NOTE

ABOUTFUSE

Fuse has developed an ongoing

Youth Culture Insights Series to

educate those who wish to speak

more effectively to teens and young

adults. The series includes

information on media behavior, social

media, design, web strategy, the

future concerns of millennials, and

other relevant topics for marketers

trying to reach this demographic.

Founded in 1995, Fuse is a leading

youth culture marketing agency that

connects brands with teens and

young adults. Fuse provides brand

strategy, event marketing, PR,

design, social media, and digital

services to brands and companies

that include Mountain Dew,

Gatorade, Harley-Davidson, P&G,

Gillette, Nike, and others.

YOUTH CULTURE INSIGHTS SERIES

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MythMany companies rightly believe that green initiatives will appeal to teens and young adults and will

result in increased product sales. With 49% of Millennials more likely to support green businesses

(TD Bank Study, 2011) and 19% willing to pay “significantly more” for green brands, (Captstrat

Public Policy Polling, 2011) the attraction to appear green in order to get green is a strong one for

many brands.

Millennials have been brought up in a society that places more emphasis on the environment than

previous generations and they also demand more from the brands they choose to share their dollars

with. It is easy for brands to underestimate youth culture’s expectations of what it means to address

green causes. An inadequate or worse, deceptive, campaign will elicit skepticism and distrust from

Millennials. “Greenwashing”* is the term - used widely but particularly within youth culture - for when

green marketing is used to promote a misleading perception that an organization’s policies or

products are environmentally friendly. And Millennials have finely tuned radar where it is concerned.

TruthYoung people believe they have responsibilities to others in the world and sustainability is important to

them. Millennials are ready to loudly reward or punish organizations when it comes to an organization’s

commitments to the environment and social responsibility. Slapping an image of an idyllic mountain

vista on label isn’t going to cut it; nor is making vague or irrelevant claims as to the green nature of a

product or business.** To be truly effective, green initiatives should foster a relationship between the

cause and the population it is engaging. It is crucial to be able to measure the results and the impact

in a way that is tangible. Teens and young adults want to know what a brand’s green initiative achieved;

lack of clear metrics only casts a shadow of doubt and contributes to their cynicism.

Implications for BrandsDespite having good reasons to be skeptical, youth culture wants to have faith that today’s companies

are doing the right thing for the planet. 77% of Millennials say they believe it is essential to connect to

causes that are important to them (Meet the Millennials, PGAV Destinations, 2011) and when this

connection can be found in a brand that also meets their needs in another way – from the jeans they

choose to wear to the products used to clean their home to the credit card they sign-up for – then the

purchase decision suddenly becomes a lot clearer.

For the brands that are truly committed to tapping into the Millennial demographic via a green

strategy, it is essential that any program or initiative have measurable results, appeal to teens and

young adults, and be communicated to them effectively in a voice and medium (such a social media)

that they are comfortable with.

* A classic greenwashing example is the placards placed in hotel rooms asking guests to help save the environment by re-using their towels / sheets; in some instances, the hotel may be attempting to simply cut costs and has little to no interest in any other environmentally conscious initiatives.

** For more on the Seven Sins of Greenwashing, check this article by Reputation Forward: http://bit.ly/nL8VoK