Released on: March 17, 2008, 5:39 am

Press Release Author: Propeller Communications

Industry: Advertising

Press Release Summary: Advertising planners at London advertising agency Euro RSCG
London have discovered the five most over-used 'green' images in mainstream
advertising and marketing.

Press Release Body: Polar bears, melting ice caps, flowers and fields:
Advertisers risk cliché meltdown in rush to go green

More and more big corporations and brands are getting to grips with our cultural
shift to a greener and more sustainable commercial climate. But as they compete for
consumers' approval and, of course, their money, many advertisers appear to be
resorting to an easy consensus of green iconography. The same visual images are
being used again and again and clichés have emerged - generating a sense of
greenwash (green image without tangible commitment to change).

Advertising planners at London advertising agency Euro RSCG London have discovered
the five most over-used 'green' images in mainstream advertising and marketing. They
are:

Polar bears on ice caps (Examples: Ariel, HSBC, Phillips, Ben & Jerry's)
Flowers (Examples: Toyota, VW, Ibuyeco.co.uk)
Children playing (Examples: Phillips, B&Q, Earthwatch)
Exotic animal species (Examples: HSBC, Eon, GE)
Blue skies with green fields (Examples: Eon, B&Q, Anchor Butter)

Chief Strategy Officer at Euro RSCG London Russ Lidstone said: \"Many companies
continue to use the same signifiers and symbols to represent \'the environment\' in
their communications. To the consumer these images fall into a sea of \'green\' that
fails to challenge or provoke appraisal. In addition the reliance on the same images
perpetuates the idea of greenwash - lots of brands using the language of green,
potentially without justification.\"

Lidstone concludes that "based on our research advertisers need to go back to
basics, engage with consumers, understand their mindset and develop fresh ways to
get their environmental message across in a compelling way."

Euro RSCG analysed over 100 advertising executions from the past 12 months to arrive
at the list of most over used 'green' images. The agency then used this information
in a series of discussion groups with consumers, which demonstrated that these
images are increasingly failing to engage with consumers. This information was
supported by a proprietary quantitative study of 1000 UK adults.

About EURO RSCG:

Euro RSCG London is a top ten UK advertising agency with a client roster including
Citroën, Evian, Kraft, News Group Newspapers, Peugeot and Reckitt Benckiser. Euro
RSCG London is part of Euro RSCG Worldwide, a leading integrated marketing
communications agency made up of 233 offices located in 77 countries throughout
Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific.

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Contact Details: For further information please contact:
Georgina Lipscomb
Propeller Communications
T: 0870 066 4608
E: georgina.lipscomb@propellercom.com