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The Truth About Selling "Sustainability" (And What Works Better)
The Truth About Selling "Sustainability" (And What Works Better)
The most sustainable product you use may be hiding in plain sight.
That's because while good businesses are built on sustainability, great products speak for themselves.
Selling "sustainability" is risky business
Shouting your sustainable values from the rooftops may feel great, but making it your primary selling point comes at a cost.
On one hand, having eco-centric marketing:
Attracts conscious consumers
Wears your (brand) heart on your sleeve
Differentiates your product
But it comes with huge risks of:
Alienating consumers
Sounding preachy and off brand
Confusing customers who may not be up on trends
Can you make it work?
Yes.
Is it harder than leading with the product?
Absolutely.
Intention vs action
Although people say they support sustainable brands, the unfortunate truth is that they act with their wallets.
And that usually means purchasing based on quality, price, and convenience.
Example: Olipop
Olipop used to brand themselves as “sparkling digestive tonic".
Although it was true to the brand, it confused potential customers, who took a pass.
They eventually rebranded to focus on the quality of the product itself, backing it up with health benefits as secondary features.
The results?
They skyrocketed to a $500 million brand.
Although this example is from the health and wellness space, the strategy translates directly into Impact Business world.
Product-centric positioning strategy
This strategy is from Jake Berber, founder of Prefer Coffee.
Prefer is a bean-free coffee that's tackling the increasing price of coffee (and vulnerability of coffee farmland).
Their business uses:
5x less CO2 than traditional coffee farming
95% less water
95% less land
But they barely talk about it, they actually practice the sustainability soft sell.
Here's how it works...
What it is
This strategy focuses on leading your marketing with product benefits and price, treating sustainability as a bonus feature rather than the primary selling point.
How Jake used this strategy
When building Prefer, he found that when people hear "sustainable", they often think "more expensive, less quality".
Instead of trying to sell sustainability, he decided to market primarily on taste and affordability, with environmental benefits as secondary features.
As a result, Prefer
Gained 50+ new business partners in 6 months
Sold $11 million worth of coffee grounds
Started shipping 5,000+ bottles per month
Prefer was able to use their product quality and price to their advantage.
But that isn't to say you should hide the fact that your company is doing better for people and planet.
It's something to be proud of, and likely a driving force behind your mission!
So, how do you talk about it?
Where sustainability fits into the selling story
Quality converts.
Sustainability strengthens.
If you sell quality first, you can build the relationship and long term loyalty of your customers through your sustainability story.
Example: Tony’s Chocolonely
Confession: I buy too much Tony's Chocolonely.
Like, way too much. I stocked up on the holiday edition because my corner store isn't getting any more...
My chocolate obsession aside, the reason I originally tried Tony's wasn't because of their sustainability practices.
It was because the branding and product looked good. And it was.
Then I looked into their story and it only strengthened my affinity with them.
Side note: If you haven't already, I highly recommend this episode of Last Week Tonight on the chocolate industry (Tony's makes an appearance at the ~20 minute mark).
Tony's product is what originally got me to try, and their sustainability story is the reason I don't buy any other brand.
That's the sustainability soft sell in action.
The most sustainable product you use may be hiding in plain sight.
That's because while good businesses are built on sustainability, great products speak for themselves.
Selling "sustainability" is risky business
Shouting your sustainable values from the rooftops may feel great, but making it your primary selling point comes at a cost.
On one hand, having eco-centric marketing:
Attracts conscious consumers
Wears your (brand) heart on your sleeve
Differentiates your product
But it comes with huge risks of:
Alienating consumers
Sounding preachy and off brand
Confusing customers who may not be up on trends
Can you make it work?
Yes.
Is it harder than leading with the product?
Absolutely.
Intention vs action
Although people say they support sustainable brands, the unfortunate truth is that they act with their wallets.
And that usually means purchasing based on quality, price, and convenience.
Example: Olipop
Olipop used to brand themselves as “sparkling digestive tonic".
Although it was true to the brand, it confused potential customers, who took a pass.
They eventually rebranded to focus on the quality of the product itself, backing it up with health benefits as secondary features.
The results?
They skyrocketed to a $500 million brand.
Although this example is from the health and wellness space, the strategy translates directly into Impact Business world.
Product-centric positioning strategy
This strategy is from Jake Berber, founder of Prefer Coffee.
Prefer is a bean-free coffee that's tackling the increasing price of coffee (and vulnerability of coffee farmland).
Their business uses:
5x less CO2 than traditional coffee farming
95% less water
95% less land
But they barely talk about it, they actually practice the sustainability soft sell.
Here's how it works...
What it is
This strategy focuses on leading your marketing with product benefits and price, treating sustainability as a bonus feature rather than the primary selling point.
How Jake used this strategy
When building Prefer, he found that when people hear "sustainable", they often think "more expensive, less quality".
Instead of trying to sell sustainability, he decided to market primarily on taste and affordability, with environmental benefits as secondary features.
As a result, Prefer
Gained 50+ new business partners in 6 months
Sold $11 million worth of coffee grounds
Started shipping 5,000+ bottles per month
Prefer was able to use their product quality and price to their advantage.
But that isn't to say you should hide the fact that your company is doing better for people and planet.
It's something to be proud of, and likely a driving force behind your mission!
So, how do you talk about it?
Where sustainability fits into the selling story
Quality converts.
Sustainability strengthens.
If you sell quality first, you can build the relationship and long term loyalty of your customers through your sustainability story.
Example: Tony’s Chocolonely
Confession: I buy too much Tony's Chocolonely.
Like, way too much. I stocked up on the holiday edition because my corner store isn't getting any more...
My chocolate obsession aside, the reason I originally tried Tony's wasn't because of their sustainability practices.
It was because the branding and product looked good. And it was.
Then I looked into their story and it only strengthened my affinity with them.
Side note: If you haven't already, I highly recommend this episode of Last Week Tonight on the chocolate industry (Tony's makes an appearance at the ~20 minute mark).
Tony's product is what originally got me to try, and their sustainability story is the reason I don't buy any other brand.
That's the sustainability soft sell in action.
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200+
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Get Field Notes straight to your inbox each week
200+
thinkers, builders, and investors
Get Field Notes straight to your inbox each week
200+
thinkers, builders, and investors
