SYRACUSE — How important is the perception of environmental responsibility to U.S. companies both large and small? And, how much are businesses publicly promoting their sustainability initiatives? Those are questions the Energy + Sustainability group at Eric Mower + Associates (EMA) posed in a survey of more than 300 decision makers at U.S. companies during 2013. Syracuse–based EMA is the largest advertising agency […]
SYRACUSE — How important is the perception of environmental responsibility to U.S. companies both large and small? And, how much are businesses publicly promoting their sustainability initiatives?
Those are questions the Energy + Sustainability group at Eric Mower + Associates (EMA) posed in a survey of more than 300 decision makers at U.S. companies during 2013.
Syracuse–based EMA is the largest advertising agency in Central New York.
The survey focused on energy-efficiency measures within a given company in sectors that included manufacturing, health care, and higher education. EMA gathered its data at the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013 through email and phone surveys.
The respondents represented companies with annual revenue exceeding $10 million.
EMA is using the survey, which doesn’t have an official name, in communications with its clients and in efforts to attract new business, says Stephanie Crockett, account director who leads the Energy + Sustainability group at EMA.
“We haven’t done a full-fledged ... release of the survey [to the public],” Crockett says.
The survey found nearly half of respondents (48 percent) believe the perception of being environmentally responsible is important to public opinion about the business and sustaining its current business (47 percent).
About one-third also believes the perception is important to recruiting talent and generating new business, the survey found.
The EMA survey also found that 37 percent of respondents are promoting their current sustainability initiatives to the public or their respective market.
EMA conducted the survey to gain an understanding of motivations and barriers around sustainability practices and energy efficiency beyond cost savings, says Crockett.
Saving money is “the leading reason why companies undertake some sort of an energy-efficiency program,” she adds.
When companies understand customer motivations and barriers, they know how to market their products ”more appropriately,” she says.
Beyond cost savings, EMA wanted to find out what motivates the respondents and what they hoped to gain from energy efficiency.
For EMA, the survey respondents represent consumers of an energy-efficiency product or service, such as a building product, technology in a manufacturing plant, or light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, Crockett says.
“We really wanted to be able to understand and profile those motivation barriers for these various audience groups, so that our customers, our clients can understand what’s the appropriate messaging to sell to these folks,” she says.
The responding companies were “most likely” not EMA clients that the agency selected based on their industry sector, Crockett says.
“The notion was that these respondents are all the customers of our clients,” she adds.
The respondents might also be the customers of the companies that EMA wants as clients, according to Crockett.
The survey has provided EMA an understanding of the motivations and rationale behind focusing on sustainability or energy efficiency, she says.
EMA grouped the respondents into groups based on their involvement in sustainability activities. EMA labeled the groups as early adopters, adopters, and laggards.
Most of the early adopters, the survey found, are in the manufacturing sector.
Laggards are respondents who don’t believe in climate change, Crockett says.
“They don’t believe in ... any impact that humans have on what’s happening in the environment, and they’re almost angry about the notion of energy efficiency because they just don’t buy it,” Crockett says.
Advice on greenwashing
When discussing energy and sustainability, “one of the first warning signs or buzzwords that come up is greenwashing, the notion of painting your service or project with a happy smile and a green coating,” says John Lacey, management supervisor at EMA.
He says that businesses should not fake it when it comes to embracing sustainability initiatives.
“If you’re not doing it, don’t say you do it, otherwise bad things will happen,” says Lacey.
For those people who actually “walk the walk,” there is more to the process than logo placement, he adds.
“What really matters is how you understand your market, how you implement these messages in a way that connects with your customers,” Lacey says.
Having that understanding helps the agency work with its clients and teach them how to implement credible messages once they already “walk the walk,” he adds.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com