a content-analysis of green advertising in popular magazines by: ashley bruce going green or growing...
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A CONTENT-ANALYSIS OF GREEN ADVERTISING IN POPULAR MAGAZINES
BY: ASHLEY BRUCE
Going Green or Growing Greed:
Literature Review
History of the Green Movement-widely disputed
-heightened environmental awareness today due to issues like climate change, dwindling energy resources, etc.
-Herndly and Brown (1996)
-Killingsworth and Palmer (1992)
-Mastry (2003)
Literature Review
Women as a Target Audience
- Advertising agencies see women as target audience in the early 1920s
- Hill (2002)
-Fowles (1996)
Veblen (1912)Veblen (1912) Elgin (1993)Elgin (1993)
- Conspicuous consumption of goods
- Voluntary simplicity
Theory
Methodology
Content analysis of two popular magazines Better Homes & Gardens Sports Illustrated
All green advertisements from 1998-2008 constitute data set.-every other month
Total Sample: 88 green advertisements
Sports Illustrated: 31 green advertisementsBetter Homes & Gardens: 57 green advertisements
StrengthsStrengths WeaknessesWeaknesses
Easy replication of research project.
One of first projects to look at green advertising.
Allows comparison between men and women as target audience.
Time constraints
Available resources
Public Library
Methodology
Findings
Rise in Green Advertising
-Green as subject of the advertisement.
Total: 60 green advertisements
Prior to 2005: 15 green advertisements
2005-2008: 45 green advertisements
Shaw Flooring (Better Homes & Gardens, October 2007)
“I want a floor that is designed to be recycled. Because I care about more than just the beauty of my home.”
Findings: Frequency of Product Categories from Male and Female Popular Magazines
Product Category Better Homes & Gardens
Sports Illustrated Total/ %
Automotive 13 26 39/44%
Appliances 13 0 13/15%
Home Remodeling 9 0 9/10%
Cleaning Products 9 0 9/10%
Paper Products 7 0 7/8%
Food 3 3 6/7%
Recycling 2 0 2/2%
Banking 1 1 2/2%
Jewelry/Watches 0 1 1/ 2%
Total 57/65% 31/35% 88/100%
Findings
Women as Target Audience
Table 2: Type of Person Represented in Green AdBetter Homes
& GardensSports
IllustratedTotal/ %
Female 18 1 19/31%
Child 18 3 21/34.5%
Male 16 5 21/34.5%
Total 52 9 61/100%
Findings
Green as a Marketing Strategy
Shift to the use of green as subject of ad. Actual environmental impact vs. marketing pitch Mohawk carpets: “From Green to Clean” Clorox Green Works: “Just what the world needs, another
dishwashing liquid. It’s made from plants, but cleans with the power you expect from Clorox. Actually, it’s exactly what the world needs.”
Use of celebrity within green advertisements.Labeling existing product as “green”.
Discussion
Green advertisement is on the rise and may have societal implications. Possible outcomes from the rise in green advertising:
Movement spreads, more environmentally friendly products in the marketplace.
Movement seen as a marketing pitch, prohibits movement from spreading.
Consumers see the different ways products are marketed as “green” and demand more environmentally friendly products.