Why do adult Internet users think Apple is the most environmentally friendly tech companies? Good marketing!
Good Marketing
Which is the most environmentally friendly consumer technology brand? According to about one-third of adult Internet users that honor goes to Apple, compared with 21 percent to Dell and 15 percent to HP. These are the results of new research form The Diffusion Group, which found that Apple is perceived as the most environmentally friendly consumer tech company – and this despite what TDG says could a less than favorable environmental record. These findings are from the third in a three-part report series on “green” behavior and dispositions among adult Internet users.
Interestingly according to Greenpeace’s September 2008 Guide to Green Electronics, which includes an environmental evaluation of consumer technology companies the House that Steve Jobs built only scored a 4.1 on a 10-point scale. This was behind such other brands as Sony, Toshiba, Dell, Acer, HP and Panasonic. TDG president Michael Greeson, author of the report say that Apple’s perception as environmentally friendly is also the reason why the iPod has become the dominant MP3 player. It all comes down to marketing.
“Chalk it up to effective marketing and the brand’s aura of simplicity in both design and usage,” notes Greeson. “In today’s market, aesthetics in branding and design matter when it comes to portraying a pro-environment message. Independent of whether Apple’s products and services are actually environmentally friendly, consumers perceive them as such. While other CE vendors may have to invest a fortune to improve their green image, Apple doesn’t seem to have this problem.”
It is also worth stressing that TDG points out that consumers were asked to select the one brand that they considered the most environmentally friendly.
Among the key findings from the report, It’s Not Easy Being Green, Part 3: Consumer Perceptions of Leading Technology Brands:
• The younger the consumer, the more likely they are to believe in the ‘green’ Apple.
