Guilt doesn’t inspire Americans to go green
- Thu, July 26 2012
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
Last week, I blogged about how buying green products can make people feel they are off the hook for further good. In fact, their purchase might even give them a license for bad behavior. Today comes more interesting news for environmentalists—sent to me via Mark Rovner - saying that guilt doesn’t inspire people to go green.
Image from National Geographic
According to Media Post, the “Greendex” from National Geographic Society and GlobeScan shows Americans believe in individual action but lag behind the rest of the world in their sustainable behavior. And they don’t feel that bad about it.
By contrast, consumers in emerging economies like India, China and Brazil “report feeling the most guilty about their environmental impact and yet have the least confidence that their individual actions can help the environment,” notes MediaPost. Basically, they have the opposite viewpoint - feeling bad and powerless.
The takeaway? Telling people to act green because it is the right thing for the larger society isn’t a great message for Americans. Guilting them into action is a nonstarter as well. Instead, try focusing them on the individual benefits of green behaviors - like making themselves are those they love more healthy. For marketers in places like India, China and Brazil, talking about simple ways people can make a difference for their country may be a better message.
As always, shape your messages to your audiences’ values rather than trying to change their world view.
Comments
I wrote an analysis of a marketing system using the methods you mention, using them brilliantly with the addition of agnotology, in J. Business Ethics (see on my website griffithsspeaker.com/Fairtrade/why_fair_trade_isn.htm).
The only problem was that there is no evidence of any benefit to the intended recipients. Without this, brilliant marketing helps only the dishonest.
I wonder if one of the other challenges we face here in America with convincing people to go green is that many sustainable activities are less consumers oriented. On the one hand we are encouraged to spend money and buy new things so the economy can rebound, and on the other hand to go green. So if I mend my clothes to make them last longer, I am not helping the economy because I am not buying new clothes, but I am going green.
I AGREE WITH THE IDEA THAT AMERICANS DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT CONTRIBUTING TO OTHER COUNTRIES OTHER THEN THEIR OWÑ. INFACT, WE ARE MORE WILLING TO GO GREEN TO MAKE HEALTHIER CHOICES FOR OUR FAMILY. I SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS CONCEPT. HOWEVER, ADVERTISMENTS NEED TO CATCH ON.
RENEE
Or perhaps even better to find a way to play to both audiences in this increasingly global market. You can’t force change on a persons worldview per se, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plant seeds and nurture development. This premise assumes that people areunwavering in their beliefs while I’ve found even the most rigid folks will be open to new perspectives if approached in the right way.
“like making themselves are those they love”
“ARE”—> “OR”
But thanks for the article, which gives an interesting cultural insight, quite aligned with my perception developed over a few weeks researching social innovation and sustainable development in the US this year.
Cheers: