Herding the Green Consumer
On the other day I finished reading Mark Earl’s Herd: How to Change Mass Behaviour by Harnessing Our True Nature and started thinking about the implications of applying this approach to sustainable marketing. From the surface, it looks like the perfect fit: both focus on how to develop ourselves as a species and yet conserving our natural habitat. Looking at brands famously perceived as green such as Seventh Generation and Patagonia, they tend to focus on the same values. So is this the right approach to green marketing, forget about the I, it’s all about the collective?
It would look like it is. Let’s look at some of Earl’s insights on the new wave of marketing:
1. Our species is first and foremost a social one. Stop thinking and talking with words that conjure the “I” perspective.
2. Interaction is everything. Understand that people tend to talk about what other people do to them (and not corporations). Learn this dynamic and use it.
3. What people say is just the most visible influence. Make peer-to-peer interaction the real goal of all marketing (and not just word-of-mouth).
4. Focus on your Most Influential Customer (MIC) or Most Collaborative Customer (MCC) instead of your Most Valued Customer (MVG). Rethink targeting to reflect models that help you identify and empower your influencers.
5. Be more interesting. Find your purpose-idea and live it.
Most of the famous green brands do indeed follow these principles – just look at their social media profiles and the number of people they influence through their social networks. But this is where I stop in my tracks: most of these followers are not simply a reflection of the mainstream consumer. No – they’re socially and environmentally-aware people who needed little persuasion to shift to a more sustainable brand.
And I ask myself: do the same herd principles apply to a general brand? Specifically, do these principles apply to a mainstream brand that wants to be perceived as a sustainable one – a brand that does deserve to be regarded as such?
I’m inclined to say no (or not yet). Many consumers still regard the sustainable movement as an initiative led by hippies and tree-huggers, and focusing on the collective will just reinforce that idea. Although it saddens me to say it, if you’re looking to sell your green product to the mainstream crowd, you should focus on the “I” – how these benefits apply to that specific client, and sell them on price, quality, performance, etc. – just briefly mentioning the green aspect of your product or service as an afterthought. Look at Timberland, for instance. They’re famous for their high quality, rugged boots, not so much for their initiatives in environmental protection (although they’re one of the leaders in this area).
Perhaps this is not as dim as it looks. The end goal of the green movement is to substitute current products on the market for a more environmentally and socially responsible version – whether the consumer is aware of it or not.
“Is that it?” you ask me. “Should we try to reach out and promote our green programs?” Definitely! Once your clients are hooked in, you can start your educational efforts, providing interesting tidbits of information in your monthly newsletter and across your social network. It’s far from ideal, but this is what works for most mainstream brands, especially if you’re running a small business.
What do you think? Share your thoughts below or send me an email.
Recommended reading:
What Is A Sustainable Brand?
Motivating Mainstream Consumers to Make Sustainable Choices
Understanding the Green Consumer, One Shade At A Time
