The Why Before You Buy
July 12th, 2010 by Carolyn Parrs & Irv Weinberg, Mind Over Markets
Our colleagues at Earthsense, a leading green marketing research company, have confirmed what we have been postulating for a longtime now. That purchase decisions continue to be more personal than planetary. In their article, Wendy and Megan wisely point out that you don’t stand before the frozen foods case and make your purchase decision based on the ice cap. You do it based on value, appeal, price and when it comes to food — taste, taste, taste. In their recent study, no matter what shade of green respondents were, taste came first.
Food marketers take note. The taste proposition makes even more sense for green and organic food products because such a strong case can be made for pure, natural ingredients equating to superior taste. When it comes to food we are all Pavlovian. The sight of luscious foods and the aroma of good cooking actually make our mouths water. That’s something that should never be forgotten when you set out to market your food brands — organic or otherwise. Remember to paint emotional and memorable associations between your products and my taste buds.
Tell me how luscious organic veggies can be, fresh from the vine and unadulterated by chemicals and pesticides. Tell me that your organic berries are bursting with flavor and picked with care. Tell me how delicious your bread is when it’s made from organic wheat flour and taken fresh from the oven. Let me know that eggs from cageless, free range chickens are richer in taste than eggs that are laid in the dark in some factory farm. Those are some of the whys before the buys. And if you’re wise, you’ll remember what starts your stomach grumbling and your appetite increasing — and you’ll know what you need to tell me if you want to sell me.
What’s the why that makes you buy?
July 16th, 2010 at 6:59 am
Great post. I learned much more than I thought I would this morning!
July 19th, 2010 at 9:44 pm
I learned so much in this post.Thanks you for sharing this.
-kathy
July 20th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
As a marketing coach, I have several clients that are in the “green” field.
When selling anything in the “green” field it’s important to realize that there are different motivators for different people.
Actually, I’ve discovered that more people are motivated by these things in this order of priority,
o money generated
o money saved
o green and conservation conscious
It’s nice to believe that many people will be motivated to protect the environment, and I wish more were environmentally concious, but there are some that are motivated only by the money, fewer that are motivated by environment awareness, and some that are somewhere in between.
In fact, as a marketing coach helping clients find greatest measurable response when it comes to talking about building a green home, or remodeling with “green” in mind, developing an alternate energy source . . . the response rates will be higher IF you highlight the money generated first and foremost, followed by money saved, and finally by conservation issues.
I recommend using all of them, with the highlights on money, while including the green side of the coin.
August 13th, 2010 at 11:36 am
Great read. Thanks for the post.
August 27th, 2010 at 2:51 am
i am italian..i FULLY agree with the matter of taste and appealing aspect of food!!it is the strongest “weapon” that natural food can use against the domination of industrial food
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:39 am
Thank you Giorgio. And no one knows taste better! Turn up the taste buds like never before and watch them flock.