get realsight

Sustainable Decisions = Culture + Lifestyle

If you examine the vast amount of research on sustainability and the environment, you may see the same five conclusions we have:

1. between 80 and 90% of consumers say they care about the environment, with 50%+ expressing they are seriously concerned

2. consumers will not spend extra money for green products

3. they need positive reinforcement through messaging to purchase these products

4. consumers require personal psychological benefits to act, not just environmental benefits

5. they demand transparency and accountability for green products and messages

These conclusions provide general rules of thumb that most companies know by now. However, this work was completed with the assumption that understanding benefits will drive consumer action. Well, it hasn't. After 20+ years of research in the benefit area, we need to take a step back and change our perspective. The problem is not about individual products. . . the problem is immersed in our culture, one that has been defined by our individual behaviors and desires for "stuff," items that have become cultural symbols we use to define how we want others to perceive us.

Until we change the way we try to understand sustainable decisions, and how to turn consumer attitudes into action, we will never make the positive impact we all hope to have on our planet.

Eco-innovation: Innovation for society.

Making a positive impact on the environment is one of the most important movements of our generation. There is no doubt that significant changes need to happen to the behaviors of manufacturers and of consumers. The continuous corporate announcements demonstrate that manufacturers are starting to evolve their practices, but consumers have been slow or reluctant to alter their everyday routines.

We need to bridge the gap between culture and behavior with positive reinforcement to see consumers make a major environmental impact. Fundamentally, behavior cannot change with a deep understanding of culture; and culture will not change without a deep understand of motivations. Meaningful connections between culture and behavior need to be developed in order to evolve behavior in a way that helps the wellness of our lives and our planet.

Realsight is committed to help marketers understand the real motivations and ways to drive positioning, package and product eco-innovations that can help evolve behavior; from immediate small steps to a roadmap that will lead to even greater changes. These eco-innovations will vary greatly by industry, category and brand, but we all need to start with the 40,000 foot view as behavior does not take place in a vacuum.

Instead of using familiar survey and ethnography methods, Realsight will soon be piloting work using our patent-pending approach, quantitative anthropology. Our goal is to help business and people through a more complete consumer view of decisions and a deeper understanding of motivations. We hope to shrink the seemingly large gap between business and people as we all work toward one common goal: creating a positive impact on society.

When it comes to the environment, it's what people do that matters.

Going Green: It's what people do that matters.

An article appeared in the latest Brandweek concluding consumers are confused about what "green" means based on a national survey conducted by an advertising agency.

According to the article, the green market is not mature, despite the significant spending by companies to meet demand. Heavy investments are being made in assets, products, and messages but this spending seems inefficient given the low conversion to green products by consumers.

How do corporations make their dollars work harder? Understand the real consumer demand for green products by examining everyday routines and true motivations behind "going green."

Demand calculations today rely on what consumers think they would do, not what they actually do. Since most behavior is either not recognized, misinterpreted, or just forgotten, people have a hard time visualizing how new products would fit into their everyday lives. This is especially true for any product that requires behavior modification, a topic covered in a previous blog entry (Show vs. Tell).

Since most green products and messages focus on behavior modification, companies need to think twice about using self-reported data to predict sales. Given the number of green products entering the marketplace, the impact of an inaccurate demand estimate will be quite substantial and likely to result in common corporate behavior: the practice of doing anything to fill the gap during Q3 and Q4 of each fiscal year, including budget cuts, relying on "me-too" line extensions, and in the extreme case... layoffs.

Now is the time to understand the true demand for green products and the trade-offs that people are really willing to make by studying their everyday behavior. This will lead to better investment decisions and ultimately more revenue in the long-run.

Remember: talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words.