Stranded polar bears a bore? It's so "greenwash"

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Tired of being told the planet is burning and shown pictures of stranded polar bears and collapsing ice shelves?

You may be part of the "greenwash backlash".

Leading British advertising agency Euro RSCG says companies keen to flaunt their environmental credentials are actually turning off the public by advertising their products with overused images of struggling wildlife and fading flora.

"To the consumer these images fall into a sea of 'green' that fails to challenge or provoke appraisal," said Russ Lidstone at Euro RSCG London.

"In addition the reliance on the same images perpetuates the idea of 'greenwash' - lots of brands using the language of green, potentially without justification."

The agency studied more than 100 advertisements over the past year to find the most overused green images -- these included polar bears and icebergs, exotic animals, dying flowers and threatened idylls.

It then took these to focus groups and found a growing disengagement between the public and the message.

"Based on our research advertisers need to go back to basics, engage with consumers, understand their mindset and develop fresh ways to get their environmental message across in a compelling way," Lidstone said.

(Reporting by Jeremy Lovell; editing by Paul Casciato)