Targeting
The Business Case
Want to convince yourself, or your boss, that sustainability makes good business sense? Try this section for facts and figures to get you thinking.
42% of people will pay more for green products/services.
Getting Started
Want to leverage operational changes that improve sustainability as part of your marketing activity? This section will help you get started.
58% of people respect brands that promote their environmental credentials.3
Green Choices Workshop
Not sure what sustainability could mean for your marketing and want a supportive environment to explore possibilities with your team? Try our Green Choices Workshop.
Messaging
Want to cut through the crowded messages that are confusing customers? Have a look at how other brands are tackling this challenge and get some tips on how to get your message heard.
40% of people are confused about environmental messages.3
Production
Want your print based communications to tread a little more lightly on the environment? Here's 10 easy to follow golden rules and links to help you find the right suppliers.
Environmental Footprint
Want some help to understand how your company could be more sustainable? Here you'll find a list of government bodies, consultants and charities that can get you on your way.
Offsetting
Want to go carbon neutral but worried about making the right carbon offsetting choices? Get expert help on how you should go about it and what makes a good offset product.
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Targeting green products can be a tricky business. Here are some things to think about when you're trying to decide who you want to talk to. The first trick is to decide whether it's really 'green' customers you're trying to reach. True Greens At one end of the spectrum are customers whose decision to purchase is based primarily on environmental considerations, so they're in the market for both variants on existing products (such as renewable energy) as well as new specifically green products (e.g. solar panels or intelliplugs). These 'deep green' consumers number less than 10% of the population (click here for Hive Segmentation). As they are easily defined they can be reached through conventional media targeting.
Consumers with green motivations The bulk of green innovations are variants on existing products aimed at a mass audience - cars, energy, detergents. These variants recognise the fact that most consumers have green aspirations, and so are influenced by environmental considerations in their brand choice. Marketing effort is therefore aimed at getting customers to switch, so messaging is also important. Customers will still be buying based on all the factors normally associated with that type of purchase. So the normal rules of targeting apply; who wants to buy your product/service will drive how you reach them. But understanding the greenness of your database by overlaying a segmentation could help develop messaging or marketing strategy. Green variants or green products Having started to think about where your customers are, you'll also want to think about where your product is positioned on the green spectrum - from a green variant to a green product. Confused? Think about it this way - in the case of eco tourism, a provider might either review their operation and introduce features like carbon offsetting of flights and locally sourced food and then market the holiday as a green variant. Alternatively, recognising the growing interest in sustainability issues, a provider might start to introduce new types of green product, e.g. a UK based holiday where you learn about organic gardening. A balanced approach to targeting
Factors to take into consideration when targeting Mentally chart where your product lies on each of the scales. This will help you assess whether you are targeting general consumers through messaging (if you're more to the left) or specifically green customers (if you're more to the right). And when green isn't green at all One final point to remember. Not all products that appear green will be purchased for their green credentials alone. For example loft insulation will also save you money and help you sell your house so be sure you really understand the motivations to purchase. |
There is a BUT. Bear in mind that there is surprisingly little demographic differentiation for greens. There is a skew towards the higher demographic groups and older females, but not enough to confidently use this for targeting. Instead, think about targeting communities of interest like sponsoring a green supplement, whether that's in the Daily Mail or The Guardian.