Car advertisement not \"green\" enough, study shows

Vehicle advertising falls short of U.S. consumers rising demand for environmentally friendly cars, according to a new study. Fuel economy has now become one of the most important element of purchase consideration, the same research shows.

The gap between consumers' demand for greener vehicles and advertising is growing in the U.S. Carmakers' failure to deliver eco-messages is therefore costing them already now opportunities to reach mainstream buyers.

--image1--These key messages emerged from a recent study by an American marketing research firm that also found that consumers' interest in green vehicles cuts across the entire political spectrum, going well beyond the image of environmental "alarmists" or "tree huggers". The results More specifically, the study found the following:

Only one out of five respondents (21%) who bought a vehicle in the past year recalled vehicle advertising that "mentioned global warming, the environment or green" issues. Many respondents could not, however, remember which car brand was advertised as "green", casting doubt on the advertisements effectiveness.
60% of all potential buyers in the U.S. are receptive to environmental messages, suggesting that the market for green advertisement is bigger than assumed.
83% of respondents planning to buy an environmentally friendly car cited fuel economy as one of the most important reasons for doing so.

Background The study was conducted from 17-29 May. The survey sample of 1,023 U.S. consumers is representative of the U.S. consumer market.