Durham, N.C. – Aug. 28, 2007 – Burt’s Bees Inc., the leader in natural personal care, recently launched The Greater Good microsite (http://www.burtsbees.com/thegreatergood) in response to a study commissioned by Burt’s Bees and The Segmentation Co., a division of Yankelovich Inc., a custom segmentation research firm. The study found that three out of four women do not realize that the use of the term “natural” in personal care products is not regulated by the personal care industry or the government.
“There are currently no guidelines or labeling standards for using the term ‘natural,’ so products that have as little as 1 percent natural ingredients can claim to be ‘natural,’” said Mike Indursky, chief marketing officer at Burt’s Bees. According to Indursky, the public is more interested in natural personal care products than ever, but consumers are still very confused about what constitutes a “natural” product. To help alleviate this confusion, Burt’s Bees is working with the Natural Products Association and several competitors to ensure there is only one meaning for what is called “natural.”
Through a simple, interactive navigational experience, Avenue A | Razorfish™ designed The Greater Good microsite as an online resource for consumers. By providing guidelines explaining what natural products should contain and how they should be made, the site helps consumers make the distinction as to which personal care products are truly “natural” and also puts forth Burt’s Bees’ The Natural Standard to help create a standard for defining “natural” personal care products. Visitors to The Greater Good site are encouraged to show their support by signing Burt’s Bill for Setting the Natural Standard, a petition to demonstrate consumer support of universally recognized and regulated guidelines for all-natural personal care products.
“As green marketing grows across corporate America, so does the confusion as to which products are really helping the environment,” said Katie Valentiner, the Burt’s Bees account director at Avenue A | Razorfish, Atlanta. “The goal of The Greater Good is to educate consumers about ‘natural’ personal care products and establish a standard for the personal care market, which is unmatched in the industry.”
The Burt’s Bees study on consumers’ perception of natural personal care shows just how confused the public is regarding natural personal care and product standards. The survey’s findings include the following:
• Public perception: Seventy-eight percent of American women think natural personal care is currently regulated or don’t know whether it is, while 97 percent think it should be.
Fact: The natural personal care industry is not regulated.
• Public perception: Eighty-six percent of American women agree that there should be a symbol to certify a natural personal care product.
Fact: Personal care products that include many synthetic ingredients may claim to be natural because there is no nationally recognized standard or symbol to certify a natural personal care product.
• Public perception: Two-thirds of American women think a personal care product labeled “natural” should contain at least 95 percent natural ingredients.
Fact: Most products labeled “natural” contain far less than 95 percent. In fact, some have as little as 5 percent natural ingredients.
About Burt’s Bees
Earth-friendly isn’t just something that we put on our packaging. At Burt’s Bees, we believe that sustainable business practices are always the best practices. Our ingredients and packaging choices reflect our careful consideration of the impact our activities will have on our environment and the overall health and well-being of all living things on Earth.
We believe in utilizing the most environmentally friendly packaging systems available in the commercial market today. We hope to set an example and send the message that successful businesses are built on long-term, enduring values that have and will continue to stand the test of time. The eco-friendly packaging choices we make are part of our effort to reduce the mountains of waste created by the packaged goods industry.
About Avenue A | Razorfish
Avenue A | Razorfish is one of the largest interactive marketing and technology services agencies in the world. The company helps industry leaders such as Starwood Hotels, Kraft, Ford Motor Company and Carnival Cruise Lines use digital channels to acquire and service customers. Avenue A | Razorfish’s full suite of digital offerings includes online advertising, Web site design and development, e-mail and search engine marketing, emerging media strategies, and enterprise portal development. Its award-winning client teams have a great understanding of customer needs and provide solutions through distinct business disciplines, which include analytics, strategy, technology, media, creative design and user experience. Avenue A | Razorfish has offices in markets across the United States, and global operations in Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. Visit http://www.avenuea-razorfish.com for more information.