If a brand is aiming to market their socially responsible efforts, they’ll need three key ingredients to ensure they get the attention and respect they need. Whether it’s by word of mouth, an advertising campaign or a product’s packaging, the SHIFT report identified that people are looking for credibility, specificity and honesty - heartstrings alone won’t break through initial skepticism in which people are increasingly rooted…

… and now that is set to be formalized by the Canadian Competition Bureau. In the face of increasing criticism and complaints on both sides of the Atlantic, the bureau is requiring companies to get more specific with their green-product advertising, banning the use of "vague claims implying general environmental improvement."

They have recently developed a set of guidelines (see attachment), with help from the Canadian Standards Association, that asks companies advertising in Canada to stick to "clear, specific, and accurate" claims that have been substantiated and verified prior to use.

As Sheridan Scott, Commissioner of the bureau, rightly pointed out this measure is not just about slapping the wrists of those make false claims, it’s also about providing corporations – and their agencies - the guidelines they need to legitimize their initiatives to their consumers… it’s the Wild West out there, and as every company and their dog races to tell their customers just how much they care, the brands that are sharing details and specifics will be best placed to build trust among a skeptical audience.

As always the last word goes to a respondent from the first round of qualitative research, “If it’s a fact, it’s a fact - then give some numbers. Whatever I think or feel about it, a fact is a fact” (Austin, 35-55, The SHIFT Report).