Did you know that a large proportion of millennials will pay extra for a commodity if they are convinced that it serves the environment? Eco-marketing will work not only when you produce something closely related to the nature protection industry.
Customers are fed up with ubiquitous plastic and worry about forests. They transfer this state of mind to the store when shopping. As long as they can ease their conscience a little, they will gladly do so. Even if they have to pay extra ...
What is eco-marketing?
Eco-marketing is nothing more than integrating environmental aspects into marketing strategy. The concept was created in 1975 during the American ecological conference. Since then, it has appeared in the media in many different incarnations, known, among others, as sustainable marketing or green marketing.
Google Trends data shows that the number of searches for terms such as zero waste or eco has been growing rapidly in recent years. The popularity of the trend is growing as fast as ecological public awareness. For example, 10 years ago, electric cars were a novelty few heard of. Today, the leading concerns announce that they will abandon the production of internal combustion cars within 10-20 years. The situation of eco-cosmetics and food also improved, and clothes made of organic cotton and recycling went to chain stores. Today, eco-marketing is with us at every step.
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When can you apply eco-marketing?
Slowcareer, natural marketing, hygge climate in the social-media strategy - eco-marketing can be used not only in industries related to environmental protection. This is how they promote themselves:
- cosmetics - vegan, recycled, bio. Last year, every fourth premium cream was advertised as organic or pure (NDP Group).
- clothes - recycled, cotton, with appropriate prints,
- jewelry - inspired by folk, made of natural materials,
- food marketing - eco-food and nature sell best today,
- home accessories - Scandinavian, hygge style, with natural prints. In the USA, 79 percent. customers would agree to pay extra for interior decoration accessories if they would be beneficial for the environment (Statista Research Department)
- electronics - using branding focusing on images of nature, references to the Zen style, energy efficiency, etc.
- cars - as long as they have a hybrid, low-emission function, etc.
- services - aimed at development, cleanliness, health, nature, home.
- On-line services - if you can use them to gain time, save resources, be in nature instead of in the office ...
As you can see, the catalog of possibilities is very wide and it is not limited to the most obvious sectors.
Assumptions and goals of eco-marketing
The main aim of eco-marketing is to convince consumers that the company has a positive attitude to environmental protection. It could be part of your PR strategy. The campaign should be prepared from the customer's point of view, so it is best that the planned activities give them a real benefit. For example, reducing the amount of plastic when packing packages means that the recipient has less rubbish at home.
Ideally, the campaign should be long-term and increase the perception of the brand in the eyes of customers. For example, you can gradually change your cosmetic packaging until it becomes biodegradable. This is a better solution than a one-time action that will be quickly forgotten. Above all, however, it must be remembered that such action may also bring savings for the company. Less plastic simply means less expenditure. It is worth looking for such goals eco-marketingthat are consistent with the other assumptions of the company's business plan.
The point is not to transform the entire factory on the wave of a fashionable slogan, but to really use a few tons less plastic on packaging per year. In this way, the costs of transport and storage will also decrease, and at the same time the traffic will be positively received by customers. Similarly, companies within employer branding they give bonuses to bike commuters or plant trees on behalf of employees.
Eco-style marketing - benefits and threats for the company
"Volvo plants 13,000 jobs. trees "," Credit Agricole calls: let's stop plastic "," Bolt launches the Green category dependent on air pollution "- such messages still evoke rather positive reactions. Poles care about the protection of the environment. Even those who are skeptical about novelties such as zero-waste care about forests or the cleanliness of food. The benefits for the company in connection with eco-marketing seem obvious. First, the campaign can actually implement measures that will improve the climate. Secondly - compared to the competition, the company will not be the only one that "does not care". Since so many brands actively convince about their concern for the environment, such activities can be implemented in virtually every industry. The Ekobarometer research shows, however, that not all Poles are equally enthusiastic.
Our society is divided into the following groups when it comes to attitudes to eco-marketing:
- Eco for show
- Eco Enthusiasts
- Eco Lost
- Eco-loving
- Critics Eco-marketing.
Critics of eco-marketing account for 14 percent. the entire population. They are mostly men. If you know your target group well, you won't go wrong with this type of marketing. For example, young, educated women from a large city will rather wholeheartedly support such activities. However, if you are selling cheap products to people who do not care about the environment, you may not need to invest in eco-marketing at all.
When describing this strategy, greenwashing should also be mentioned. This is quite a rare accusation of unfair promotion of ecological slogans. You are unlikely to be in any danger, unless you use organic certificates illegally. The accusation appeared several times, for example in relation to the fuel producer, which, after the catastrophic destruction of the environment, promoted itself with concern for the climate. Most companies, however, can quite safely use such arguments, and at the same time change the surrounding reality a bit. Even small gestures can be greeted with enthusiasm by customers. Introducing paper adhesive tape instead of plastic in packages or setting up a vegetable garden on a corporate roof is a good start. Wondering how to get started? contact us.