Recall the old saw, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”? There are times in business when competitors are better off cooperating to drive market change than to face off against each other, denying any potential for synergy. I was reminded of this today as I listened to a collection of five agencies, any of which might have viewed the others as a competitor, delineate a unified approach to elevate consumer values of sustainability and environmentally conscious decision-making.
In combining their respective strengths to support a unique coalition that informs, educates, guides and rewards consumers for seeking and buying earth-friendly products and services, they are achieving far more than any single agency could do on its own. The common ground is moving the public that is neither an early adopter nor a disinterested laggard, to skew buying behavior toward brands that are eco-conscious.
What’s beautiful about this coalition (among many outstanding attributes) is that the portal to awareness, knowledge, consideration, trial, repeat purchase, loyalty and brand advocacy, is one that integrates a myriad of dimensions, any one of which is best-in-class. Together, they represent an undeniable force, capable of reshaping consumer behavior in the best possible way: to reduce our footprint on the ecosystems of the planet. Surely anyone with children or grandchildren can appreciate the wisdom in that strategy.
As this “coalition of the willing” continues to build, one product, one brand at a time, there is a groundswell of support for both the message and the outcome it promises. Most people (in general) want to make “better” decisions, but share frustration in the lack of readily accessible, competent information as to what brands to seek, where to find them, and how they are different/better.
Food companies that market organic products, mass transits that cut fossil fuel consumption, natural and alternative cleaning products that help keep surface water pure, beverage bottlers which keep our kids free from unhealthy additives, and others from packaging companies to urban bike rental companies, are banding together to offer average citizens the opportunity to change what they do and how they do it for the better, and to be rewarded on multiple levels for doing so.
It was shared at a LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) reception in Minneapolis last night that socially conscious consumption is expanding across demographic and psychographic segments at an ever-increasing rate. Those who were once considered “leading edge” in this regard are now actually closer to the center, and the numbers are expanding. This is good for all of us, and bears many lessons from which we can all learn. Today, as I spoke with and listened to the wonderfully diverse group that has come together to build EcoBonus® into what will surely become a centerpiece in the shift to a more enlightened future, I was inspired by the power created when great intentions are channeled with undeniable energy around an idea whose time has come. For all the right reasons, marketing came together with intention, and in the process, gave us all another reason for hope.
