Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai Vie For Nielsen Green Car Honors

In just three days, a new King will take the throne and be crowned … with a biodegradable, solar-powered, carbon-neutral crown.

Nielsen has announced the finalists for its second annual Automotive Green Marketer of the Year: Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai.

One of them will take the title at the Los Angeles International Auto Show on Nov. 17. “The award recognizes the brand that made the greatest strides in gaining consumer awareness and positively impacting consumer perceptions around the automotive industry’s environmentally friendly initiatives,” a press release states.

According to Nielsen research, 51 percent of consumers say that “green marketing initiatives increased their consideration of the product,” a 24 percent rise from 2010. The company’s research also shows that “social-media discussion about automakers’ green marketing initiatives” has been 44 percent more positive this year than last year.

“Our research identifies how effective auto manufacturers are in raising awareness of their green products, initiatives, and innovations,” said Lois Miller, President, Nielsen Global Automotive., according to the release. “We can then understand if they were able to change perceptions and consideration in a positive way among consumers.”

The five finalists were found by combining results from three different research studies: a survey of almost 7,000 consumers, response data from 2.5 million viewers of national television advertising, as well as by “measuring social media ‘buzz’ sentiment within green-related discussion threads,” the release states.