College Students Spend On Brands That Respect Mother Nature

JULY 13, 2006
Green is good, in more ways than one.
The image most people have of college students today may entail more binge drinking than tree hugging, but according to a new report, "The 5th Annual College Explorer Study," fromAlloy Media + Marketing (AM+M), and conducted byHarris Interactive, they may have to revise their thinking — at least when it comes to buying habits.
The study, conducted online among nearly 1800 college students (full-time, part-time, 4-yr., 2-yr., aged 18 to 30), found that many of them are socially conscious and put a premium on products from companies that demonstrate a healthy respect for Mother Nature.
"We are seeing that today‘s young people expect corporations to be socially responsible and that students prefer to associate with brands that they perceive to be positive contributors to the community," said Samantha Skey of AM+M.
The fact that students prefer an honest and effective social responsibility campaign to celebrity endorsements came through loud and clear in the study. When asked about factors that drive their purchase decisions, 33% of the students said they prefer brands that are environmentally safe or are connected to a cause.

Socially responsible characteristics surpassed a great brand image and a preference for a brand used by celebrities by wide margins in its influence on discretionary spending. In fact, one in four students (24%) said they had purchased a product this year specifically because it was socially conscious.
"In this year‘s study, we asked students to tell us the brands they most admire," said Ms. Skey. "We‘ve fashioned their opinions into the Alloy U Awards, designed to recognize the companies that students perceive to be most socially responsible. Students were most likely to believe that companies who weave their social messaging into their brand DNA, from advertising to product packaging and events, are the most committed to their causes."
The 2006 Alloy U Award winners for "Top Socially Responsible Brands," as recognized by college students, are: Ben & Jerry‘s Newman‘s Own Burt‘s Bees Yoplait American Apparel Starbucks Seventh Generation Nike Body Shop (tied)
Coca-Cola (tied)
"The college student market is now well over 17 million strong, and continues to grow in size and importance for marketers as the considerable influence they‘ve gained in the past few years as technology early adopters bleeds into other areas, like social responsibility," said Dana Markow of Harris Interactive. "Watch for the ‘greening‘ of the college market and their $182 billion in aggregate spending power to have a big effect on brand positioning and campaigns in the coming year."
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