Green marketing and eco-friendly brands face a unique challenge that not many industries encounter – the majority of consumers believe they are more environmentally-conscious than other consumers and actually overestimate their level of “personal environmental engagement”.
But doesn’t that sound like every marketer’s dream? Why is this a unique challenge?
Think about it. Consumers don’t overestimate their need for a vehicle – they either need one, or they don’t. Individuals don’t overestimate their need for children’s apparel – they either buy children’s clothing, or they don’t. People don’t overestimate their affinity for cookies – they either enjoy cookies, or they don’t.
The overestimated, subjective perception consumers assign to their own environmental-friendliness forces green-brand marketers to cut through more noise and serve more impressions in order to filter-out the pretenders and reach the people that will actually support their cause or buy their product.
So how can eco-centric brands zero in on the true climate champions to avoid wasting marketing spend on those that overestimate their personal environmental engagement and would ultimately not convert?
Using cognitive psychology and data science, marketers and data scientists have the opportunity to understand the true motivations driving an individual’s decisions. As the first data company to blend cognitive psychology with data science in the creation of our data products, our team saw an opportunity to apply our proven, proprietary approach to help eco-friendly brands reach their best customers through the creation of our brand-new Green Personas.
Our Green Personas examine the intersection of an individual’s belief in man-made climate change and their cognitive flexibility which results in 4 distinct personas.
Individuals with a belief in climate change and a high-level of cognitive flexibility, known as the Sustainable Living Spenders, are an eco-friendly brand’s bullseye because they are not likely to overestimate their personal level of positive environmental engagement. Not only are they most likely to truly be environmentally focused, but they also have the ability to put their money where their mouth is!
Our team discovered this highly educated audience frequently makes green purchases thanks to their above average income, is most active on LinkedIn, and consider themselves foodies. More specifically, those with a high belief in climate change and a high level of cognitive flexibility have an annual income that is 37% higher than average and spend 23% more annually on discretionary items than the average US adult.
This means marketers can confidently target the Sustainable Living Spenders with green products without fear of wasting their budgets as this persona has the real desire to do their part in fighting climate change and level of affluence to act on environmentally friendly offerings. If you’re ready to learn more about the Sustainable Living Spenders and our 3 other Green Personas, check out our product sheet here or contact us today at info@analytics-iq.com.