You know, it’s just incredible what some marketing types can come up with to coerce people into paying more for something when they don’t need to. Sure, they usually get caught sooner or later, but that doesn’t stop the next marketing guru from making claims about their product that just aren’t true.
Like the painkiller brand that claimed it’s product went “directly to the source of pain” which was a load of croc. No “green” claims here, but eventually people woke up to the fact that painkillers, all painkillers, numb the pain receptors in the brain and that’s what stops whatever is hurting from doing so; if it went “directly to the source of the pain” it would do absolutely nothing. When they were eventually called to account, the CEO blamed the consumer for falling for it, saying they should have known better. I think he thought that was a good enough excuse for lying. Over-the-counter pain medications all contain pretty much the same ingredients in the same levels, yet there are still painkillers on the shelves claiming to be for “specific” types of pain. They cost more than the general range, despite the fact they contain the same key ingredients and all target those same pain receptors in the brain.
But anyway, this post is about products claiming to be environmentally-friendly that probably aren’t. Some years back, one of the electricity companies began advertising their new “green” electricity. They did a nice advertisement for television, waxed lyrical about “reducing our carbon footprint”, developed a cute logo for their new green electricity and a lot of people fell for it, despite the fact that their “green” power from alternative energy sources was going to cost them even more than the high rates they were currently paying for the standard stuff.
So I decided to look into why that was…which eventually lead me to something startling. Turned out that at the time those ads were airing, the company did not have sufficient alternative infrastructure in place to guarantee those customers paying a higher rate for “green” power were getting what they were paying for. During off-peak times a percentage of their electricity did come from alternative sources, but not all of it, and during peak times the percentage was close to zero. The company knew this yet they still advertised their higher-priced “green” electricity and people fell for it. And then they paid for it.
And that’s the problem with “green”. Environment equals money. Terms like “green” and “environmentally friendly” are money spinners for the businesses that use them and while some may have a genuine product that is what it says it is, others do not, but that doesn’t stop them from slapping a “green” label on it and hiking the price. Fortunately, many of them are caught and exposed for the frauds they are.
What got me onto this topic though, is a new paint being advertised that claims to “absorb carbon” as it dries, thus turning your room, or your whole house, “…into a tree!” It has cutesy artwork of a happy baby with it’s chubby little arms up, and a fan or leaves arching, foliage-like, above its little smiling face. Forgive me my scepticism, but I think I’m seeing the “green” electricity thing all over again.
Admittedly, I haven’t looked into the mechanics of how this miraculous product manages to absorb carbon but when you consider that most paints are water-based these days and are touch-dry in 30 minutes, I have to wonder just how much carbon it can soak up from the entire planet’s atmosphere in such a short time? Assuming, that is, that it does and I have some real doubts about that. Also, if it’s an interior paint job, how does it manage to absorb carbon from the air…that’s outside? But it all sounds so wonderful and environmentally responsible and the baby looks so cute with those little leaves artfully arranged above it!
But before it’s exposed as a counterfeit claim, which I suspect it will be, the manufacturer is going to make a killing on sales because people are going to rush this paint without stopping to analyse the claims it is making. It’s “green”, it’s saving the planet and their house will make “…like a tree”!
No it won’t.