I’m often asked by many businesses if they need to be “100% green” to reach the green and LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumers. I quickly respond by indicating to them that to reach a consumer who makes purchases based on their core values, you need to understand that consumer first. It reminds me of the saying, “seek to understand, then be understood.”
These consumers (LOHAS and green) do not expect you to be perfect. In the same respect, they expect you not to pretend to be entirely green if you’re not. For example, don’t claim to be helping improve people’s health on one hand then be polluting the waterways with chemical-laden products on the other hand. I often talk about transparency. This is not only important, but critical to capturing LOHAS and green consumers as customers. They want to know that your company shares their values and ideals.
I recently approached a larger retailer indicating to them that their campaign did not work and it was actually succeeding in turning away green and LOHAS consumers. Additionally, it was creating much animosity in the green and LOHAS communities—something you never want to do. Although this retailer thought that they were just utilizing “green” messaging to appeal to a consumer’s greener side, they were in fact doing just the opposite. And, they had no idea that the larger purchasers of green products and goods was the LOHAS consumer. I run into this so frequently that I’ve decided to start working on a book and/or a coaching program on how to navigate the green waters—how to be successful in entering the green and LOHAS marketplace of products and services. Please let me know if you’d be interested in a book or more of a coaching program on this subject matter by emailing me at cchandler@marketing-insider.com
Helping You Understand and Profit from Consumer Health and Green Trends
Colette Chandler
