FEELING GREEN

With less than a week until Earth Day, corporate America is all too eager to be seen as “green” despite evidence that consumers are increasingly skeptical of environmental claims.

The barrage of green messaging is turning the annual eco-bash on April 22 into a marketing extravaganza – the time when companies try to prove their “sustainability” street cred.

Among the latest green pitches: Toys “R” Us has rolled out a “Good Green Fun” campaign to tout a new line of eco-friendly toys; Amazon introduced a “green3” list that lets users recommend three eco-friendly products to friends; Citibank kicked off an “EcoSweepstakes” to promote going paperless; and Office Depot started selling a line of “green” recycled supplies.

Even Barbie – all pink and plastic – is going green. Earlier this month, Mattel introduced a limited edition collection of “eco-friendly” accessories for girls called Barbie BCause. The line of handbags, pillows and totes is made from fabric and materials that would otherwise end up in the scrap heap.

A recent survey by BearingPoint, a top management and technology-consulting firm, reported that 71 percent of companies proactively market the “environmental friendliness” of their products to customers.

Indeed, so many advertisers are running eco-themed campaigns that the organizers of the Effie Awards, which are bestowed on the most effective ad campaigns, felt compelled to create a new green marketing category this year.

However, critics charge that many companies want the patina of being green without going through the trouble of actually cleaning up their act.

There is plenty of evidence that consumers are growing more skeptical. An Ipsos Reid poll conducted last spring found that a significant percentage of consumers view ‘green’ labeling of a product as little more than marketing tactic.

Seven in 10 Americans either strongly (12 percent) or somewhat (58 percent) agree that “when companies call a product “green,” it is usually just a marketing tactic, according to the survey. Although there are whispers of “green fatigue,” marketing experts believe the greening of corporate America will continue long after Earth Day has come and gone.

“I think we’re just getting into it,” said Jacquelyn Ottman of J. Ottman Consulting. “It takes an awful lot of media attention to burn people out.” [email protected]