These days, every company seems to have one thing in common -- they're all going Green. And not in the traditional, capitalistic sense but rather in the tree hugging, carbon footprint reducing one. The perception naturally is that consumers will reward those companies (and perhaps pay a premium) to those that they perceive are doing well by doing good. These

same companies -- whether its Shell, Ford or Apple -- spend a pretty expensive penny trying to convince us that they're being responsible stewards of the environment. While their motives are not hard to ferrett out, I do question how effective these campaigns are (and what criteria they use to measure whether or not they are successful). Do consumers really believe these pronouncements to be authentic? Or is it simply a case of "Greenwashing"? (actually, greenwashing isn't really the right term as it implies that an organization is acting in a way that is in direct opposition to what it is publicizing -- I'm talking more about "GreenVeneering" in which there may not be any malicious intent but it simply rings hollow)

While Greenwashing/veneering isn't a new idea per se, it's certainly become more pronounced over the past few years as more companies jump on the eco merry-go-round. While not nearly as insidious as Astroturfing, the practice of Greenwashing is becoming  an all too common component of modern PR strategies, especially for large consumer product companies who recognize that today's younger generation is more cognizant of environmental issues (whether or not their cognizance translates into purchasing is another question) But I would argue -- without anything substantial to back me up -- that consumers, young and old alike, are increasingly becoming desensitized to these messages, rendering these campaigns largely ineffective in the long term. If this turns out to be the case, will companies be less inclined to invest in eco-friendly messages? Or rather, will they be forced to identify new strategies that actually demonstrate the impact (or lack there of) they're making?