Consumers Recall Green Ads

Burst Media Finds High Consumer Interest In Green Information, But
Consumers Remain Skeptical Of Claims
BURLINGTON, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
Consumer recall of advertising with "green" messaging is very
high, with more than a third (37.1%) of consumers saying they
frequently recall green messaging and an additional third recalling it
occasionally (33.1%), according to a new Burst Media survey. The
online survey, conducted in April 2008 with more than 6,000 web users
18 years or older, explores how consumers are incorporating green or
environmentally friendly services and products into their daily life,
and their perception of green claims made by advertisers.

Consumers do not automatically accept green claims made in
advertisements. In fact, the Burst survey found one in five (22.7%)
respondents say they seldom or never believe green claims made in
advertisements. Two-thirds (65.3%) of respondents say they "sometimes"
believe green claims made in advertisements, and 12.1% say they
"always" believe green advertising claims. Skeptical consumers want to
be able to investigate claims, and many do. Burst's survey found that
41.6% of consumers frequently or occasionally research the claims made
in green advertisements, with only 30.1% refraining from any further
research.

The Burst survey found that four out of five (79.6%) respondents
use the Internet to conduct personal research on green initiatives and
products. The survey also found that many respondents find the
availability of corporate information on green and environmentally
safe products and services lacking. Burst's survey showed that 41.6%
would rate corporate information as only average and many others would
rate the information as fair (20.8%) or poor (17.2%).

The Burst survey also revealed several interesting findings about
the green consumer. These include:

-- Green is a goal of many, attained by few: More than four out
of five (81.9%) respondents have incorporated some level of
green activity into their lives - only 12.9% are "not green at
all." Although most respondents have integrated green activity
into their daily lives, few (5.2%) are "completely green." In
fact, most respondents are "aspirationally green" - a
plurality (43.9%) incorporate a few things that are green into
their daily lives but "have a long way to go," and another
38.0% attempt to be "as green as possible, but not 100%."

-- Varied reasons for pursuing green activities - The
motivators to go green are many, but respondents most
frequently cite "good for the environment" as the reason
they include green behavior in their daily lives. Other
reasons cited for going green include to impact the
future, to live a better quality of life, good for the
community (32.5%), desire to make a difference (31.2%),
desire for a healthy body (29.8%), and desire to live
simply and use less (29.2%).

An intriguing survey result is the reason stated for why the
"aspirationally green" and "completely green" segments have adopted
these behaviors. Three out of five respondents who are "aspirationally
green" cite "good for the environment" as a reason for going green -
clearly the leader among all reasons offered. However, among the
"completely green" segment the top reason for going green is "to live
a better quality of life," followed by "good for the environment."

-- Disparate Green topics motivate online research: Survey data
showed that consumers research many different green topics.
The most popular online green content is recycling information
and healthy recipes. These are followed by information on
alternative energy sources, natural remedies, eco-friendly
cleaning products, green technologies, nature/outdoor
recreation, tips for simple living, gardening/organic
gardening, and organic foods.

"Businesses that can support their claims in their green messaging
and sustainability topics in a way that incorporates the consumers in
the conversation are at an advantage in the marketplace," said Jarvis
Coffin, CEO of Burst Media. "In providing information that is
accessible, transparent and easy for consumers to share, businesses
have the opportunity to reach consumers in relation to a core personal
value."

About Burst Media

An online media and technology company founded in 1995, Burst
Media (www.burstmedia.com) is a leading provider of advertising
representation, services and technology to independent Web Publishers.
Burst Media levels the playing field for these independent web
publishers and enables advertisers to reach finely segmented, engaged
consumers as they visit Burst's extensive number of interest-based
sub-channels. Through its Burst Network and Burst Direct offerings,
the company represents the broadest and deepest number of
interest-based websites online. Burst also markets its ad management
platform, AdConductor (TM), which empowers content web sites, online
ad networks, and web portals to manage the complete process of ad
sales and service. Burst Media is headquartered in Burlington,
Massachusetts, with offices throughout the United States and in
London, UK. For more information, visit www.burstmedia.com or call
781.272.5544.

Kel & Partners
Laura Ackerman, 508-366-2099, ext. 125
laura@kelandpartners.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008