There it was, right in front of me. Children gathered in groups, in various incarnations of homogenous “uniforms” that are no doubt found in every grammar school across the country.From afar, I could see easily identify the sports-minded, the musicians, the free-styling artistes and the more academically-minded readers -- but as I got closer, the demarcations that distinguished the groups blurred. There were athletes catching up with school work, dancers changing into soccer uniforms and everyone -- and I mean everyone -- was sporting Silly Bandz on their wrists.
Yes, the comfort in commonalities is no doubt why kids instinctively gravitate towards others who share the same interests from a very young age. But the struggle for individuality within the group provides the rich exchange that allows children to grow into adults who appreciate the differences that make us individuals.
The sustainability movement has its niches, too. No self-respecting marketer would declare that there is only one type of customer, yet how many distinctive buckets do you need to understand the green market? Furthermore, once you settle on your definitions, how long do you hold onto them? It has been said that the one constant is change. People are ever-evolving as the marketplace greets us with new standards, new products and services to meet needs that aren’t always obvious even to the consumers who purchased them.
As socially conscious marketers we have a puzzle in the paradox of green: we wish to move the needle to a world that is less dependent on “stuff” -- yet our purpose as manufacturers and retailers is to sell what we make to turn a profit.
One could argue that nothing is really sustainable as long as humans are involved. We are always taking, making, breaking and shaking up the model -- and along the way, we use or make new components to meet our needs. What is so interesting to me is that we have an unquenchable thirst for the new. In fact, technology has created new markets and dependencies (think fax, cell phone, now Twitter, Facebook, etc.) that have created a new generation of junkies for products that didn’t even exist but 5 years ago!
So how do we reconcile the need to improve ourselves and our surroundings with a mandate to consume less?
It is a conundrum for all marketers, and in particular those who have chosen to make their companies and their brands mouthpieces for the movement.
What is the biggest problem we have as promoters of green products?
OURSELVES. We forget who the customer is and why they really are attracted to our solution. We tend to get caught up in the romance of sustainability, the bigger purpose, the mission.
Our customers? Not so much.
Each of us has a vision of who we are, the bigger group we fit into, and the way we deviate from that group. We buy to meet a variety of needs -- some, vital to our existence (food, shelter, health), who we are as part of a group (suburbanite, executive, farmer, teacher) -- and other needs that are more subjective in nature (fashionable, artistic, knowledgeable, spiritual).
If you look at the way most companies group customers in various shades of green -- through the lenses of how we (and our customers) see ourselves, you’ll see how far off the mark we are.
It feels funny to write it, but perhaps it is time we throw out this model and start fresh. (Or maybe “recycle” what works, and be more efficient with our approach.)
Green shouldn’t be about denial.
Green shouldn’t be about pain.
Green shouldn’t be about sacrifice.
Green shouldn’t be all about the planet.
(Wait a minute! That last one sounds so heretical!)
Truthfully, the planet will continue to exist without us. It may take a long time, but it will heal itself. It is us who are in trouble. We are arrogant to think that we can continue to support humanity if we destroy the very thing that sustains us. In that light, sustainability is the ultimate exercise in practicality!
Green should be tied to real life expectations. Not some idealized vision of what should be. We can muse over what can be, but we are living what is. How do we improve on the here and now? How do we make things taste better, improve our health, cost less, use fewer resources, give us more time to pursue what interests us?
Sustainability in my mind, is all about balance and the pursuit of happiness. That is how we need to segment our customers: by what they need to achieve their own vision of where they fit into the world.
We must remember that consumers are just like us when we take off our marketing hats and put down the green Kool-Aid. They see themselves as part of a bigger group and they buy products that make them feel good within their means. Means often refers to money, but time, convenience, access -- they are all “means” as well.
So when we are segmenting our customers and sharing the benefits of products that are relatively (note that term!) better than traditional products, we need to explain how the product makes them happier, more successful, more like the vision they hold of themselves. We need to focus on the reasons why our products let them be the persons that they are.
We need to start equating sustainability with plain old common sense. We need to segment people into groups that make it easy for them to see how our products fit practically into their lives. Only then will the paradox of sustainable consumption be resolved.
Written by
Written by
President, Founder earthsense
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