MARKETING | ENVIRONMENT
Marketing to the Conscious Consumer in a New Age
How we embraced our new reality has been extraordinary
Rapidly changing consumer habits, driven by health and the environment, will pave the way back for marketers in a post-pandemic world.
Today a delicate balance exists between a brand’s positioning and how marketers communicate that very positioning.
Marketers must understand the influences that impact consumer purchasing decisions. How the conscious consumer thinks and feels is crucial to understand how they behave during and after the lockdown.
Consumers
Consumers are more informed today. They are aware and conscious of how they think about personal consumption. Their behaviour is changing accordingly for health and environmental reasons.
Gender equality considerations and product alternatives influence how conscious consumers behave, and as a result, what they buy.
In the past marketers operated a narrow vertical, relating to a brand’s category. The conscious consumer will consider their own consumerism in a broader context going forward.
Concerns
Emissions from online deliveries and even shipping materials are becoming influencing factors that determine consumer choice. For some, it’s becoming the difference as to whether they buy again — repeat buyers.
Trifecta
Health, poverty and climate change are certainly the three main concerns of the conscious consumer, identified by Dentsu in January this year.
As we emerge from lockdown, it is time to consider this new reality as these three issues are likely to remain.
Brands trading in the health space have an opportunity to rise to meet this new reality. MedTech is growing fast. In fact, last year the MedTech sector has outpaced the broader life sciences industry.
Climate
Climate change is now centre stage. A hot topic in 2019, and set to continue this year. At what level it stays on the consumer agenda going forward is uncertain, but early-predictions indicate that it’s highly likely.
Economic
Health and economic concerns could relegate environmental in terms of factors that influence consumers. Although the incredible impact that the lockdown had on the planet, as people were forced to reduce their carbon footprint, is expected to bring the importance of the environment into focus.
Environmental lever
The environment can be a motivational lever for brands. Research shows that people are reducing their meat consumption, and reusable water bottles and cup sales are growing faster than any other product online.
In Ireland, over half the population wash and recycle household items. This shows a behaviour real change linked to the environment and people’s consideration when making purchasing decisions.
Controversy
Income and market inequality, in general, are controversial. Middle-income earners, “the squeezed middle”, has been hotly debated in recent years.
The older demographic, from 45–54, tend to behave differently compared to other age groups. This consumer segment is more likely to be value-conscious as opposed to being socially conscious.
Health
Also, the 45–54 group are among the heaviest smokers and the heaviest drinkers in Ireland. They are also the least likely to exercise.
The logic as to why this profile of consumer behaves this way is due to pressure. The fact that they were the very people most affected during the 2008 recession. Their working life has been constrained to pay down debt.
Adversity
Research shows the adverse effects of unemployment. Poor living conditions from income shocks fall under the same bracket. All of which have a negative impact on mental health and health in general. Worryingly, this might suggest that a health crisis may soon follow the pending economic crisis.
In the short term, Covid-19 is expected to impact the mental health of many. In the long term, the carbon footprint is most likely to be important across key demographics well into the 2030s, 2040s and 2050s.
Balance
For marketers navigating the delicate balance of content, timing, message and context under the cloud of a crisis must be deployed to enhance their level of understanding of the conscious consumer. Subtle interrogation, that reveals consumer insights, cannot be lost as we move forward.
Technology
Technology has narrowed the gap between our online and offline worlds. The lockdown brought this new reality into our living rooms and our kitchens.
Life through digital platforms has infiltrated our work and social lives. Our adoption, the speed at which we embraced this new reality, was quite extraordinary. Our desire to connect with others trumped our trust in Tech.
Immersed
Zoom is exploding. It’s now part of our everyday lives. This and indeed other platforms facilitate everything from work meetings to family get-togethers.
As for TikTok, the lockdown has provided a perfect storm for an emerging video platform. TikTok usage has spiked and lately and likely be significantly higher in the aftermath.
Entertainment
Online gaming and esports have experienced rapid growth in the last few years. Esports is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world. The void created by the cancellation of sporting events during Covid-19 was filled to some extent by esports.
Those watching esports are invested, connected with other players and game tactics. This provides marketers with engagement opportunities.
Fusion
The merging of digital and real-world experiences is stark given that the same percentage of people trust Governments equally as they do virtual assistants like Amazon Echo or Google Home.
The new reality, as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, will be dominated by economic recovery and value with respect to consumer decisions.
Learn
In Ireland, a gradual lockdown exit has begun and will scale over the next few weeks. For marketers, being aware of when, where and how they position brands is more important than ever.
There is an opportunity to understand new influences on consumer purchasing behaviours.
What we learned during the pandemic, and will learn as we emerge, will unveil a new post-crisis reality for marketers and the environment.
