NEW CLIMATE DATA ON THE BLOCK — A new research and public opinion firm launching this week is looking to produce a steady stream of data points designed to help companies better market climate actions and products, increase revenue and strengthen brands.
Northwind Climate, which has a board of advisers including former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, gave Long Game an exclusive look at its first batch of findings based on four national surveys covering more than 12,000 consumers over the past five months.
Most of the company’s data will remain private for clients, but here are some early takeaways:
— Substantial chunks of consumers across the political spectrum are willing to pay a little more for products they know are produced sustainably, including 69 percent of Democrats and 43 percent of Republicans.
— Three-fourths of consumers don’t feel like they have enough information to make climate-friendly decisions and want companies, including financial institutions, to help them: 76 percent said they would be interested to know how their bank is investing their money, and 40 percent said they would be very or somewhat likely to switch banks if they learned their financial institution was a leading investor in fossil fuels.
— In tests of electric vehicle branding statements, only one company’s current message (Toyota) was generating a very positive response among a majority of potential buyers. Framings around providing choices (56 percent) and numerous choices (53 percent, Toyota) performed best; economical (41 percent, Chevrolet) and innovative and trailblazing (32 percent, Tesla) messages were the least popular.
