HOW TO CONNECT YOUR COMPANY'S ESG EFFORTS WITH CONSUMERS AND DRIVE ACTION
So you’ve made your decisions and developed your sustainable product. How do you get consumers to buy in? There’s a market research phenomenon that notably affects sustainable products called the “say-do gap” – the idea that many people will say they are willing to try something, but when push comes to shove, fewer will actually go ahead with it.
For products and services oriented around sustainability, which may be more expensive than the competition, it’s a particular problem. So how do you break through to consumers? By focusing on three key elements of behavior change: attention, beliefs, and compliance – the ABCs.
In this sample framework, we largely talk about selling products that are environmentally friendly. But this could easily apply as well to products and services that market themselves as having stronger-than-average DEI considerations, like streaming services with a diverse array of faces and content creators or products that have taken accessibility into account.
This framework could also be used to assess and shape opinions around products and services sold by companies that market themselves as having progressive governance, like B Corps.
The three key elements of behavioral change: attention, beliefs and compliance
Attention
How do we make the environment top of mind?
How can we increase awareness of environmentally impactful behavior?
What elements of environmental protection garner the most attention?
Beliefs
What is good environmental behavior?
Why does it matter?
How does it affect me?
How should environmental behaviors be prioritized?
When and where should eco-friendly behaviors be performed?
Compliance
How can we make good behaviors the "default"?
What behaviors should be incentivized or disincentivized?
What norms can we establish (or exist) and tout?
How can we better create calls to action as companies?
Each of these three levers addresses key questions that affect individual, company, and governmental behavior and link to factors that can be taken to drive action. By answering the questions in all three categories, brands can understand their customers' motivations, work those needs into products and services and market how you are meeting their needs nudging them towards a better future.
