Download Making the case for sustainability through consumer

Making the case for sustainability through consumer involvement
The ability to establish a distinctive advantage in the hearts and minds of consumers has always been a
key challenge in marketing strategy development. Through sustainability initiatives, brands have the
opportunity to appeal to both affective (feelings) and cognitive (thinking) systems of consumer decisionmaking. To make progress towards sustainability, brands have to be able to make the link between their
efforts and consumer values or personal goals. Despite the fact that consumers in many parts of the
world say that sustainability issues are increasingly important to them, this trend is not reflected in their
actual purchase behavior1. The challenge facing sustainable brands lies in the ability to think holistically
about their products as a bundle of attributes and benefits with relevant personal consequences to
consumers.
Understanding consumer’s relationship with sustainable brands
To engage consumers in their sustainability initiatives, companies have to understand both the cognitive
and affective aspects of consumer’s relationships with their brands 2. A more compelling case for
sustainability can be made by having consumers think about their products in terms of desirable
consequences. Levi’s Water<Less jeans collection became a pioneer in the apparel industry by using 100
percent recycled water in parts of its jeans production as well as using less water in the finishing process.
By convincing consumers to wash their jeans less often to converse water, Levi’s could influence
consumers to think about the psychosocial consequences 3 of their behavior (these are psychological and
social outcomes that are personally assessed by consumers: “I feel personally rewarded, I feed good for
saving water that could be the equivalent of five days’ worth of drinking water for one person”). Brands
are more effective in building relationships with people if they are able to activate positive feelings
associated with the desired consequences that are personally meaningful to consumers.
Enhancing consumer’s involvement with sustainable initiatives
A recent article in the guardian points out that sustainable marketing campaigns often neglect to answer
the question of “what’s in it for me.” Consumers’ involvement can be enhanced when sustainability
initiatives make the connection between their activities and consumers’ goals and values.
Consumers who are involved with sustainability are more motivated to choose brands that are consistent
with their values and beliefs. As “involvement is a motivational state that energizes and directs
consumers’ cognitive and affective processes”4, it is also an important step towards behavior change.
Patagonia and ebay form the Common Threads Partnership to persuade people to consume less, and to
reduce impact on the environment by buying used and selling what they don’t need. The purpose of the
initiative is strongly linked to the end goals of many consumers today: responsible and conscious
consumption. The feeling of involvement toward this kind of initiative is determined to a great extent by
intrinsic self- relevance. Involvement has both cognitive (reduced consumption is good for the
1
See UN Compact and Accenture, The Consumer Study: From Marketing to Mattering, (2014), available at:
http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-un-global-compact-consumer-study-marketing-mattering.aspx
2
See “Affect and Cognition and Marketing Strategy” in Peter JP, Olson, J. 2010. Consumer Behavior & Marketing
Strategy 9 Ed. McGraw-Hill/Irwin: New York.
3
“Psychosocial consequences” are discussed in Peter & Olson’s Consumer Behavior & Marketing Strategy 9ed.
4
Peter & Olson (2010), Consumer Behavior & Marketing Strategy 9Ed, p. 84.
environment) and affective aspects (I’m happy to do my part for the planet). The feeling of involvement
further engages consumers in their decision-making and behavior change process.
Integrating sustainability into overall marketing strategy
The findings of the Accenture Survey5 suggest that marketing know-how and resources have been
underused in efforts to promote sustainability amongst consumers, and that consumers are frustrated by
not being able to easily identify more responsible brands. It’s also clear from the survey that consumers
would incorporate sustainability factors more into their purchasing decisions where they can see the
impact of their purchase on sustainability challenges. These observations highlight a few key elements
that sustainable brands have to particularly pay attention to in their overall marketing strategy:
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A distinctive positioning: it’s important for sustainable brand to occupy a unique place in the
minds of consumers, including how its approach to addressing sustainability challenges relates to
consumers’ values and end goals. Having a unique positioning is particularly important as the
number of companies working towards changing consumer’s lifestyles will double by 2018 6. A
competitive advantage could very well come from the way consumers view the brand as having
unique capabilities to impact social challenges that are important in their eyes.
A compelling value proposition: sustainability efforts have to be translated into a set of benefits
that appeal to consumers’ needs and expectations. Brands will have to make a compelling
business case for encouraging behavior change. The bundle of benefits proposed to consumers
will have to include both tangible components such as innovative product features and intangible
ones such as the company’s approach to empowering local communities and influencing social
change.
A strong focus on trust and consumer engagement: sustainability has to reflect in every
aspects of how the company conducts business. All marketing touch points have to reinforce the
sustainability vision and philosophy. Sustainable brands cannot gain consumer trust unless they
also “walk the talk.” The Greendex 2010 survey revealed that one of the factors that discouraged
consumers from doing more for the environment was because they believed that companies
made false claims about the environment impacts of their products. Consumer engagement can
be enhanced, for example, when companies conduct social assessment of their products.
Through its Goodness Report, Tom’s of Maine tracks its progress on key goals relating to health,
environmental, and human goodness. This kind of transparency is important to consumers in
establishing trust with sustainable brands.
In today’s sustainability landscape, brands have the opportunity to make the link between their
sustainability activities and value creation. The ability to create a differentiation in the eyes of
consumers is important to further engage them in behavior change that impact sustainability issues.
About the author: Anh-Dai Lu has taught marketing at the Heller School for Social Policy and
Management (Brandeis University) and The University of Liverpool Management School. Ms. Lu often
participates in judging social entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives and advises organizations in
the social sector on marketing strategy.
5
See UN Compact and Accenture, The Consumer Study: From Marketing to Mattering, (2014), available at:
http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-un-global-compact-consumer-study-marketing-mattering.aspx
6
See “Value_Gap: The business value of changing consumer behaviors”, available at:
http://www.futerra.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Sustainable-Lifestyles-Frontier-Group-Value_Gap.pdf