When you target consumers, it aids to understand if they’re “dark green”, “light green” or “basic brown” in their attitudes, but, with lots of green troubles, products, and labels on the market, it might be much more relevant for your branding and communications to know their green interests.
Ask: To which environmental organizations do members of our target audience belong (The Appalachian Mountain Club or Greenpeace)? Which kinds of vacations do they take (hiking or the beach)? Which environmental magazines and internet websites do they read or go to? (Sierra or Animal Fair?) Which sorts of merchandise do they acquire? (green fashions or energy-sipping light bulbs)? Which eco-labels do they seek out (“USDA Organic” or “Energy Star”)?
In observing green buyers over the past twenty years my colleagues and I’ve discovered that asking inquiries like these makes it possible for companies to distinguish among 4 subsegments, which we’ve dubbed “Resource Conservers”, “Health Fanatics”, “Animal Lovers” and “Outdoor Enthusiasts.” You will find some overlaps among these groups, but discovering which subsegment your customers primarily fall into can sharpen your promoting. The following descriptions are generalizations, but they capture the spirit of every sort of consumer.
Resource Conservers hate waste. (I ought to know. I’m one.) Spot them wearing classically styled clothing, toting cloth purchasing bags, and sipping from reusable water bottles. Avid recyclers of milk jugs and Tide bottles, they drop off old electronics at Ideal Acquire. They read news on-line to save trees, and are swift to re-use their Reynolds wrap. Ever watchful of saving their “drops” and “watts,” they set up low-flow showerheads and compact fluorescent bulbs branded with EPA’s Energy Star and WaterSense labels. Shunning over-packaged solutions, they only turn on the lights when they need to, and they plug their appliances into energy strips for effortless shut-off after they leave for function.
Some solutions to appeal to resource conservers:
1. Highlight the economical, long-lasting and reusability benefits of solutions.
2. Give services that enable them to recycle, compost and save energy.
Wellbeing Fanatics worry about overexposure to the sun, fear pesticide residues on generate, and fret over contaminants in children’s toys. They apply sunscreen, scout out natural-food stores for the newest in organic foods, invest in only all-natural cosmetics and pet care, and have switched out the toxic cleaning goods for the non-toxic ones under the sink. They look for items marked using the “USDA Organic” seal of approval or EPA’s Design for Environment scrutinize web sites like Michigan-based Ecology Center’s and to get the skinny on toxic substances on goods from college supplies to automobiles. Find them on the memberships rolls of Beyond Pesticides, Organic Buyers Association, and to be frequent readers of All-natural Life Magazine.
Some approaches to appeal to wellness fanatics:
1. Focus on organic elements, overall health positive aspects, trust, transparency, and organic components.
2. Cross-promote with organic foods companies or maybe a non-toxic cleaning solution or sponsor an internet site like, or promote in Natural Life Magazine.
Animal Lovers are probably to become vegetarian or vegan, belong to Individuals for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and boycott tuna and products with actual fur. They look for products labeled as “cruelty-free”, Salmon Safe, or Dolphin-safe. They seek out synthetic handbags and faux fur jackets, and favor the faux-meat solutions at restaurants. They perk as much as news stories featuring animals in have to have, from manatees and polar bears to strays in their neighborhood and are probably to volunteer in the nearby animal shelter. Out of concern for marine life, they eschew plastic bags. Catch them reading Animal Fair Magazine and Veg News Magazine.
Some methods to appeal to animal lovers:
1. Conduct a cause-related advertising campaign via PETA’s Business Mates plan or partner using the ASPCA.
2. Promote in Animal Fair Magazine and PAWS magazine or online on .
Outdoor Enthusiasts invest their free of charge time camping, rock climbing, skiing, and hiking. They vacation in national parks and plan their next adventure applying recommendations from Outdoors Magazine. No matter if they are acquiring Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap to lessen the influence of washing dishes even though camping, or toting reusable bottles like Kleen Kanteen to avoid littering the trail, they seek to minimize the effect of their recreational activities. When purchasing, they appear for FSC (sustainably harvested) labels on their merchandise, are also probably to purchase outdoor gear made from recycled materials, for example, Synchilla PCR (post-consumer recycled polyester) from Patagonia.
Some strategies to appeal to outdoor enthusiasts:
1. Conduct a joint promotion with national parks or producers of boots, reusable bottles, and trail mix snacks.
2. Promote in Sierra Club magazine or on the web at.
How do you segment your green shoppers? And how does that affect your advertising and marketing strategy?
