Things of Desire
Sustainability. Sexy. Two words you don't often see together.
竞彩足球app怎么下载可持续性是一个严肃的词。这是关于从生态灾难中拯救世界。使人类能够生存。最令人讨厌的东西最好留给学者，有关科学家的工会和认真的树人。
Sexy ... now that's a fun word. A word that implies pleasure. Tied to advertising, it's a hook that's been used to raise sales curves on everything from cars to cognac.
A very big opportunity awaits if we -- marketers, producers, and media -- manage to somehow join these two words at the hip. Why? Two reasons.
First, sustainability is the product differentiator of the near future. Clients of mine in the eco-lumber business, for example, have been told by big-box buyers that if price and quality are equal, they'll stock sustainably harvested wood over the non-sustainable variety. Given this type of marketing advantage, it's only natural that small, nimble companies are embracing sustainable production. Meanwhile, big companies are sniffing around it, trying to figure out how to best grab the critter -- and a few leaders, likeToyotaandStarbucks, are already taking the leap.
其次，连接尚未正确建立。我不想说为什么 - 这是本身的文章。但是，大多数可持续的事情 - 从健康饮食到道德上的投资 - 以某种方式被定位为我们mustdo, not that we want to do or are enticed to do. It's a bit like your mother saying you must wear your hat when it's cold. Even if you do what she says, you don't want to.
So sustainability presents an opportunity to profit. Even better, it's an opportunity that hasn't been very well tapped. Sounds like a recipe for success. But how do we make sustainability sexy?
That question was recentlyposed to a group of marketing agenciesactive in the field by the可持续产业杂志。他们的回答使这个难题有所了解。
The Bellwether Groupof Seattle believes that sustainability, in and of itself, is already cool; all we have to do is make its coolness accessible to the public. They suggest a grassroots marketing effort, completely volunteer driven. If the people get involved and excited, this thinking goes, the people will buy.
Egg, also of Seattle, believes we can't make sustainability sexy if it's all about the greater good. Egg believes sustainability has to be positioned to answer the individual consumer's needs (the "me! me! me!" factor), and defined primarily by its benefits to that person. And then that person's family. And only then the community, or "greater good."
Clean Agencyof Pasadena, Calif., believes people have to know what you're talking about before they can decide if it's cool. Therein lies sustainability's problem: lack of awareness, and foggy definitions. Clean's solution is education. Define sustainability, and create awareness that it's more than just recycling or being nature-conscious. Show people how to create a new, better world by embracing sustainable practices.
Mike Longhurst, the leading thinker on sustainability at the marketing firm McCann Europe, thinks the best solution is to incorporate points from all three:
So far, few have done this with any degree of success. I've seen wonderful advertising in the U.K. promoting bus riding ("my other car is a bus"), and the Body Shop's work continues to turn the entire cosmetics category on its head. But examples like these are few and far between. And for every moderately good ad, there are 100 in health-food magazines that knock the movement back to the fringe ("Embrace your inner Gaia!").
So yes, there's room for improvement. But that also means there's room for phenomenal success. After all, hasn't been done well isn't the same as can't be done.
-------
该专栏已重印为grist.org。It was first published on Nov. 30, 2005.
竞彩足球app怎么下载可持续性是一个严肃的词。这是关于从生态灾难中拯救世界。使人类能够生存。最令人讨厌的东西最好留给学者，有关科学家的工会和认真的树人。
Sexy ... now that's a fun word. A word that implies pleasure. Tied to advertising, it's a hook that's been used to raise sales curves on everything from cars to cognac.
A very big opportunity awaits if we -- marketers, producers, and media -- manage to somehow join these two words at the hip. Why? Two reasons.
First, sustainability is the product differentiator of the near future. Clients of mine in the eco-lumber business, for example, have been told by big-box buyers that if price and quality are equal, they'll stock sustainably harvested wood over the non-sustainable variety. Given this type of marketing advantage, it's only natural that small, nimble companies are embracing sustainable production. Meanwhile, big companies are sniffing around it, trying to figure out how to best grab the critter -- and a few leaders, likeToyotaandStarbucks, are already taking the leap.
其次，连接尚未正确建立。我不想说为什么 - 这是本身的文章。但是，大多数可持续的事情 - 从健康饮食到道德上的投资 - 以某种方式被定位为我们mustdo, not that we want to do or are enticed to do. It's a bit like your mother saying you must wear your hat when it's cold. Even if you do what she says, you don't want to.
So sustainability presents an opportunity to profit. Even better, it's an opportunity that hasn't been very well tapped. Sounds like a recipe for success. But how do we make sustainability sexy?
That question was recentlyposed to a group of marketing agenciesactive in the field by the可持续产业杂志。他们的回答使这个难题有所了解。
The Bellwether Groupof Seattle believes that sustainability, in and of itself, is already cool; all we have to do is make its coolness accessible to the public. They suggest a grassroots marketing effort, completely volunteer driven. If the people get involved and excited, this thinking goes, the people will buy.
Egg, also of Seattle, believes we can't make sustainability sexy if it's all about the greater good. Egg believes sustainability has to be positioned to answer the individual consumer's needs (the "me! me! me!" factor), and defined primarily by its benefits to that person. And then that person's family. And only then the community, or "greater good."
Clean Agencyof Pasadena, Calif., believes people have to know what you're talking about before they can decide if it's cool. Therein lies sustainability's problem: lack of awareness, and foggy definitions. Clean's solution is education. Define sustainability, and create awareness that it's more than just recycling or being nature-conscious. Show people how to create a new, better world by embracing sustainable practices.
Mike Longhurst, the leading thinker on sustainability at the marketing firm McCann Europe, thinks the best solution is to incorporate points from all three:
- Define sustainability clearly, in no more than six simple points, and reinforce it with unified labeling (the next-generation three-arrow recycling icon, you might say).
- Put brands behind the issue, not the issue behind the brand: "I'm saving the world. You can buy this and share in the success."
- But don't focus on the "worthy" at the expense of consumer enjoyment. To achieve this, two propositions ("Good for me! Good for the planet!") must be creatively melded into one.
So far, few have done this with any degree of success. I've seen wonderful advertising in the U.K. promoting bus riding ("my other car is a bus"), and the Body Shop's work continues to turn the entire cosmetics category on its head. But examples like these are few and far between. And for every moderately good ad, there are 100 in health-food magazines that knock the movement back to the fringe ("Embrace your inner Gaia!").
So yes, there's room for improvement. But that also means there's room for phenomenal success. After all, hasn't been done well isn't the same as can't be done.
-------
该专栏已重印为grist.org。It was first published on Nov. 30, 2005.