Something seemed fishy when the promotional can of Campbell's Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup showed up on my desk. Instead of the traditional tomato red label, Campbell's wrapped this can in green – and marked it as now an eco–friendly product.
What had Campbell's changed to claim its brand had gone "green"?
Nothing.
But because you, the consumer, have to add your own water to Campbell's condensed soups – just like everyone else since its invention in 1897 – the soup costs less to ship from factory to store than noncondensed soups. So, now, you should feel like an Earth–saving environmentalist if you eat Campbell's condensed soups.
No wonder, then, that when brandchannel.com surveyed consumers to find the No. 1 Green Brand in America, guess who claimed the top spot?
"None" won. With 12.6 percent of the vote.
"Today, savvy consumers are naturally skeptical and hypersensitive to information designed to sell a brand or product – particularly from brands that have a financial stake in surrounding themselves with the aura of eco–friendliness," said Jim Thompson, editor of brandchannel.com, one of the nation's leading brand watchers.
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