Marketing To The Conscious Consumer
by embracing our dualistic nature.
Who is the conscious consumer?
Decades of data reveal that a subset of global beauty and fashion consumers demand corporate social responsibility, supply chain transparency, and ethical business practices. They want to know that their purchase isn’t supporting exploitation and that the ingredients and materials used are not loaded with toxins. They are concerned about the climate crisis, and they want assurance that their beauty products and apparel aren’t making it worse. The data show that these consumers will pay more for these values, practices, and principles.
Yet, the data also reveal a significant ‘say-do’ gap between what conscious consumers say they value and what they actually buy. This contradiction between what the data show and what the reality is has confounded many conscious companies.
First, many sustainable brands struggle to communicate their value effectively and cost-efficiently. Leading with values was once a strong differentiator, but now, with peak market saturation and widespread greenwashing, this approach is falling flat.
Values-first messaging also tends to extend the sales cycle. When the consideration phase is long, companies end up spending more money on retargeting, messaging, creative and more, which drives CAC up.
This is partially why a spate of sustainable brands have shut down this year, including Mara Hoffman, who wrote that after two decades of fighting to change the system, ultimately the fashion industry model “is archaic and was never built to prioritize Earth and its inhabitants.” Many sustainable beauty brands - which tend to be independently owned and smaller in size - are struggling to achieve profitability due to rising DTC costs, and a system - from social media algorithms to retailers - that prioritizes larger brands with bigger budgets.
Meanwhile, fast fashion and beauty brands are realizing record-breaking growth, the wasteful dupe culture is trending, and new commerce platforms are launching every day that support hyper-consumerism.
So who are the conscious consumers and what do they really want? In order to understand their buying behavior, we must first seek to understand our human behavior.
Will The Real Conscious Consumers Please Stand Up?
We’re in what some are calling a polycrisis, when ecological, economic, political, and cultural forces have a negative compounding effect on society, creating an environment of uncertainty and rapid change.
It turns out that in the face of existential worry about an uncertain future, resource scarcity, climate anxiety, technology overwhelm, and a general decline in mental and emotional health, humans tend to veer in one of two directions to self-soothe and seek control: nihilism or rational optimism.
The Nihilists
The nihilists adopt a ‘fuck it’ attitude that inspires a sense of autonomy and fearlessness. They tend to catastrophize the current reality, which leads to a sense of overwhelm and helplessness, which further justifies their YOLO mindset. Their sense of control is found in living for the moment, seeking immediate gratification without concern for future consequences. They disregard long-term thinking in favor of more impulsive tendencies, maximizing pleasure in the present at the expense of future well-being or ethical considerations.
The Rational Optimists
The rational optimists adopt a more visionary mindset that’s rooted in their ability to see a better future and their belief in human potential. Though they have a realistic understanding of current realities, they nonetheless have positive expectations for the future. Setbacks and difficulties are seen as challenges that ultimately build resilience and deepen wisdom. Their sense of control is found in living in the moment with agency and purpose, believing that through human ingenuity and collaboration, anything is possible. They take a long view of progress, understanding that things take time and that short-term challenges do not negate long-term positive change.
While each of us may be more naturally inclined towards one extreme over the other, we all exist somewhere on the spectrum and oscillate between the two. The idea that there’s one distinct audience of conscious consumers is too simplistic, and ignores the complexity of human behavior.
Conscious consumers are not a monolith; they display diverse and sometimes contradictory behaviors based on their values, priorities, circumstances, and fears. Where many conscious companies miss the mark in their messaging is in overlooking - or even shaming - our innate duality.
Marketing to the Monolith
Unsurprisingly, many beauty and fashion brands have succeeded in feeding on our nihilistic tendencies. Rapid trend cycles and newness elicit FOMO, which inspires impulse purchases and hyper-consumerism.
On the other hand, sustainable brands appeal to our rational mind by promoting minimalism, timelessness, and legacy pieces, inspiring more intentional purchases and conscious consumption.
Often, these strategies are siloed, suggesting an either/or proposition. This is the fatal flaw. We don’t live, shop, or consume in a silo. In fact, most of us are hyper-aware of our contradictory desires, and seek ways to reconcile them. The brands that get it right are the ones who understand, embrace, and design to appeal to our dualistic nature.
Conscious, But Make It Cool
The lure of nihilistic thinking is the freedom found in living for the moment. It offers an escape from responsibility and liberation from future consequences. It inspires a more spontaneous and carefree way of living, unshackled from moral and ethical constraints. Instead of seeing this as a behavior to change, conscious companies should see this as an insight to embrace. The opportunity for brands is to capture this spirit and deliver it safely, sustainably, and ethically. Do the conscious work, but market to the unconscious desire.
When consumers find products that not only meet their desires but also outperform conventional counterparts in scent, taste, quality, and craftsmanship, that’s the true conversion that counts. Here are some of my favorite companies making it cool to be conscious.
Edgy
Good for you, but make it bad.
Liquid Death is my favorite example of a clean and sustainable brand that is not trying to be good. In fact, they’re trying to be bad. Their branding, marketing, merch, and brand collaborations all give the middle finger to plastic, which is a more entertaining way to promote sustainability than, say, Boxed Water.
Honorable mention: Natural Spirit, The Wild West of Water, is giving Marlboro Man vibes.
Sexy
Good for you, but make it sexy.
Is there a sexier way to market body wash than by showing soapy lather on a bare naked ass? Flamingo Estate turns us on to farm-to-bottle body care with their sensual branding and marketing. Their seasonal campaign invites us all to get wet ’n dirty, then come clean with botanical soaps formulated for pleasure.
Trendy
Good for you, but make it trendy.
The lure of fast fashion is its ability to capitalize on trends—something that many sustainable brands fail to achieve. Another Tomorrow is striking a beautiful balance with seasonal collections, on-trend styles, cuts, and palettes, and luxury fashion-caliber branding and marketing, underpinned by one of the most sustainable, ethical, and transparent supply chains in the industry.
We are not going to change human behavior. Fear-mongering doesn’t work—it only fuels the nihilists. Greenwashing isn’t effective—the rational optimists don’t buy it and the nihilists don’t care. And green-hushing doesn’t do anyone any favors.
Reaching today’s conscious consumer requires that brands meet the desire with a more sustainable option, fitting within the behaviors they already have. This will demand a human approach over a moral campaign.