BURLINGTON, MA– April 20, 2011 —Burst Media, (www.BurstMedia.com), a leading seller of targeted Internet audiences to brand and performance advertisers, today released the results of a survey of consumer perceptions of green marketing. Conducted in March 2011, the survey of more than 6,800 online U.S. adults aged 18 or older revealed that although a vast majority of respondents (89.4%) incorporate some level of greenness into their daily lives, there is an undercurrent of doubt when it comes to green advertising claims and product efficacy.

Skepticism is most noted when consumers were asked their opinion of the effectiveness of green products as compared to their conventional counterparts. Only one-fifth (19.3%) of all respondents think green products work better than their conventional counterparts, and two-in-five (39.0%) think they work the same. One-quarter (24.4%) aren't sure and 11.3% think green products work worse.

Consumer uncertainty also exists when evaluating the green claims made in advertising. Although a majority (59.6%) of respondents believes green claims made in advertising to some extent, a sizable minority (23.7%) either never believes or finds green claims to be confusing or misleading.

There is some good news for marketers: despite a slight majority (54.1%) of respondents saying green products are priced too high, seven-in-ten (68.6%) say they are either very or somewhat likely to purchase a product advertised or promoted as being green or environmentally friendly. Only 16.0% say they're either very or somewhat unlikely to purchase a product promoted as being green, and 7.3% say they're not at all likely to purchase such products. Women are more likely than men to say they would purchase a product advertised or promoted as being green; 74.1% versus 62.8%, respectively.

Respondents cite many reasons for incorporating some level of greenness into their daily lives; the clear leader is that being green is "good for the environment" (60.5%). Other reasons cited for pursuing green values include: to impact the future (46.6%); to live a better quality of life (43.6%); it's good for the community (42.2%); a desire for a healthier body (38.9%); a desire to live simply and use less (37.2%); and a desire to make a difference (36.9%).

To help live greener lives, respondents say the Internet is their top resource (34.0%) for gathering information on green initiatives and products. The Internet is clearly the leading media resource for green information for respondents under the age of 55 years; however among the over 55 years demographic, print media takes the top spot (29.2%) followed closely by the Internet (25.0%) and television (24.4%). The green topics most commonly sought online are: healthy recipes (40.9%), recycling (33.6%), simple living (29.0%) and natural remedies (28.8%). For both men and women, healthy recipes and recycling are among the top four green information areas sought—however, below these two topics a different story emerges. Women search for more lifestyle-focused information such as natural remedies (36.2%) and simple living (33.2%), while men seek out more technical information including green technologies (28.5%) and alternative energy (27.7%).

"To best connect with audiences and move them towards action, advertisers should first understand the green messaging cues that resonate with their target," said Mark Kaefer, Marketing Director at Burst Media. "By marrying the right messaging with the full range of rich media and video units available on the web, an advertiser can promote creative interactivity and social interaction, and encourage respondents to learn as much as they can about green product offerings."

About Burst Media

An online media and technology company founded in 1995, Burst Media (www.BurstMedia.com) partners with long tail web publishers to build their businesses and make the most of the quality niche content they produce. Through our media divisions, we represent one of the broadest and deepest offerings of interest-based websites—and deliver the value of this long tail, vertical content directly to brands that want to reach loyal, highly segmented audiences. We also market adConductor™, our ad management platform, to help online media companies and web portals manage the complete process of ad sales and service. Burst Media is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, with offices throughout the United States and in London. Visit www.BurstMedia.com or call +1 (781) 852 5200 for more information.

Contact:

Mark Kaefer

Burst Media

781.852.5283

mkaefer@burstmedia.com