While geared toward gauging consumer reaction to green product claims, a study recently released by UL Environment and conducted by Shelton Group also sheds light, I believe, on how consumers are most likely to react to hotel property green certification claims. In the study, “Under the Lens: Claiming Green, The Influence of Green Product Claims on Purchase Intent and Brand Perception,” 1,017 consumers were presented with a series of visual comparisons in which a problematic claim was paired with a legitimate claim or a certified claim. An example of a problematic claim was language on a product that can easily be perceived as greenwashing. A legitimate claim included credible language on a product but the information was not certified by a third party. A certified claim was one substantiated by a third party.
Consumers were asked which product they would be more likely to choose if all other product attributes were equal. Comparisons were generated for 17 types of products across four product categories: home improvement, electronics, personal care, and cleaning products. Although both certified claims and legitimate claims beat problematic claims in head-to-head comparisons, certified claims performed significantly better than merely legitimate claims. When certified claims went up against problematic claims, they were chosen 54 percent of the time. Problematic claims were chosen just 24 percent of the time. Certified claims turned in a strong performance across all product categories in head-to-head comparisons.
Consumers were asked, “How do products that are certified by an independent third party compare to those with no certification?” The majority, 56 percent, said certifications made products more reputable.
Shelton Group found that those that chose the certified claim the majority of the time tended to be Millennials or Gen Xers, have at least some college education and household incomes of at least $75,000. “This suggests that third-party certified claims appeal to an upscale audience moving toward their peak earning years,” the study’s authors said.
The Importance of Qualifying Language
Interestingly, certified claims featuring qualifying language on the label performed better than those labels without the language. The certifications that were most confusing consisted of only a logo bearing the certifying body’s name. There was no adjacent qualifying language to provide context or tell the consumer what the certification meant. In other words, think twice before pasting a green certification label on your door or anywhere else if it fails to explain what the label actually means.
In addition to chatting with consumers, Shelton Group also recruited 27 business decision makers working in a variety of sectors for a three-day study including a brief survey, a group bulletin-board discussion, and one-on-one interviews to determine their perceptions of green claims. What Shelton Group found was that business folks are savvier when it comes to green labels and green claims. In head-to-head comparisons, they consistently chose certified and legitimate claims over problematic claims. Thirty-seven percent ranked third-party certifiers as the best way to identify green products, compared to 11 percent of consumers. These certification-aware decision makers are the ones driving meetings and other business toward your properties.
For those of you who get granular in describing how your product is “green,” you may want to pay attention to some of the study’s other findings. Consumers often do not understand “low VOCs,” “eco-friendly,” “non-toxic,” “all natural,” or even “low carbon footprint.” “Cradle to Cradle” means nothing to most.
As those who have pursued green lodging certification have found, there most definitely is value in it from both an operations and marketing standpoint. The UL Environment and Shelton Group study certainly demonstrates the importance and power of third-party certification. It also provides some lessons, however, for certifiers and those seeking third-party recognition. Those lessons primarily come down to best practices in communication. There has got to be some language around the labels you use and it has to be simple and clear. If you do that well, you will be rewarded.
To access the study, click here.
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