Today's Ypulse Guest Post is by Leah Spokojny from the AMP Agency, which just posted their new report over on Ypulse Research. It seemed like a no-brainer to invite AMP to participate on our Green Youth Marketing panel at the Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup East in light of their research, so we did! Allison Bacon, AMP's director of consumer insights, will be joining the panel in Boston (we hope you'll join us, too.)

Good Things Come In Green Packages

When shopping for environmentally friendly products, the packaging is a last minute information source that has a heavy influence on purchase decision. According to AMP Agency’s Green AMPlified Study, a whopping 95% of millennials consider themselves to be at least a little environmentally conscious, so it’s important for companies to let them know what they are doing for the cause right there on the shelves.

The study found that millennials are skeptical of green claims, but are more likely to believe a claim that a product is environmentally friendly if it’s specifically noted on the packaging as opposed to in general. For example, when millennials are looking to be environmentally friendly, they consider whether or not chemicals are used – a characteristic that should be clearly marked. When it comes to food, they want to see a specific label letting them know that the ingredients in what they buy are natural or certified organic.

Companies also need to be more mindful of the actual material used to package products. I have seen companies boast of their environmental consciousness, then pack their products with harmful Styrofoam. Patrick, a 25-year-old participant in the study said, "I hate all the extra bags, excessive packaging and unnecessarily wasted resources that go to the landfill." This shows that Millennials take notice of the wasteful practices of companies and want the packaging to be minimal and recyclable.

Packaging and advertising are the sources most likely to influence Millennials that a product is in fact environmentally friendly, which proves how important it is for marketers to understand exactly how Millennials define green. Check out AMP Agency’s Green Amplified Study for more information about Millennials and the Green Movement.

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