The document discusses the role of market researchers and brands in promoting sustainability, emphasizing the need for businesses to align growth with sustainable practices. Despite growing public awareness of environmental issues, consumer habits often contradict their stated concerns, making it challenging for companies to shift behavior towards greener practices. Ultimately, strong brands that successfully differentiate themselves can leverage their influence to inspire sustainable consumer choices and contribute to a more sustainable future.

1. The Power to
Make a Difference
SAMRA How strong brands and caring
June 3rd 2011 consumer researchers can help
make the world more
sustainable
The theme of the 2011 SAMRA Conference is Daring to Care. Well I am a market
researcher and I dare to care.
I believe that business leaders, marketers and market researchers have the
opportunity to play an incredibly important role in the future of humanity and the
world we live in. The opportunity is not only to make our businesses and brands
sustainable, but to inspire sustainable behavior in our customers and consumers.
1

2. “Not everything that can be counted,
counts… and not everything that counts,
can be counted.” Albert Einstein
2
But justifying my belief based on market research data is hard. Particularly for the
quantitative researcher, examining behavioral and attitudinal data to prove that a
green agenda matters, brings to mind a pertinent quote from Albert Einstein:
“Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be
counted.”
There is little proof that a sustainable or green agenda matters to more than a
minority of the general public today.
Much of the data I see suggests that our most important stakeholder, “the
consumer,” the person who ultimately allows our companies to make a profit,
provides a return to investors and pays our salaries, does not appear to care about
the environment, or their future. People may say they care, but their behavior states
otherwise. People care about themselves, their family and their immediate
circumstances. In practice, few are willing to change their behavior or pay a
premium for a brand that is greener than their existing, preferred choice.
In my presentation today, I want to demonstrate that our role as researchers in
helping to build strong brands is not incompatible with a sustainable future. In fact, it
may be one of the more important things we can do to make sure the future is
sustainable. And I want to briefly consider what that might mean for how we
approach our jobs.
2

3. Realizing the Full
Benefits of
Sustainability
3
We all know the trends: population growth, consumption growth, resource depletion,
water shortages, and climate change.
These trends explain why so many chief executives of major consumer-facing
companies are willing to change the way their companies do business. They know
their businesses must become more sustainable if they are to make profits in years
to come.
3

4. Why businesses care about sustainability
Sustainability today offers an opportunity
to improve the bottom line through
supply chain efficiency and reducing
waste
Sustainability tomorrow provides
opportunities to help consumers address
new needs and create value for both
business and society
4
Sustainability today offers an opportunity to improve the bottom line through supply
chain efficiency and reducing waste.
Sustainability tomorrow provides opportunities to help consumers address new
needs and create value for both businesses and society.
Today, most major marketers in the Fortune 1000 have signed up to a sustainability
agenda. For instance, UK retailer Marks & Spencer, publicizes its Plan A and has
recently announced a goal to be "the world’s most sustainable retailer" by 2015.
Such commitment is positive for society and the bottom line. Less waste means less
resources are required to make the same amount of stuff. And less waste means
bigger profits.
In the U.S., Walmart, not content with sustainability, is now seeking to improve the
eating habits of its shoppers by providing healthier packaged goods and cheaper
fresh fruit and vegetables.
Proctor & Gamble, Unilever and Nestle have publicly embraced the need to improve
people’s lives beyond serving a functional need. Programs like Tide’s Loads of
Hope, Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty or Pepsi’s Refresh Project, are designed to
promote the brand while espousing societal beneficial causes and are becoming
commonplace.
4

5. Unfettered sales growth sits uncomfortably
alongside a sustainability agenda
We currently
use more than
1.5 times what
the earth can
replenish
each year
5
But laudable though these initiatives are, their ultimate objective is to grow sales.
And unfettered sales growth is tough to reconcile with true sustainability.
To be truly sustainable, growth needs to “meet present needs without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” In 2007, The Global Footprint
Network estimated the ecological footprint of all humans on earth at 1.5. This means
that humans were using up the earth’s resources 1.5 times faster than the earth
could replenish them that year. That figure has doubled since 1996.
If we are to live within our planet’s means, we need to recognize that sustainability
is not just about reducing waste in the supply chain; it is also about preventing
excessive and wasteful consumption. And that is a big challenge.
5

6. Maximizing the impact of sustainability initiatives
The impact of production is often far less than the impact
of consumption
• The UK’s Environment Agency found the benefits of reusable nappies depends on how
they are laundered
Marketing often helps encourage excessive waste and
confusion for marginal benefit
• Failed products and green washing place both our brands and our future in jeopardy
To maximize the impact of sustainability initiatives, we
need to extend the appeal of greener products to a mass
market
• And that means overcoming a significant degree of consumer inertia
6
The adoption of a sustainability agenda by a company is a good thing. But
environmental impact studies often find that the biggest issue is not poor production
practices, but poor consumption practices.
For instance, it is a common belief that disposable diapers or nappies are really bad
for the environment compared to reusable ones. But the UK’s Environment Agency
found that reusable nappies (diapers) could have more impact on the environment
than the use of disposable products. The report concludes that “the impacts for
reusable nappies are highly dependent on the way they are laundered.”
Unfortunately, it seems that both options might be equally bad.
When you think about it, marketing is not aligned with a sustainability agenda either.
The waste involved in “growth marketing” is incredible. We launch new brands that
promptly fail because they do not meet consumer expectations. We over-state the
degree to which our companies pursue sustainability. And we obfuscate issues
related to sustainability and green marketing in an attempt to gain competitive
advantage. Actions like these result at best in marginal benefit today, while at the
same time undermining trust in our brands and our collective future.
If we are to maximize the impact of our companies’ sustainability agendas, then we
need to find ways to make green choices more appealing to the mass market, not
the granola fringe. And that means marketing them effectively to overcome
significant consumer inertia, not over claiming to maximize needless consumption.
6

7. What People Tell Us
7
Businesses can have a vested interest in helping consumers develop more
sustainable habits. But for this to happen, we need to understand where
sustainability fits in the consumer’s agenda. And unfortunately, consumers seem to
be somewhat less concerned about the future than are business leaders.
(I will note immediately that one of the key issues is simply finding the right
language to express what sustainability really entails. When it comes to survey
research, we often end up using bland descriptors like “environmentally friendly.”
Sustainability and lessening our impact on the environment may be addressed by
similar actions, but they are not the same thing.)
7

8. Even if people act on their beliefs, less than 1 in 3
are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly
products
Not important to Important to me and
me, I will not pay I am willing to pay
for it a little more for it
Important to me but
I do not expect to
pay more for it
SOURCE: Yankelovich Monitor USA 2009 8
The data shown in here is from Yankelovich’s Monitor survey in the USA.
Respondents were asked a number of questions about what was important to them
in terms of buying environmentally friendly, organic and locally grown products.
When it came to environmentally friendly products, the majority of people stated that
this was important to them. Only 16 percent stated that it was not. However, when
asked whether they would be willing to pay a little more for environmentally friendly
products, only one in three agreed they would do so.
So only a minority believe it is worth paying a little more for environmentally friendly
products. Even then, I have to question whether or not these people will follow
through on their stated beliefs. Much of the data I see suggests that motivations of
habit, convenience and saving money often overwhelm people’s desire to buy
“green” products or act more sustainably. For many people right now, the word
“sustainability” is more a threat than anything else. The motivation to save the
planet is at odds with age-old motivations that have helped humankind become the
all-consuming force it is today.
Part of the problem is that simply stating that an alternative brand is green can be
counter-productive. Tell people what they are doing now is “wrong,” and it triggers
feelings of guilt and defensiveness. Their automatic response is to reject the green
alternative: it won’t work, it’s too expensive or it’s fine for the granola crowd but not
me.
8

9. Derived importance suggests consumers are even
less swayed by green credentials
Category Body Care Grocery Stores Cars
Country USA UK USA UK Germany Japan
Most Important
Environmentally
Friendly
Number of strong
green brands … 0 1 2 2 0 2
SOURCE: BrandZ 2009 9
Of course, market researchers have long known that stated importance does not
correlate directly with behavior. People want to believe well of themselves and they
want us to think well of them too. It is not so much that they lie about socially
sensitive issues; it is more that they tell us how they wish things were. Over the
years, researchers have developed many techniques to adjust for effects like social
desirability. One approach we use is to derive importance rather than use stated
importance, by correlating attitudes against a metric we know relates to behavior,
such as brand bought last or purchase consideration.
Unfortunately, while derived importance is quick and easy to apply, it does not
necessarily help us make the case for sustainability or a green agenda. In category
after category in Millward Brown’s BrandZ study, statements like “make an effort to
be the most environmentally friendly brand” are found to be the least related to
brand loyalty. In categories where environmental concern is further up the hierarchy
of importance, it is because one or two brands have taken the lead and addressed
that latent need.
In Japan in 2009, a high proportion of people believed Toyota and Honda were
making an effort to be environmentally friendly because they had publicized their
commitment, but this was not the case in Germany. Today, Toyota’s hybrid Prius is
a highly successful car, not just in Japan, but around the world. Its success reflects
well on Toyota and leaves the German car companies scrambling to keep up.
9

10. There is a latent need waiting to be met by the
right brand
Companies should make it easier for me to do the right thing
(environmentally friendly, eating right, etc.)
SOURCE: Yankelovich Monitor USA 2009 10
Ultimately, I believe that many people do feel concerned for the future of the
environment, but they lack the motivation to act on that concern. They want
someone else to fix the problem. It is a latent need waiting to be met by the right
brand.
Here is some more data from the Yankelovich monitor in the USA. When asked to
agree or disagree with the statement, “Companies should make it easier for me to
do the right thing, like being more environmentally friendly, eating right, etc.,” 71
percent agreed. There was little variation by education or income and Millennial’s
were more likely to agree than older respondents.
If a viable green brand does not exist, people have no alternative but to keep using
the existing products. But if a company offers them a green alternative, they may
switch. And therein lies the opportunity. If people believe that they are consuming
the wrong things, but aren't willing or able to expend effort to remedy the situation,
brands may be able to capitalize on this by doing the right thing on consumers'
behalf, thus helping them follow through on their good intentions.
The question is how best to seize this opportunity. If brands are to make
sustainability into a competitive advantage and inspire their consumers to more
sustainable behavior, then they must find ways of overcoming long-established
behaviors.
10

11. Purpose and
Ideals Empower
Brands
11
Right now, we stand at a tipping point where it is not clear whether we can turn
things around and live within our planet’s means.
What is clear, is that if we are to do so, we must take action quickly. And while it
may seem perversely counter-intuitive, the brands that are best positioned to
change consumer behavior may not be found among the plethora of new green
alternatives, but rather among the most well-known brands produced by leading
multinationals.
In the next section of my presentation I am going to explore how companies can
help inspire consumers to be more sustainable by either building or leveraging
strong, trustworthy brands.
11

12. The Stengel Study of Best Brands
for the decade ending 2010
• Qualified brands by:
• Equity strength relative to
competition
• Equity growth over time
• Equity stretch across markets
and categories
• Identified brands that consistently
outperformed the competition in
financial growth and value over time
• Established Top 50 Best Brands ranking
• Watch the video here
12
Jim Stengel, the former global marketing officer of Procter & Gamble, has a new
endeavor: The Jim Stengel Company, LLC. The mission of the Jim Stengel
Company is to inspire brand and business leaders globally to rethink their marketing
to achieve higher performance.
Millward Brown Optimor has been working with Jim since he left P&G to create The
Stengel Study of Best Brands. The study is the only one to quantitatively identify the
brands that have built the strongest emotional bond with consumers and the
greatest financial brand value growth over time. The study will be featured in Jim’s
book, Grow, which is due out in December 2011.
12

13. The Stengel Study of Best Brands – 2010
These fifty brands have enjoyed phenomenal growth over the last decade. They have grown
both their emotional bond with consumers and their financial earnings. Superficially, it is not
clear that there is any commonality between them. They come from a wide variety of
product categories, address very different needs and have very different positioning.
But what this disparate set of brands do share is meaningful differentiation.
Meaningful differentiation starts with the brand’s purpose. “Purpose” refers to the difference
a brand intends to make in people’s lives. In order to be successful, a brand must resolve
some consumer need, want, or desire. A brand’s purpose may address a purely functional
need, or it may go beyond that—and many of the Best Brands do go beyond that.
Many of the Best Brands are empowered by their pursuit of ideals. An ideal is the higher-
order benefit that takes a brand’s purpose beyond the functional benefits expected of a
product category and allows it to deliver against higher-order needs—fulfillment, identity,
affiliation, societal and environmental good. Often rooted in the brand’s heritage, an ideal
creates a meaningful goal for the brand that aligns employees and the organization to better
serve customers.
13

14. Purpose makes a meaningful difference
Pampers exists … Jack Daniels exists … Method exists …
to help mothers raise to affirm each person’s to inspire a revolution in
happier and healthier individuality and home cleaning and care.
babies. independence.
14
Of course, an ideal may not necessarily be directly related to a green or sustainable
agenda. Proctor & Gamble’s Pampers, the 34th most valuable brand in the world, is
devoted to helping ensure babies are happy and healthy. In contrast, Jack Daniels
exists to affirm its drinker’s individuality. But within the Best Brand portfolio, we find
several brands where doing good is central to the brand’s purpose.
For instance, Method, the U.S. household cleaning products company, is dedicated
to inspiring a healthy revolution in home cleaning. Method created a new household
cleaning segment by combining product performance with a green, sustainable
agenda. Their commitment is apparent throughout the company. For Method, there
is no compromise between performance and being green, as this quote from Josh
Handy, Method’s Creative Director, suggests:
“If we can't achieve a high-performing green product and packaging, then we just
won't do it.”
Alongside Method, we find companies like, Natura, the Brazilian personal care
brand, and Seventh Generation, another green cleaning brand in the U.S. The
presence of brands like these confirms that doing good is not incompatible with
growing strong brands and achieving strong financial results.
14

15. Conversion from familiarity to positive
differentiation is key to supporting a price premium
Higher Different
opinion
+ More +
appealing e.g. Apple's unique
e.g. Audi's 4‐wheel drive e.g. the Starbucks design
experience
"Different (in a good way)"
*Familiarity defined as unaided awareness/bought/used last/owned
When we examine our BrandZ equity database, the Best Brands score
well on a number of key metrics, but one combination of metrics stands
out in particular. We call it Voltage, and it is a measure of the brand’s
potential to command a price premium and attract new customers.
The better a brand converts people from active familiarity with a brand--
either using it or thinking of it spontaneously--to agreeing that it is one
they think highly of, that is more appealing to them and that is different
from other brands, the more likely it is that the brand will be able to
support a price premium. Notably, the metric that describes this
conversion has a statistically significant relationship with the probability
that a brand will grow its value market share in the year following a
survey.
In other words, brands that people think are different (in a good way) are
more likely to command a price premium and to grow value market
share. The degree of differentiation required for a brand to grow and
prosper will depend on the nature of the brand and category. The key
question to ask is whether a brand is different enough, given its
competitive context.
15

16. Brands that are “different in a good way” shift the
demand curve out
Different (in a good way)
High
Average
Low
SOURCE: Millward Brown and IRI data 16
This chart shows the results of a Millward Brown analysis of Voltage against IRI
volume share and price data. Better differentiated brands support the same volume
at higher prices.
The Best Brands in our analysis don’t just sell more. They are able to charge more
because they are meaningfully different. Meaningful differentiation is the essential
property of any successful brand. People choose brands that they believe offer
something more relevant and compelling than the competition. And maybe that is
part of the solution to the sustainability issue facing marketers. To grow profits we
need to focus on growing the value perceived in our brands. The more meaningfully
different people perceive them to be the more income we can generate from each
sale.
The question is, can we make green credentials meaningfully different for the mass
market?
16

17. Sustainability is Not
Incompatible with
Business Success
17
All our research data suggests that the more people trust a brand, the more likely
they are to be inspired to action by it. But today, green is not a badge of trust.
Instead it is a reason for suspicion. Is that claim true? Will the product really work?
And how much extra do I have to pay?
With this in mind, let me introduce you to a Best Brand that has sustainability
“baked-in” to its business and brand. In its own country it is a well-known and
trusted brand, one that succeeds in inspiring people to buy greener and more
sustainable products.
17

18. Natura: a longstanding commitment to sustainability
18
Natura is a Brazilian brand that was founded in 1969 by two guys with shared
passions: cosmetics and people. In 1974, the company opted for a direct sales
model using consultants similar to that of Avon. While this business model has
undoubtedly helped fuel the brand’s success in Latin America, Natura is also
credited for embracing sustainability and the use of natural ingredients in its
formulas.
In 1983, Natura began to produce and sell refills. This initiative resulted in a
significant decrease in the disposal of solid waste in the environment. And in 2007,
the company put into practice the Carbon Neutral Program, designed to reduce and
offset all emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). Since then, in spite of CAGR in
earnings of nearly 20 percent over the last three years, Natura claims to have
reduced carbon emissions by nearly 10 percent.
Today, Natura aims to transform social and environmental challenges into
opportunities for business by espousing the Triple Bottom Line. The Triple Bottom
Line encompasses strong cash flow for good financial results, social impact through
generation of wealth for their consultants, and environmental impact through
encouraging use of refills, sustainable extraction and use of recycled and recyclable
materials. I have met with executives from Natura and can personally vouch for the
passion created by the corporate commitment to these goals. Nor has commitment
to social and environmental good detracted from the strength of the Natura brand.
The philosophy behind the business practices may be well ahead of the general
consumer mindset in Brazil, but people still appreciate Natura for its healthy and
sustainable products.
18

19. How do these two brands compare?
A strong global brand A strong regional brand
Strong earnings growth based • Strong earnings growth based on
on extension across product extension across product
categories and countries categories and countries
Strong social responsibility Strong social and
credentials environmental
The Campaign For Real Beauty responsibility credentials
6% bought last in Brazil 26% bought last in Brazil
Good value positioning • Justified premium positioning
19
While Natura might be a new brand to many of you, I would like to compare it to one
that may be more familiar.
Unilever’s Dove brand is also one of our Best Brands. The appeal of this brand has
been successfully extended across product categories and countries to achieve
significant earnings growth over the last decade. At the heart of the brand is its
commitment to The Campaign For Real Beauty, which seeks to inspire women to be
comfortable with themselves and to have confidence in their own unique beauty.
Dove has been a significant brand in Brazil for some time. But in spite of the same
degree of familiarity and perceived performance on key category criteria, over four
times as many Brazilians who buy body care products claim that the last brand they
purchased was Natura, not Dove. Moreover, they are likely to have paid a higher
price for their purchases. In Brazil, Natura commands what we call a justified
premium positioning compared to Dove’s good value positioning.
19

20. Even if Natura’s customers are not interested in the
environment, the brand does good by being good
Made by companies
you can trust
Are leading the way
Made by companies that
behave responsibly
toward the environment
Have recommended
to a friend
Offer something different
SOURCE: Millward Brown BrandZ 2010 20
The data you see here explains why Natura can command both higher sales and
premium prices.
74 percent are willing to agree that Natura is a brand they trust and 65 percent
agree that it is a company leading the way. Moreover, a large proportion of Brazilian
body care consumers agree that Natura is scientifically advanced, keeps skin in
better condition and offers a good range of products. These functional benefits
ladder up to a strong emotional appeal.
Global brands like Dove and Avon may be as well known as Natura, but they simply
do not inspire the same degree of passion. 54 percent of people claim to have
recommended Natura to a friend compared to 41 percent for Avon and 22 percent
for Dove. Overall, based on 2010 Voltage scores, Natura’s growth potential is over
three times that of Dove.
To what degree does Natura’s sustainability commitment drive the brand’s appeal?
It is certainly well-known that Natura espouses a green agenda. 64 percent of
personal care buyers in Brazil agree that the brand behaves in a responsible way
toward the environment. But is that a cause of Natura’s strength or the result of it? I
would argue that Natura’s environmental credentials are not the key driver of the
brand’s success but supplementary ones.
20

21. Natura’s lead helps elevate the importance
of being environmentally friendly
Country Brazil USA UK
Most Important
SOURCE: Millward Brown BrandZ 2010 21
Comparison with the same analysis in the USA and UK finds that trying to be
environmentally friendly has far less importance in those countries. In the USA, it
ranks as the least important influence on purchase and in the UK ranks 14th out of
15 attributes. To my mind, this suggests that Natura is influencing or activating
latent needs in Brazil that have not been addressed in the other two countries.
(Although the slightly higher ranking in the UK may reflect the presence of The Body
Shop which has also espoused a more sustainable positioning.)
Because Natura satisfies basic category needs as well as or better than the
competition, being environmentally friendly then becomes the deciding factor in
whether someone chooses the brand or not. Without the functional credentials and
trust, Natura would not be the powerhouse it is today. Natura does good by being
good.
21

22. Making “Green”
Matter to the Mass-
Market
22
In many categories today, we find new brands dedicated to offering a more
sustainable alternative to existing brands. The presence of small, growing brands
dedicated to a green, more sustainable agenda is undoubtedly a good thing. But as
we shall see, their impact is hampered by their lack of brand strength. Lacking
awareness, credibility or resonance with the majority of consumers, green brands
often struggle to make an impact. If their sustainability agenda is to really take hold,
green brands must address these shortcomings.
As brand marketers well know, building a brand is a process that takes significant
time and resources. For instance, it has taken Natura over 40 years to become the
powerhouse it is today. On the other hand, if more existing, strong brands were to
adopt a true sustainability agenda, then the positive impact would not only be
greater, but it would likely be far faster. Familiar, trusted brands can bring a green
agenda to people who otherwise would see it as a threat to their peace of mind.
What is more, it helps ensure the sustainability of the brands themselves,
positioning them for future success.
In the next section of the presentation I want to use one specific product category in
the U.S. to examine the challenges facing less well-known green brands. One of the
most interesting brand battles playing out right now in the U.S. is in a product
category that most of us would rather avoid. Call them diapers or nappies, most
people would rather someone else had to deal with them once used.
22

23. Seventh Generation needs to improve awareness of
what its diapers stand for
% familiar with brand
SOURCE: Millward Brown BrandZ 2010 23
In the U.S., the category is dominated by two well-known brands: P&G’s Pampers
and Kimberly-Clark’s Huggies. But over the last decade, a number of brands have
been launched trying to take share from the established brands by offering a
greener alternative.
One of them, Seventh Generation, is one of our Best Brands and is best known as a
household cleaning brand, notably in paper products like toilet paper, tissues and
towels. In 2010, 42 percent of diaper buyers were familiar with the Seventh
Generation brand name and 24 percent agreed the brand behaved in a responsible
way toward the environment. But active awareness of the Seventh Generation
brand within the diaper category was low at 16 percent. If the brand is to make a
difference and succeed in the diaper category, it needs to focus on the basics of
sales and marketing and improve its awareness among potential diaper buyers.
23

24. Seventh Generation needs to reframe
perceptions of affordability
% familiar with brand who think it costs more than they are prepared to pay
SOURCE: Millward Brown BrandZ 2010 24
But there is another hurdle that the brand must overcome. Seventh Generation also
needs to improve its affordability if it is to broaden its customer base. As we saw
earlier, there is a general antipathy to paying extra for a product even if it is
considered better for the environment. Whether it is perception or reality, many
people believe Seventh Generation diapers are too expensive. Among those at
Presence and not Relevance, 75 percent perceive the brand as too expensive. For
most of these people – close to nine out of 10 of them – that is the only “negative”
they cite for the brand. Addressing perceptions of affordability would go a long way
to growing the value of the Seventh Generation brand in this category.
How could Seventh Generation address this issue? They certainly should not lower
the brand’s price by lowering margins in the hope of driving more volume. This
strategy invariably ends up lowering profitability. Instead, Seventh Generation might
use cost control to lower the actual price and maintain margins, or it might try to
reframe people’s perceptions of value. But “green” as it is typically presented is
unlikely to provide the necessary reason—unless it can be turned into a message
that resonates with a wider audience.
24

25. On its own, “green” is simply not a compelling
motivation for buying a diaper
top
… Meet the needs of you and your baby, Are more comfortable for baby to wear than others, Unaided
middle awareness, Is the most popular, Have a better range of nappies than other brands to suit the needs of
your baby, Want to be seen buying, Allow your baby to move around more easily than others, Let your
baby’s skin breathe better than others, Are brands that are setting the trends…
bottom
SOURCE: Millward Brown BrandZ 2010 25
Why is “green” not enough to justify a price premium? Let’s have a look at the relative
importance of the different attributes in our study in relation to their predicted brand loyalty.
Of the 17 attributes included in our analysis of importance, “are less harmful to the
environment” ranks last. Most important are attributes like “appeal to you more than other
brands” and “prevent leaks better than other brands.” So even though 86 percent of people
who believe Seventh Generation diapers perform in an acceptable manner also agree that
the brand is less harmful to the environment, this perception will only matter to consumer’s
brand choice if it can be coupled with something that has more motivational power. Mothers
want a convenient solution to the poop problem. But Mothers also care far more about their
babies well-being than that of the environment. They want to be sure the diaper they
choose will make their babies comfortable and content. If a brand can convince them that it
is a good choice on these grounds then, all things being equal, green credentials might get
them to switch.
If Seventh Generation is to make a significant impact in this category, it must first deliver
against buyer’s core motivations and then seek to inspire people through its commitment to
a green agenda. For the brand’s offer to be meaningful and valuable, it must resonate with
the target consumer. The brand must meet current needs as well as the existing
alternatives and then turn its green credentials into an advantage.
“Look! You get all this and it’s green too.”
Seventh Generation has succeeded in other categories, as the company’s financial track
record indicates. They can also succeed in the diaper category–but it will take time. And
perhaps there is already another diaper brand well-positioned to make a big difference?
25

26. Which brand is better positioned to
inspire people today?
Made by companies you can trust
Have recommended to a friend
Help mothers raise
happy healthy babies
Are made by companies trying to
make people's lives better
Made by companies that behave
responsibly toward the environment
SOURCE: Millward Brown BrandZ 2010 26
And that brings us to the other Best Brand in the diaper category, Pampers.
Pampers’ mission to help mothers raise happy healthy babies is directly aligned with
what consumers value most in this category. It is a mission that resonates with
millions of mums around the world.
Decades of innovation have ensured that Pampers is seen as a credible functional
solution, and decades of marketing have reinforced the belief that Pampers is both
a good product and an appealing brand. Pamper’s Voltage score is nearly 40
percent higher than that of Seventh Generation (and off a much bigger base).
Of category users, 50 percent agree that they trust Pampers and 45 percent of
people claim to have recommended Pampers to another person compared to only 3
percent for Seventh Generation. Of category users, 43 percent agree that Pampers
help mothers raise happy healthy babies, and 43 percent believe Pampers is made
by a company that is leading the way, even if only 15 percent believe it acts in a
responsible way towards the environment.
So which brand is actually better positioned to do the most good? Pampers or
Seventh Generation? With functional and emotional credentials already established,
Pampers can choose to espouse a green agenda and make it successful.
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27. Pampers’ social agenda can inspire people,
so why not an environmental one too?
“The mom blogger group was so pumped by the initiative that Mindy
Roberts at The Mommy Blog …whipped up a donation widget. This will
live on the Alpha Mom site from now until I at least raise enough money
for 10,000 vaccines, or $500. Then I will personally match that amount
with up to an additional 10,000 vaccines.”
- Catherine
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And there is good reason to believe that Pampers could inspire people to more
sustainable behavior, because the brand already inspires them to action in another
arena. Catherine, a blogger at Alpha Mom, reports on Pampers’ mission to
eradicate Neonatal Tetanus. The Pampers/UNICEF 1 Pack = 1 Vaccine program
has helped provide more than 100 million vaccines that protect moms and babies in
developing countries from maternal and neonatal tetanus. As Catherine states, she
was so personally inspired by this program that she offered to personally match
other people’s donations to the program to the tune of $500. This is the sort of
passion that a Best Brand can inspire when it takes a stand on something.
It is not that Team Pampers ignores the need for sustainability. If you visit their
website, you will find a section titled EcoNursery where “We envision a future where
less is more.” And it appears that Pampers may be experimenting with a part
reusable diaper to compete with another green brand called gDiaper. If Pampers
chose to launch such a product, the likely impact could be huge, particularly as
Pampers is well positioned to solve one of the major environmental issues with
reusable diapers. With its sibling brand Tide, Pampers could surely inspire
consumers to launder a reusable diaper appropriately. The potential for Pampers to
do good by espousing a more sustainable and environmentally friendly agenda is
enormous.
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28. The Role Consumer
Researchers Can
Play
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So what has all this got to do with market researchers? I would suggest it has a lot
to do with us. It is our job to understand and articulate what consumers will need in
future, not just what they want now. And we have an important role to play in
ensuring effective behavior change and to reduce marketing waste.
Market research is traditionally represented as “the voice of the consumer.” We are
taught to be unbiased and to let the data speak for itself. If we do that when it
comes to researching a green agenda, we are likely to believe many respondents
who blithely claim that they want to buy green products and are willing to pay a
premium for them.
But if we blindly accept people’s responses at face value, we risk leading our firms
astray. We may recommend new product launches, re-engineering products to be
greener, or launching new campaigns designed to promote a green agenda, only to
find that consumers are less eager to act than our data might have suggested.
Instead of making business more efficient and sustainable, we create waste: wasted
resources, wasted time and wasted professional capital.
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29. Working with instincts and motivations not simply
putting people on the defensive
There is a latent and growing consumer need for greener
and more sustainable brands
• Six out of 10 people in the U.S. agree “people consume far more of everything than
they really need.”
But touting green credentials can be counter-productive
• Triggers feelings of guilt, defensiveness and rejection
We need to address core consumer motivations to help
make green the deciding benefit benefit
• Relevant, credible, trustworthy and green
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There is little doubt in my mind that a latent need exists for greener and more
sustainable products. We know there is a strong latent demand among consumers
to do the right thing. In the U.S., seven out of 10 people think companies should
help them do so. In 2008, over six out of 10 people interviewed by Yankelovich
stated people consume far more of everything than they really need.
To me, this suggests that there is a real opportunity for the first brand to credibly
address that need. The trick is to offer a relevant and credible solution without
making it the sole rationale for switching. Simply stating that a brand is green can be
counter-productive. Tell people what they are doing is “wrong” and it triggers
feelings of guilt and defensiveness. Their automatic response is to reject the green
alternative: it won’t work, it’s too expensive or it’s fine for the granola crowd.
If we are to get people to adopt more sustainable brands, we need to make sure
that the brand proposition resonates at a personal level. For instance, Method’s
financial and brand success is not based in its commitment to being green, no
matter how strong, rather the brand inspires people to desire a happy, healthy
home. By appealing to a more general motivation “green” becomes a supplementary
and positive influence on brand choice.
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30. Maximizing the impact of sustainability
Sustainability is an opportunity for business
• But for the new sustainability agenda to have the maximum impact we need our
consumers to act sustainably too
Marketing is all about getting consumers to act on their
beliefs
• Marketing can help make green an acceptable choice through new products and
different messaging
Consumer research has an important role to play
• Helping anticipate the consumer mindset and identify opportunities and catalysts for
change
This one is personal
• That is if you intend to go on living on this planet
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Many companies have adopted a sustainability agenda because it is in their best interests
to do so. But without impacting consumer behavior, that agenda will have limited impact on
resource depletion and carbon emissions. To have the maximum impact, we need to have
the general public buy into sustainability too. Right now, my concern is that consumers are
lagging behind consumer-facing companies in their commitment to do the right thing by the
planet.
I believe we have a responsibility to use our brands to inspire more sustainable behavior in
the majority of the population who are not yet motivated to buy green, recycle and reuse.
After all, marketing is all about getting people to act on their beliefs. And, as I hope I have
shown, green need not be a threat to established brands. It could be a major opportunity.
Helping to bolster their standing against the tide of new, greener alternatives.
Market researchers have an important role to ensure marketing is focused to best effect. To
that extent, I am not proposing anything new for our role. But perhaps what we need to do
is be more mindful in the way we approach our jobs. Seeking opportunities for change, not
simply feeding back data on the status quo. Staying ahead of the general consumer
mindset by talking to thought leaders and trendsetters. Helping ensure our brands are a
catalyst for positive change not a reason for consumers to do nothing.
And on this occasion market researchers actually do have a personal interest in shaping
consumer’s attitudes and behavior. That is, assuming you (and your family) intend to
continue living on this planet.
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31. So maybe it’s
time we all dare
to care
Thank you for listening.
Rather than being dispassionate observers and advisors, it is time we all dare to
care. Let’s put our skills and passion to work to help build strong brands, a better
world and a better future.
Thank you for listening.
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