To Forward Sustainability, Get Women Talking
I’m about to head off for a week long residency for my master’s program in sustainable business and communities , so you’ll see less from me here and on Twitter until May 3rd. But, I wanted to leave you with something to think about, given new McKinsey research as reported by WARC. A few tidbits that caught my eye:
- …word of mouth is the “primary factor” behind between 20% and 50% of purchases, with a particular relevance in relation to expensive products and first-time acquisitions.
- When assessing the “equity” of word of mouth, McKinsey said recommendations from a “trusted source” like a friend or family member was 50 times more likely to persuade someone to buy a brand.
- Messages passed among consumers that emphasised “important product or service features” were also found to have a more substantial impact than general or emotive comments.
In thinking about all the sustainability-related products and messages being bandied about in various marketing efforts these days, I’ll focus on the last two points. But, first, I’ll remind you that women talk. Their word of mouth and brand feedback are exponential in comparison to men’s as both the New York Times and P&G, to name two, seem to have found.
- So, what happens when a woman learns about or experiences your sustainability-oriented practices or products in a positive way? She’s likely already a “trusted source” for a whole group of women, so when she gets to talking about it – a LOT of people will be listening.
- There is an assumption that women are all about “the emotional,” but the truth is that it is but one thing that feeds into their holistic purchase decision-making, and likely more prominently than it does for men. Still, when it comes to their more sustainability-oriented buying, you better believe “important product services or features” take front and center. I’d venture to say that sustainable “consuming” frequently starts from a more practical place than plain, old-fashioned consuming (think: saving energy, saving money, and keeping kids healthy) – so important linear facts/features get the most “talk.”
What this means to me is that you should be dialing into understanding how women engage with sustainability now, if you haven’t been already. And, don’t make the same mistakes that a lot of brands did with their “marketing to women” efforts in years past by making efforts “pink” with unnecessarily “womanly” graphics, words or tone. When it comes to sustainability, emotion plays a part, but key buying decisions still come mainly from a no nonsense place.
Just as it is for businesses entering into a more sustainable way of producing and operating, for consumers, the most compelling thing to talk about initially could be the unemotional energy efficiency benefits and costs-saved. In some cases, the touchy-feely stuff is a pleasant side effect that occurs naturally (community love for being more environmentally responsible!) or be more likely to emerge once the practical brilliance of sustainability settles in.
To test this theory for your own product or industry, first and foremost, get women talking…
