SC Johnson & Our Oceans: A Win-Win Scenario?
Can SC Johnson make an environmental impact while boosting brand favorability and sales?
Overview
While plastic products have undoubtedly made modern life easier, plastic pollution has gone beyond mere concern to a global crisis. Our oceans, in particular, have become a battleground for plastic pollution. With trillions of pieces of plastic already floating in our oceans, it is estimated that plastic will outweigh all fish life by 2050.
This is a huge concern for Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. Johnson, an avid diver, has seen firsthand how plastic pollution has increased in our oceans. “Solving the plastic waste problem will take all of us, businesses, individuals, and governments working together,” Fisk said in a recent ad for their Blue Paradox science exhibit, which aims to educate and inspire people and businesses on the problem and solutions of ocean plastic waste.
Using the Grow Progress Rapid Message Test tool, we wanted to know: What effect does this message have on consumers’ opinions of SC Johnson, their likelihood to purchase their products, as well as their concerns about the health of our oceans?
Final data showing the effect of SC Johnson’s Blue Paradox ad on consumers’ opinions of the brand, likelihood to purchase, and concerns over plastic pollution.
The Results
To measure the Blue Paradox ad’s effects we launched a Rapid Message Test to an audience of 800 respondents. Grow Progress’ Rapid Message Tests are randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the premier standard in message testing, modeled on medical trials.
First, we randomly assigned each respondent to one of two groups. Then each group viewed one ad (Blue Paradox or a placebo message) and answered the same four questions. In less than 24 hours, we had results.
SC Johnson is a manufacturer of household cleaning supplies and products. Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of SC Johnson?
Respondents who saw the video of Fisk Johnson had a more favorable view of SC Johnson as a company. 61% of respondents who did not see the Blue Paradox video had a favorable view, compared to 67% of respondents who did.
How likely are you to consider purchasing a product made by SC Johnson (such as Pledge, Windex, Ziploc, and other household items) in the next 3 to 6 months?
Overall, respondents already had a high likelihood of purchasing SC Johnson products, with a baseline of 70% likelihood, and the Blue Paradox video did little to change that. However, when looking at subgroups, we found that it increased the likelihood of men’s purchases by 7 percentage points.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? SC Johnson is a company that cares about the environment.
The Blue Paradox video had a clear impact. The Blue Paradox video demonstrably increased agreement among respondents by 19 percentage points to 70%, compared to a baseline of 51%.
How concerned are you about global plastic pollution in our oceans?
Concern was already high, with 73% of the baseline group reporting that they were strongly or somewhat concerned. The Blue Paradox video increased that concern to 77%.
Among respondents who said they rarely or never make decisions based on environmental impact, Fisk’s video caused a 12 percentage point increase in concern about global plastic pollution.
The Takeaway
Brand favorability can be hard to move, especially when it’s already relatively high. Yet, we found that SC Johnson’s message of corporate and personal responsibility to the planet made a difference and moved that difficult-to-move needle in a positive direction for them.
Despite SC Johnson not typically being thought of as an environmentally conscious company by consumers, unlike brands like Patagonia or AllBirds which are built on green marketing, there was a measurable impact on the brand’s favorability by leaning into being environmentally conscious.
This approach resonated with consumers already anxious about plastic pollution and may help SC Johnson carve a new lane as an environmentally conscious CPG company, increasing SC Johnson’s already high brand favorability and sales in the process. Talk about a win-win.
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