An Evaluation of Trends in Environmental Advertising

Recent evidence has shown that green advertising has grown exponentially in the last two decades (Futerra 2008), becoming the driving force behind increasing public awareness of ecological issues and skyrocketing demand for eco-friendly goods (Easterling et al. 1996; Polonsky et al. 1997). However, green advertising activity has recently run into major problems. The advertising industry, being quick to grasp changes in consumer tastes and moods, has noticed that many people are becoming increasingly sceptical about the credibility of environmental advertisements (Pfanner 2008). This is because of the increasing popularity and usage of environmental advertising among organizations, the growing number of consumer complaints regarding the misleadingless of these claims, and their serious concerns over their presentation. This urges for an evaluation of the practices and trends in the field. In light of the above, this study provides a thorough assessment of and establishes trends in international green advertising practices. Specifically, our study sought to assess international advertisements with regards to their: (a) key features; (b) message aspects; (c) copy characteristics; and (d) situation points.