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Behaviour modification"Connecting issues to the everyday lives of ordinary people is the only sustainable strategy" |
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Selling sustainable developmentWhether you are a manufacturer wanting to market a green product, or a manager trying to encourage people to behave more sustainably, you will know how difficult it is. It's well-known in marketing circles that people don't mean what they say or say what they mean. Studies, for example by the Co-operative Bank, have shown that although 30 percent of people say they are concerned about environmental and ethical aspects of products and services, only 3% translate this concern into action. Anybody who has ever tried to persuade people to save energy, recycle more, or travel to work without being the only person in the car, will know how often their words fall on closed ears. "How can my choices make any difference to solving the world's problems?" is the frequent response. Wendy Gordon, founding partner and Head of Insight at the Fourth Room, a marketing company, has examined this behavioural intransigence, particularly in respect of branding products, and produced a booklet for the charity Green Alliance which gives ideas on how to challenge it. Personal identityKey to these kind of behavioural changes is the concept of personal identity. Most modern successful, sophisticated brands are not sold to people on the basis of their unique selling points, since most products are virtually equal in this respect. Instead, they seek through hidden messages to do with colours, symbols, images and so on, to appeal to us psychologically so that we want to be identified with the kind of lifestyle they appear to project or embody. When we make decisions to buy a particular product or whether to recycle or not, we are also asking ourselves whether or not we think we are like the other people who we imagine are buying this product or doing the recycling. How much do people care?Wendy Gordon says bluntly that "green brands do not understand the rules of mainstream marketing". Sustainable development on its own is an almost immediate turn-off. To explain why this should be so, she introduces the concepts of the 'circle of concern' and 'circle of influence'.
The circle of influence is nearby; it includes me and my immediate environment, my house, my streets, my family friends and neighbourhood. It is in my power to make changes within this circle. By contrast, the content of the circle of concern lies beyond this. I may be worried about climate change, the destruction of the rainforest, and the erosion of natural resources or social injustice, but these problems are so big that they seem to have little to do with me and my behaviour. I am therefore more likely to listen to appeals to do something which effects change within my circle of influence. It is true that there are things within the circle of influence, such as litter, local pollution, traffic noise and density, and buying local produce, which under this theory you would expect more people actively to get involved, but don't. Wendy Gordon says that this may partly be to do with the language that is used. For example, the term 'local environment' means less to people than 'your surroundings' according to a research report. The key to this, is bringing the results of people's actions nearer to them. Rewards must be as immediate and tangible as possible. If real rewards do not exist, then artificial ones, such as discounts, must be introduced as incentives. This applies even more with actions that fall only inside the circle of concern, such as buying sustainable timber. "Connecting issues to the everyday lives of ordinary people is the only sustainable strategy", she concludes. Vitality, humour, imagination and sophisticationAnother reason, is that the branding of the product or the campaign needs to use the same approach as that of successful brands: vitality, humour, imagination and sophistication. However, this does not mean that one has to be superficial. Companies or brands successful in this area include Smile, (the Co-operative Bank's internet bank), Juice (renewable electricity), Electric City (electric delivery vehicles) and Divine chocolate (fair trade). "Turning environmental brands into cutting-edge brands with popular appeal: the Big Brother house is powered by solar cells built by solar century. The branding of solar power as innovative, modern and fun was visually demonstrated by linking it to the popular TV series and bringing it into the homes of the general public," she notes. The problem is, that solar power is still too expensive for ordinary people to afford, and therefore raises false expectations -- a mistake, as it will backfire due to disillusionment. Wendy Gordon sees hope in the fact that so many people nowadays look at the reputation of a corporation when choosing whether to buying its products. Environmental and social reportingThe trend of environmental and social reporting is one which can only increase. According to a recent WWF report To Whose Profit? "A company that ignores ethical, environmental or social issues may destroy value through inadequate management of risks, but may also limit value through missing opportunities". Additionally, investors now look at long-term sustainability and risk management strategy of companies on these issues when selecting their investments. Companies and organisations are being watched and judged by their behaviour, so it pays them to tighten up their acts. In a summary, Beatrice Rose of Green Alliance says that everyone has a part to play:
As Gandhi said, "you must be the change you wish to see in the world". According to this publication, the message to companies is: 'the environment' begins with your surroundings. 'Society' begins with the people you know. People are watching you. Show you care -- it's good for you. Further information:
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