Nielsen ranks Biopact in top-3 sustainability blogs
Nielsen Online, a service of The Nielsen Company, recently released findings from its “Sustainability through the Eyes and Megaphones of the Blogosphere” report, which examined consumer attitudes about personal and corporate responsibility towards the environment. It ranks Biopact as the third most important blog about sustainability, behind Treehugger.com and WorldChanging.com.
According to the report, protecting the environment has become increasingly important to consumers, with online buzz around sustainability growing 50 percent in 2007. While early in the year discussion was dominated by the topic of global warming, bloggers progressively addressed a wider variety of green-related issues, with a particular emphasis on personal action such as recycling, avoiding excess packaging, and carpooling.
Even so, global warming remained the No. 1 topic among sustainability bloggers in 2007, followed by renewable energy/alternative fuels; resource conservation; recycle/reuse; carbon emissions; pollution; organics; toxins; packaging/plastic; and transportation (hybrids, carpooling).
“As in many sectors, consumers are becoming increasingly vocal online about the issue of sustainability,” said Jessica Hogue, research director, Nielsen Online. “Blogger attention to related issues like pollution, toxins and sustainable agriculture reveal an important intersection between personal health and environmental wellness.”
Top Sustainability Blogs
So if you're a marketer eager to start listening to this conversation online about sustainability, where should you begin? Start with the most popular sustainability blogs online.
Nielsen ranked Discovery Channel's TreeHugger.com No. 1 with 4,612 messages related specifically to sustainability in 2007. Worldchanging and Biopact took the No. 2 and 3 spots, with 738 and 722 sustainability messages, respectively (of course, quantity is no metric for quality, but hey, for once, we don't care!). Note that Biopact is (was) entirely a volunteer effort and does not (did not) receive any financial or other type of support from anyone:
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: agriculture :: climate change :: blogosphere :: green journalism ::
Greenwashing: A Failed Corporate Strategy
The report also notes that not only are consumers looking for practical steps they can take to reduce personal environmental impact, they are also holding corporations accountable for action and results. Bloggers are quick to condemn “greenwashing” – when they suspect companies misrepresent their environmental impact with aggressive PR campaigns – as spurious attempts to be “green.” Consumers expect consistency in action and authentic and transparent messaging.
Nielsen Online analysis showed that similar environmental initiatives can provoke different consumer responses depending on a company’s reputation and history. For example, in the retail sector, while Wal-Mart and Target both introduced reusable shopping bags, some consumers voiced skepticism towards Wal-Mart because of its association with environmental, labor, and health care issues. Although in general consumers were supportive of Wal-Mart’s reusable bags, some were still dubious of the retailer’s intent.
“When it comes to the environment, consumers are insisting on both transparency and consistency from the corporations they patronize,” said Hogue. “Consumer support depends on action as well as perceived sincerity and commitment.”
References:
Nielsen Buzzmetrics: Online Consumers Call for Greater Transparency in Strategies for Environmental Sustainability, According to Nielsen Online - March 31, 2008.
AdAge: Do People Care About Your 'Green' Message? Yes - March 31, 2008.
Environmental Leader: Sustainability Buzz Up 50% In 2007 - April 1, 2008.
MarketinVox: Environmental Action, Sustainability Hot Blogosphere Topics - April 2, 2008.
According to the report, protecting the environment has become increasingly important to consumers, with online buzz around sustainability growing 50 percent in 2007. While early in the year discussion was dominated by the topic of global warming, bloggers progressively addressed a wider variety of green-related issues, with a particular emphasis on personal action such as recycling, avoiding excess packaging, and carpooling.
Even so, global warming remained the No. 1 topic among sustainability bloggers in 2007, followed by renewable energy/alternative fuels; resource conservation; recycle/reuse; carbon emissions; pollution; organics; toxins; packaging/plastic; and transportation (hybrids, carpooling).
Note: Topics are ranked by number of messages among sustainability bloggers from 1/1/07 to 12/31/07, with the Buzz trend reflecting change from 1/1/07 to 12/31/07.
“As in many sectors, consumers are becoming increasingly vocal online about the issue of sustainability,” said Jessica Hogue, research director, Nielsen Online. “Blogger attention to related issues like pollution, toxins and sustainable agriculture reveal an important intersection between personal health and environmental wellness.”
Top Sustainability Blogs
So if you're a marketer eager to start listening to this conversation online about sustainability, where should you begin? Start with the most popular sustainability blogs online.
Nielsen ranked Discovery Channel's TreeHugger.com No. 1 with 4,612 messages related specifically to sustainability in 2007. Worldchanging and Biopact took the No. 2 and 3 spots, with 738 and 722 sustainability messages, respectively (of course, quantity is no metric for quality, but hey, for once, we don't care!). Note that Biopact is (was) entirely a volunteer effort and does not (did not) receive any financial or other type of support from anyone:
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: agriculture :: climate change :: blogosphere :: green journalism ::
Greenwashing: A Failed Corporate Strategy
The report also notes that not only are consumers looking for practical steps they can take to reduce personal environmental impact, they are also holding corporations accountable for action and results. Bloggers are quick to condemn “greenwashing” – when they suspect companies misrepresent their environmental impact with aggressive PR campaigns – as spurious attempts to be “green.” Consumers expect consistency in action and authentic and transparent messaging.
Nielsen Online analysis showed that similar environmental initiatives can provoke different consumer responses depending on a company’s reputation and history. For example, in the retail sector, while Wal-Mart and Target both introduced reusable shopping bags, some consumers voiced skepticism towards Wal-Mart because of its association with environmental, labor, and health care issues. Although in general consumers were supportive of Wal-Mart’s reusable bags, some were still dubious of the retailer’s intent.
“When it comes to the environment, consumers are insisting on both transparency and consistency from the corporations they patronize,” said Hogue. “Consumer support depends on action as well as perceived sincerity and commitment.”
References:
Nielsen Buzzmetrics: Online Consumers Call for Greater Transparency in Strategies for Environmental Sustainability, According to Nielsen Online - March 31, 2008.
AdAge: Do People Care About Your 'Green' Message? Yes - March 31, 2008.
Environmental Leader: Sustainability Buzz Up 50% In 2007 - April 1, 2008.
MarketinVox: Environmental Action, Sustainability Hot Blogosphere Topics - April 2, 2008.
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