible approach. Product and service information should offer unambiguous, concise calls to action. Marketers also should consider using multiple media channels to influence a True Brown.
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Source: http://www.experian.com/small-business/green-consumer.jsp

Follow-up Reading:
Learn how to run this report by reviewing this article.
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