Commentary
The Female Side of Green
- by Patti Minglin , September 23, 2009
If a brand isn't connecting with women through their green messaging, they are missing a very big opportunity. "Women are looking for brands to make it easier for them to help the environment," says Wendy Cobrda president and founder of Earthsense.
Earthsense recently partnered with Red Kite Business Advisors on the Eco-Insights survey, which will be the focus of their presentation during Good And Green®-The Green Marketing Conference http://www.goodandgreen.biz later this year. The study found that 80% of adult women believe very strongly that individuals can affect the environment. However, nearly 60% believe that they are personally not doing enough to protect it.
So what can your brand do to give women more opportunity to help the planet?
Offer a Green Alternative (and watch the pricing)
Previous research has shown that nearly 50% of women say they want more green choices - a sentiment reflected in the recent Eco-Insights study as well. The study found that women are 21% more likely to report buying green cleaning supplies over the past year and when they can't buy green it is usually because the price is too high or their favorite brands don't have a green version.
Have a Cause
And make sure it's the right one for you and your brand. Women are paying attention to brands that are committed to environmental causes, but you must be authentic with your outreach and mission. "These girls mean business and are not afraid to boycott (26%) or 'buycott' (37%)," says Cobrda. "Women will go out of their way to buy from companies whose policies they support."
Pay Attention to Ingredients
Women are excellent candidates for green products because they are more likely (at any age) to be more concerned about what their products may contain-especially when it comes to food. Women carefully choose their food products for themselves and their family and are concerned about a brand's use of pesticides, unhealthy bacteria and hormones as well as the safety of food that is imported or could have possibly been contaminated from the environment.
Don't Forget the Boomers
The Eco-Insights study found the more mature the woman, the more resources she may have to devote to environmental causes. "Golden Girls (65 and getting better!) are 32% more likely to report donating time and money to further green initiatives," says Cobrda.
If women are not already part of a brand's green marketing plan, they soon will be. In a recent blog post for TheDailyGreen.com, Diane MacEachern, author of Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World and founder of BigGreenPurse.com, stated, "Women are past the point of letting manufacturers tell them what to buy. We can - and should - tell companies what to make-based on the purchases WE make day after day."
This is where it starts, Patti, yes! What brands need to be aware of from here is that this is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. As with traditional products/categories, the way women buy is the leading indicator of where mass consumers will head. All the moreso in the green/sustainable case - and it is happening a lot faster. All consumers - male and female - are seeing that the eco demands of the toughest customer (women) are being heard by brands. And so, market expectations overall are increasing almost exponentially. This really is a "you snooze, you lose" situation.
Great comments, Andrea--the marketing landscape is changing at a rapid pace.
I believe that for change to happen it will be lead by women. Let's face it, women do most of the buying of consumer goods and most men, not all, just don't have the bandwidth to research and compare green product to know which are the best. Environmental change will happen, green will happen but it will be women who will make it happen.
Great article Patti! My professional estimate is that Concerned Caregivers (the marketing cliche for Moms) are a $8.5 trillion buying force and they are discovering how going green can "cost less, mean more." As the Green Business Coach for Entrepreneur.com I am trying to get the word out to entrepreneurs that Moms are exercising their green power. Thank you advancing this concept with your insightful article.
Great article! I also find that there are more women green bloggers, like myself, who target women audience with their messages.