Green Advertising and the Economy

When it comes down to green advertising, it is all about how the economy is doing and how well it is actually growing. Three researchers from the Penn State University believe that, after doing some extensive research that dates all the way back to three decades ago, green advertising and the amount of it will vary depending upon the current economic situation. One of the assistant professors for advertising at Penn State, Lee Ahern, says that advertisers often do their research and plenty of it as a way to find out how the public feels about things before they actually place advertisements in specific areas. Ahern says that what they found is that when there are economic changes, there are also changes in the amount of green advertising. Levels of green advertising vary on how well the economy is doing at the time.

Ahern, along with two other individuals, Denise S. Bortree and Alexandra N. Smith, are the authors of this particular study, which was recently released in the Public Understanding of Science. The journal can easily be found online for those who are interested in finding out more about the work that these three individuals have done to find out about green advertising. These individuals figured out, after doing extensive research, that between the years of 1979 up until 2008, the National Geographic Magazine displayed nearly 700 pages worth of green advertisements. Each of the advertisements, in some way, shape or form, had to do with the environment in a positive light, speaking on working to protect the environment. Many of these advertisements had been placed in the magazine from a number of different companies and corporations, as well as organizations.

Their study proved that over the span of the past three decades, the well-being of the economy had a lot to do with the number of green advertisements available in the magazine. This study basically provided insight and evidence as to whether or not green advertisements were displayed as or less frequently during times in which the economy was in turmoil. These researchers also found that over time, the type of green advertisements displayed have truly evolved, along with the message displayed in such advertisements. In recent years, there has been more discussion within the advertisements about global warming, especially since it has become more of a concern over the past decade than it once was before. The messages have clearly changed over the past three decades, especially as concerns on the economy begin to shift, even though the general message is simply about the importance of taking care of the environment.