Interesting how Dell has identified Green as a way to go upscale.

This wasn’t about Dell going soft; instead, the tech baron’s new green streak is part of the company’s new image. No longer content to be known simply as a low cost leader – bargain-basement technology is out of vogue these days – he is instead positioning the company as an inspirational technology maker that’s conscious of the environment while it’s building cutting-edge gear.

For more information on market perception of Green you can go to http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=3620. The following is the most interesting part

Says Board, “To some extent the rank order of these brand mentions seems to mirror their prominence in the Tech landscape, if you factor in Apple’s increased exposure in recent years. At the same time, it’s something of a ‘halo index,’ in that there’s precious little information available to consumers for them to really assess how green one Tech firm is versus another. So when we see a Kodak, Sony or IBM emerge here, to some extent we’re seeing more generalized brand affinity being transferred to this green dimension. Of all the brands here who might see an unexpected opportunity, Gateway may be the most intriguing.”

Adds Board, “These results, along with other data we see, convince me that at least for American consumers this is emerging as a key issue – probably not a universal factor any time soon, but important enough to enough Americans to matter to Tech firms. The interesting paradox for the market leaders, or those who would be, is that this may rapidly become a table-stakes expectation for many consumers – ‘of course, I expect prominent brand X to care about the environment and act accordingly.’ However, while this is emerging as a cost-of-entry issue, it isn’t clear that any one Tech firm can carve out sustainable differentiation around green behaviors and positioning. Our data suggest a bit more skepticism about Tech brand commitments to green issues among younger Americans than among those age 55-plus.”

“One last point is that while American consumers use Tech products from brands based all over the world, brands that are headquartered in the U.S. dominate the more prominent green mentions – Japan-based Sony is the only exception. These U.S.-based brands have manufacturing and R&D facilities deployed globally, dealing with a highly variable patchwork of local expectations regarding environmentally friendly practices. This suggests that as American consumers increasingly value green Tech practices, and have related expectations for U.S.-based Tech brands, it’s increasingly important for these brands to monitor their environmentally-oriented practices worldwide. When that article inevitably hits the newswires about their manufacturing in a faraway place, they want it to be good news.”