|
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 23 September 2008 — Based on analysis of 40 million blog posts collected during the past six months, Exxon-Mobil, Shell and BP generate the greatest volume of discussion about sustainability among energy brands, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Environmental Sustainability Report released today. However, the discussions generated by these brands are less positive than the average for the energy industry.
J.D. Power and Associates Web Intelligence Division (formerly Umbria, Inc.), which specializes in blog research and consumer-generated media research for market insight, has released its first comprehensive look at consumer conversations about environmental sustainability, global warming, purchase trends and user demographics, captured from online blogosphere conversations. The report is designed to provide executives in the energy and utilities industries with ongoing measures of the extent of consumer engagement around the topic of sustainability, and how that engagement is influencing the buying habits and preferences of their customers and other consumers within their targeted demographics.
The inaugural report details discussions about the sustainability topic in general and also classifies brands based on both volume (measured by the number of new mentions per week, on average) and percentage of positive mentions. Brands that are discussed are then categorized into one of four quadrants: pacesetters (having higher-than-average volume and higher-than-average positive sentiment); contenders (lower-than-average volume but higher positive sentiment); emerging (higher-than-average volume but lower positive sentiment); or challenged (lower-than-average volume and low positive sentiment). Those brands that receive less than 1 percent of the total number of energy online social media mentions about sustainability are designated as dormant.
No brand in the energy sector fell into the pacesetter category, although Exxon-Mobil, Shell and BP are included in the emerging category. Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and Florida Power & Light each generated higher-than-average sentiment, but lower posting volumes, placing them in the contender quadrant. The report finds that the utilities in the contender category are perceived by consumers as being more progressive than other brands in exploring alternative energy sources.
More than 90 percent of bloggers expressed moderate or high concern about sustainability issues related to energy during the past six months. Those who expressed low levels of concern typically did so out of an expressed hope that higher prices fuel would lead to more conservation.
“Overall, there is little optimism among consumers that energy and oil prices will return to manageable levels in the short term, and many consumers are beginning to seriously consider adopting conservation techniques,” said Janet Eden-Harris, vice president of the Web Intelligence Division at J.D. Power and Associates. “Consumers want their energy suppliers to help them make these changes. Concerns about energy consumption levels, growing domestic and international demand, soaring fuel prices and excess corporate profits contribute to the sentiment held by many consumers that the existing energy system must be significantly overhauled to effect real sustainable change.”
“Bloggers indicated that the energy and utilities industries lack brands that are recognized as being strongly committed to environmental sustainability practices,” said Chance Parker, vice president and general manager of the Web Intelligence Division at J.D. Power and Associates. “In the minds of these consumers, efforts to reduce global warming and climate change, in particular, are key elements of sustainability, and no energy company is currently perceived as having successfully addressed these concerns.”
The report findings also include the following insights:
- The topics of ethanol and biofuels generate lower amounts of positive sentiment than other forms of alternative energy, such as solar and wind power and receive the same amount of negative discussion as increased oil drilling. Ethanol and biofuels are perceived as contributing factors to rising food prices and global food shortages.
- A substantial amount of conversation centers around avoiding construction of new power plants, particularly coal and nuclear plants, due to concerns about emissions and hazardous waste.
- Consumers indicate that they are skeptical of marketing efforts by oil companies that promote their efforts to pursue green and renewable energy sources.
The J.D. Power and Associates Web Intelligence Division is unique in its ability to assess both what is being said and who is doing the speaking in the online world. Its patent-pending technology enables the classification of posts and ability to estimate gender and age of the speaker, as well as rapid identification and elimination of spam posts. The Web Intelligence Division analyzes voices of the online community by using proprietary Natural Language Processing and machine learning algorithms to dissect the who, what and why of online opinion, offering in-depth insights for some of the world’s leading brands. For more information about environmental sustainability industry trends, visit http://www.jdpower.com/corporate.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on boat ratings, car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor’s, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
J.D. Power and Associates Web Intelligence Division
J.D. Power's Web Intelligence Division is unique in its ability to assess both what is being said, and who is doing the speaking in the online world. Umbria’s patent-pending technology enables the company to classify posts and estimate gender and age of the speaker, as well as rapidly identify and eliminate bogus spam posts. J.D. Power analyzes voices of the online community by using proprietary Natural Language Processing and machine learning algorithms to dissect the who, what and why of online opinion, offering in-depth insights for some of the world’s leading brands. For more information on Umbria, please visit www.umbrialistens.com.
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate
|
|
