KNOW THY TARGET
By Jacquelyn A. Ottman
How do you define your target consumer? Demographically - by age,
locale or sex? Or psychographically, i.e., by lifestyle orientation?
Why do your customers really buy your product? Are they genuinely
interested in the environmental benefits your product offers or are
they more interested in saving money or preserving their health? Are
they more motivated by global issues such as climate change and ozone
layer depletion or such local ones as air and water pollution or litter?
How can you efficiently find more customers just like them?
For green marketers, answering such questions may be tough. The market
for green goods appears to be a narrow niche, but the complexity of
the issues and the many ways to solve them suggests that it is highly
segmented.
In a market that's still quite "green," sophisticated mailing lists
and databases do not yet exist like those in more evolved markets.
A tiny bit of rather unsatisfactory research has attempted to segment
the market; beyond that, we can speculate about other ways to divide
up the green consumer pie based on specific areas of environmental
interest and lifestyle orientation.
HOW DEEP IS YOUR CUSTOMER'S GREEN INTEREST?
Roper Starch Worldwide has segmented the green consumer market
into several 'shades' of green. They range from a 15 percent core
of educated, upscale individuals who say they are willing to pay a
premium or forego certain conveniences to ensure a cleaner environment,
to 37 percent of the public who are doggedly non-environmentalist,
characterized more by indifference than by anti-environmentalist leanings.
Environmental behavior varies significantly between these shades;
the deepest are the True-Blue Greens and the Greenback Greens, which
Roper identifies as the active environmentalists. In the middle are
the 'Sprouts,' characterized as the swing segment, followed by the
non-active environmentalists, namely the 'Grousers' and finally the
'Basic Browns' - a considerable departure from the True Blues. The
deeper the 'shade' of green, the greater the willingness to make green
purchasing decisions.
WHAT IS YOUR CONSUMER'S INTEREST - EXACTLY?
Deep green consumers can be further characterized by the type of environmental
issue that concerns them. We at J. Ottman Consulting have detected
what appears to be three distinct groups closely mirroring various
environmental issues and the respective environmental groups and media
vehicles that target them. They include: "Planet Passionates," "Health
Fanatics", and "Animal Lovers."
Planet Passionates want to protect wildlife and keep the environment
pristine for recreational purposes. They focus on issues relating
to land, air, and water. They recycle bottles and cans, avoid over-packaged
products, clean up bays and rivers, and boycott tropical hardwoods.
As implied by their name, Health Fanatics focus on the health
consequences of environmental problems. They worry about getting cancer
from too much exposure to the sun, genetic defects from radiation
and toxic waste, and the long-term impact on their children's health
of pesticides on fruit. Health Fanatics frequent natural-food stores,
buy bottled water, and eat organic foods.
Animal Lovers protect animal rights. They boycott tuna and
fur, and among their favorite causes are manatees and spotted owls.
Animal Lovers check to see if products are "cruelty-free." They are
likely to be vegetarians.
HOW GREEN IS MY CUSTOMER'S LIFESTYLE?
Regardless of environmental or health concerns that motivate them,
keep in mind that greens will also divide up on how they choose to
integrate green into their own personal brand of 21st century lifestyle.
So green consumers can also range from the more low tech/"high touch"
segment of Birkenstock-clad, yoga-practicing, fair traders with a
fondness for hemp, beans and granola who may frequent Whole Foods,
the updated version of the local health food store of yesteryear,
to the more design-oriented, technologically savvy creative types
interested in hybrid cars, wind-up trendy radios, and fashions engineered
from used soda bottles.
FIND THEM ON THE INTERNET
Every green consumer segment has distinctive tastes, buying habits
and preferences. They have different media habits, too, all of which
must be addressed to assure the most relevant communications and targetted
message delivery.
The segmented nature of green along with its current niche appeal,
suggests that the Internet may prove quite useful in finding one's
target cheaply and quickly.
For products with narrow appeal, the Internet can help growing businesses
cast a wide geographic net. Various sites such as Gaiam.com, GreenHome.com
and Environmental Home Center.com can help target various types of
consumers attempting to integrate green buying into their lifestyles.
The more actively engaged greens such as Roper's True Blue Greens
and our own "Animal Lovers" might be found at activist sites such
as The Center for A New American Dream (www.newdream.org), Co-op America's
Green Pages Online (www.greenpages.com), Igive.com, and Greenculture.com
which encourage consumers to buy differently in support of various
social and environmental causes.
All greens might be found shopping at the myriad sites which specialize
in green products of every stripe, from health and beauty aids, and
pet foods, to energy efficient lighting products such as dimmable
fluorescent torchieres (yes, they do exist!) not found in conventional
lighting stores.
Still other sites, such as The Green Guide (www.greenguide.com), EarthSystems.org,
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (www.aceee.org),
and ecoworld.com, offer green networking, bringing greens of all stripes
and information together.
Green Consumer Sites
Greenhome http://www.greenhome.com
Online store for green consumer products, including articles to help
you go green, an online magazine, and a rigorous product approval
policy about the environmentally responsible products they sell.
Co-op America's Green Pages Online http://www.greenpages.com
Co-op America's Green Pages OnlineŠ is a directory of green businesses
with demonstrated commitments to social and environmental responsibility.
Site features green companies and their products (available for purchase
through the website); also includes a searchable database.
Shop For Change http://www.workingforchange.com/shop/
Anytime you buy merchandise from one of the popular retailers
accessible through this website, they will donate up to 5% of each
purchase to progressive causes.
GAIAM "Simple Choices Make a Difference" http://www.gaiam.com
Founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1988, Gaiam is a provider of information,
goods and services to customers who value the environment, a sustainable
economy, healthy lifestyles, alternative healthcare and personal development.
Shop-learn-travel. Weekly product spotlight hotbox.
Center for a New American Dream http://www.newdream.org
The Center for a New American Dream helps Americans consume responsibly
to protect the environment, enhance quality of life and promote social
justice. Site contains an action network, campaigns and programs information,
a community action guide, publications available for download, as
well as a section for kids - including a site directed at youth consumers
(www.ibuydifferent.org) - which gives young people the scoop on how
their buying affects the environment and provides opportunities to
take action.
ACEEE - American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy http:www.aceee.org
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of
promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection. Consumer
Resources include: "What you can do to save money: checklist for action"
, "Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings" "The most energy efficient
appliances," and the "Green Car Book" - which ranks cars and trucks
based on environmental soundness.
ECOMALL http://www.ecomall.com
HUGE site with just about everything (product wise). Lots of links.
Mother Nature.com http://www.mothernature.com/index.cfm
Online store for green products - Shop, top sellers, library.
Lots of discounts available. Earth Systems.org http://earthsystems.org
Earthsystems.org is a non-profit organization expressly dedicated
to the advancement of environmental information and education to the
world community. They develop, compile, categorize, and deliver environmental
education and information resources using leading electronic technologies.
I Give.com http:/www.igive.com
Up to 27% of each purchase made at this online store goes to your
favorite worthy cause. Your shopping at hundreds of online stores
helps a cause close to your heart with each purchase, free and private.
Green Culture - "Eco-Friendly Products for an Enlightened Planet"
http://www.greenculture.com
The Green Culture sells products that promote personal and social
causes. From fashion and furniture to eco-sound products they promote
programs and services that benefit the environment and the user.
Environmental Home Center http://www.environmentalhomecenter.com
The source for green building materials - high quality choices with
the added benefit of being healthy and resource-efficient. Their environmental
building supplies include non-toxic paint, natural carpets, sustainable
wood products, energy-efficient insulation and people-friendly cleaning
supplies.
The Green Guide http://www.thegreenguide.com
The Green Guide is a consumer source for practical everyday actions
benefiting environmental and personal health. As an environmental
lifestyle newsletter and website, The Green Guide provides an intersection
between mainstream consumer service (women's, health, parenting, and
shelter) and environmental advocacy publications.
Care2 http://www.care2.com
Care2 includes free email, as well as shopping at the Eco-Superstore,
Healthy tips, eco news, petitions and alerts. A meeting place for
2.22 million members where your free clicks generate donations, and
free membership for many more features.
Eco World www.ecoworld.com
An information resource on nature and clean technology. Showcases
providers of earth-friendly products and services who seek an eco-conscious
audience of consumers and green business people.
Eco-Labels www.eco-labels.org
Learn more about products that are eco-labeled compared to those that
are conventionally farmed or produced, keep track of labels recently
added, compare labels quickly with a shorthand report card and print
easily to use while shopping, and sign up to register for specific
news updates.
Research for article and list of green consumer sites prepared by Lauren Gropper, Pratt Institute Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
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This article was originally published in InBusiness, November 2003.
©Copyright 2003 by J. Ottman Consulting, Inc.
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Jacquelyn Ottman is president of J. Ottman Consulting, Inc., a New York-based marketing consulting firm that specializes in helping businesses derive competitive advantage from eco-innovation and green marketing. She is the author of Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation, 2nd ed. She can be reached at info@greenmarketing.com
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