Why Can't All the Greens Get Along?

I am working my way through Jacquelyn Ottman's new book, "The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools, and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding". There are plenty of good insights for anyone looking to effectively communicate their company's green story (which, of course, starts with making sure your products are green, or at least have "greener" features than do your competitor's.)

Right off the bat, Ms Ottman paints a very helpful portrait of who U.S. green consumers are nowadays. One of the first chapters, entitled "We are all green consumers", may be a bit overly optimistic given that 17% of the Natural Market Institute's (NMI)  green consumer segmentation model are "Unconcerned [about the environment]" (and that may be a low figure, due to the self-reporting nature of the research.)  However, the demographic and psychographic analysis the author provides makes it clear that "Greens" are not a monolithic group and, to be successful, marketers must be attuned to the differences among eco-conscious shoppers. 

As a supplement to NMI's model, Ms Ottman segments eco-consumers by interest groups, which include Resource Conservers, Health Fanatics, Animal Lovers, and Outdoor Enthusiasts.  Obviously there is going to be some overlap of interests among these sub-groups. But based on our experience posting green promotions here at Ecobunga!, we second her notion that green consumers tend to prioritize their environmental concerns along these four lines.  And those differing priorities can lead to some interesting tensions between the groups. 

Here are just two examples of this tension, as expressed on the Ecobunga! Facebook page:

• When we posted a coupon for organic lunch meat, the Resource Conservers and Animal Lovers were none-too-happy with us and their comments showed it.  But Health Fanatics -- moms, in particular --were happy to save some money on organic turkey slices because they want their families, especially their kids, eating poultry that is free of antibiotics and synthetic hormones. 
• To appeal to the vegetarian-eating Resource Conservers and Animal Lovers, we posted a coupon for SmartGround veggie protein product (meat substitute).  And who did we hear from?  The Health Fanatics who were none-too-pleased with the sodium content.

So when you tell your green story or sell your green products, keep in mind the old saying, "you can't please all the people all the time."  Be mindful of how your products appeal to (or turn off) these four interest groups above and let this segmentation be a guide to how you position your products. 

For instance, on the Ecobunga! Facebook page, we have learned to introduce certain promotions by subtly calling out the particular interest.  For example, "Trying to avoid meat in your diet?  Check out this super giveaway for a new vegan cookbook!" or "Looking to go battery-free? This great hand-crank flashlight is on sale."  These teasers help connect the promotion of the day to a particular green interest, without having to explicitly say, "Hey Resource-Conservers, check out the discount on this battery-free flashlight."

So, kudos to "The New Rules of Green Marketing" for identifying these four shades of green interests.  I look forward to reading the rest of this informative book and seeing what other juicy tidbits jibe with the Ecobunga! experience.