How brands can find sustainable growth

Marketers must explore new cultural territories, even those that expose uncomfortable truths, in understanding the nature of the sustainable consumer and their motivations. 

That's according to TBWA's Backslash, a cultural intelligence unit. It has pinpointed a subset of 39 unique cultural territories called “Edges”. These are then scored in online interviews with 7,700 adults, fielded in partnership with GWI, in 18 countries. 

Why sustainable growth matters

As the climate emergency plays out, marketers face a paradoxical challenge: how can brands make more money selling less and find growth in conservation?

Takeaways

• The data shows that parents are an important audience and have overtaken young adults as drivers of sustainable consumption.
• Crafty and resourceful citizens of the developing world are leading the way in sustainable consumption, with a focus on repair and reuse over disposable consumption.
• The research found some people might think they’re being sustainable, but their efforts are at best misguided, at worst enhancing the problem. For example, some consumers race toward the greenest new thing over reducing consumption.
• Incremental shifts in impact will be more evident when marketing to “swing groups”– those consumers who identify as neutral or receptive to change when it comes to the idea that sustainability might have an impact on their buying behavior.

Key quote

“If you have the choice to increase the share of existing adopters, or drive adoption of a sustainable behavior to increase the pool of buyers, brands should choose the path which benefits the bottom line and the planet” – Michael Horn, TBWA\Worldwide’s Global Head of Data Product.

Read the full article here: Re-casting the sustainable consumer for 2023 and beyond