The conscious consumers of America

According to a recent report by BBMG, nearly nine in ten Americans say the words 'conscious consumer' describe them well. The same report captures staggeringly high percentages of consumers who are willing to back products that are energy efficient (90%), promote health and safety benefits (88%), support fair labour and trade practices (87%) and commit to environmentally-friendly practices (87%).

This hasn’t always been the case for the highly industrialized nation. With the incredible technological advancements resulting from the 19^th century industrial revolution also came harmful effects in the US such as smog, water pollutants, and disease. Over the years, this problem only escalated as Americans fuelled their pursuits for all things bigger and faster; from gas-guzzling muscle cars, to larger, more energy consuming factory equipment. This paradigm began to shift in the 1970s, with the introduction of clean air and water initiatives lead by the government.

Today, the average Americans are showing deep concern for righting the wrongs of their polluted past, and they are looking for brands that will also share that concern. This shift in perception not only affects their desire to address these environmental challenges in America, but also at a global level. So how can marketers appeal to the conscious American consumer? The answer lies in their ability to effectively support the individual, as they seek to change the world. To make meaningful connections and deliver effective marketing that increases ROI, successfully sustainable brands first seek to understand what makes them tick. Specifically, four major factors were identified in the BBMG study as values that drive this rapidly growing group of consumers:

• Health and safety – do safeguards protect the quality of products?
• Honesty – are the processes and practices reliable an accurate?
• Relationships – where does it come from? Is it locally sourced?
• Doing good – how can we help others? What’s the socially responsible thing to do?

American Express was definitely a first mover in the doing good space.
Listening to the desires of their customers to affect global change, the financial services brand created the Passion Project as a means to turn these dreams into a reality. In this specific short, one man learns how an essential life resource so prevalent in America, is overwhelmingly scarce in another part of the world – the Passion Project helped him to do something about it. The impact of the resulting social campaign was contagious, earning record-breaking views, overwhelming social participation, all while creating a tangible change for good.

Chipotle scarecrow
A powerful video that made an appearance at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this year was one created by American restaurant chain, Chipotle. With more than 8 out of 10 Americas admitting to giving some thought about the safety of their foods, Chipotle decided to address this matter, head-on. The haunting animated short follows a scarecrow that flees from an industrial food company after witnessing the terrors chemical engineering and artificial additives. In many ways, the scarecrow represents the growing number of US consumers that are looking for organic alternatives to their everyday food products. Despite some negative criticism the ad received, Chipotle recently took the top prize in the PR category at Cannes. They were awarded based on their 'creative use of reputation management by the building and preservation of trust and understanding between individuals, businesses or organizations and their publics and audiences'.

Throughout the US, a young generation more than 80 million strong is now inheriting the spending power from their parents. According to a recent poll commissioned by the Clinton Global Initiative and Microsoft, more than 65% of this Millennial generation is willing to pay more for products from sustainability-focused companies. Global businesses are beginning to understand the market opportunity presented by the conscious consumer in America, but they are just scratching the surface. What was once seen as a surface-level exploitation with the aim of boosting profits, CSR is now moving past the transaction-based motivation, to forge lasting customer relationships through trust, transparency, and genuine social responsibility. We can only expect more marketers to hop on board as they continue to peel back the layers of this ever-growing conscious market.

Read more from Creative Culture in our Clubhouse.