David's blog

Interesting findings from the latest twice-yearly Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey of over 25,000 online consumers from 50 countries:

"Recommendations by personal acquaintances and opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising globally. The Nielsen survey shows that 90% of online consumers worldwide trust recommendations from people they know, while 70% trust consumer opinions posted online."

Online reviews are becoming the new advertising and businesses will need to accept that consumers’ decisions will be heavily influenced by peer to peer media.

So how does a company engage consumers and ensure an independent but fair exchange?

Consumer perception of corporate responsibility and citizenship differs from objective rankings such as the CRO 100. Although this might appear to call into question whether a companies' CSR efforts will provide clear ROI, it also counsels that companies do a better job of aligning their CSR efforts with their brands.

Environmental Leader reports the recent Corporate Citizenship Study prepared by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, Burson/Marsteller and Landor which ranked Microsoft and General Mills at the top. Although Microsoft is at the top of the CRO 100. General Mills scored in the middle ranks for corporate responsibility. 

The NY Times ran an editorial today highlighting the Obama Administration plan to save the oceans' commercial fisheries. It's gratifying to learn that developing a sustainable oceans policy is a high priority for the administration. The Administration's focus on a new market program known as "catch shares" appears to be a promising and innovative approach. Could the US become an example to the world on how to effectively manage it's commons?

Kudos to Cameron Diaz who is raising awareness about environmental issues in her new documentary short film

Two months ago we spoke about warning shots from Washington on privacy. Yesterday, those warning shots sounded like serious threats of regulation as Representative Rick Boucher (D-Va.) announced he will introduce legislation that will require Web companies to obtain consumers' opt-in consent before sharing information about users with third parties.

Details Here

The NY Times reported on a program by Stonyfiled Farm, the yogurt maker, to tackle methane, err, production at suppliers' cow farms. 

Cow gas is no laughing matter when it comes to global warming. Worldwide production of milk and beef expected to double in the next 30 years. The UN has called livestock one of the most serious near-term threats to the global climate. In a 2006 report that looked at the environmental impact of cows worldwide, it estimated that cows might be more dangerous to Earth’s atmosphere than trucks and cars combined. See article from Environmental Graffitti

This is where a graphic is worth a thousand words

http://tinyurl.com/cltdsw

A new report from Datamonitor further supports the conclusion that "green marketing" is holding up suprisingly strong in this recession. Claiming that green is recession proof is a bit of hyperbole, but the numbers from the report are impressive: Datamonitor shows 458 launches so far in 2009 of package-goods products that claim to be sustainable, environmentally friendly or "eco-friendly." That pace would mean that 2009 would triple the number of green launches from 08, which was more than double the number in 2007.

Behavioral and other forms of targeting are on every marketer’s radar these days, especially as tough economic times demand greater efficiency. What is the promise and risks of targeting online? Are there special ethical considerations for sustainable brand marketers? What practical steps should sustainable brand marketers take to ensure best practices and get in front of coming regulation from Washington?

Those are questions that won't be answered in one blog post, but what's clear is that online marketers who don't manage privacy concerns are taking greater risks today as Washington is giving clear signals it will assert its regulatory authority in this area.