Shared Secrets of Success: E Source Report Divulges Lessons Learned From Green Product Marketers

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TO BUSINESS, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY EDITORS:

Shared Secrets of Success: E Source Report Divulges Lessons Learned From Green Product Marketers

COLORADO, BOULDER, Mar. 20 -/E-Wire/-- Selling green energy, or energy produced from renewable sources at a premium price, is a relatively new concept. Selling products on the basis of their environmental appeal or other societal values, however, is not original; marketers have been selling "values-based" products and services for years, and they have developed sophisticated strategies for marketing them. A just-released report documents these strategies for successfully selling green products and explains which are germane for marketers of green energy.

In "Across the Green Divide: What Green Energy Marketers Can Learn from Other Green Marketers," E Source researchers Barry Friedman and Dr. Paul Komor present a concise compilation of lessons learned from case studies about marketing organic coffee, green buildings, recycled paper, ecotourism, and socially responsible investing. This is the latest in a series of reports by E Source on how to successfully sell green energy.

"People buy green products for personal and environmental reasons, so we looked at the strategies and messages that address both reasons people buy green products," says Friedman. "Few 'green' products are marketed with as much emphasis on societal benefits as green energy, but each of the product areas we studied has value-based components, and each presents a unique set of lessons for green energy marketers."

The report's findings include these: -- Modest price premiums are not a primary barrier to increased green sales, but weak mixed messages about the product's benefits are a barrier. -- Green buyers are loyal -- once they decide to purchase a green product, they are doing so for reasons that aren't likely to change. -- Certification of green products provides critical credibility. Green products offer an intangible emotional benefit that is easily destroyed by mistrust. -- Each new green market takes time to develop, and green energy will not be an exception. The recycling and green building industry have been educating the public and raising awareness for decades as sales have increased -- this process has been slow and expensive. -- Marketing messages seeking to encourage environmentally motivated purchases should include powerful images and associations that generate emotion in the buyer.

This report is offered exclusively to members of the E Source Green Energy Series. To learn more about becoming a member, contact Series Director Adam Capage at [REDACTED-PHONE]. Media contact: Jim Keener at [REDACTED-PHONE].

E Source, a trademark of FT Energy, Inc., is an energy information and consulting service providing organizations with unbiased, independent analysis of retail energy markets, services, and technologies. E Source clients include more than 400 electric and gas utilities and other energy service providers, large corporate and institutional energy users, government agencies, energy service companies, manufacturers, consultants, research institutions, and other organizations in more than three dozen countries worldwide.

To see the FT Energy press room, which includes information on how to receive press releases and other information, please visit http://www.ftenergy.com/press.asp.

Jim Keener of E Source, [REDACTED-PHONE], [REDACTED-EMAIL]

http://www.ftenergy.com/press.asp

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