Just back from a great week at the Sustainable Brands conference in Monterey, CA. Wanted to quickly share the buzz of a new national study that we just did in partnership with the Shelton Group as part of their ongoing ‘EcoPulse’ research. In short, we gave the Roberts Worldview Assessment to a national sample and discovered something wonderful, something I’ve been passionately arguing for years:
Worldviews truly DO drive people’s day to day choices as relates to sustainability, and are the secret key to creating lasting behavior change in cynical or apathetic consumer groups.
We will be publishing a collaborative white-paper on our findings in the coming months, but for now please check out a few of the key findings outlined in this press release. And enjoy! Here’s the link from business wire (sample text pasted below).
More breakthroughs soon to come….
Researchers ‘Crack the Code’ for Persuading Skeptical, Cynical Consumers to Go Green
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Shelton Group researchers and a noted behavioral scientist have collaborated to “crack the code” on the green marketing conundrum: How do you overcome cynicism and skepticism to persuade consumers to buy sustainable products?
Working with scientist and author John Marshall Roberts, Shelton Group researchers Lee Ann Head, vice president of research, and Karen Barnes, vice president of insight, have created a sophisticated new system to communicate with consumers to spark real, lasting behavior change.
“This truly is a major breakthrough for reaching consumers who are skeptical or cynical about green products,” said Suzanne Shelton, founder and CEO of Shelton Group. “It’s akin to discovering a secret decoder ring for persuading even the most diehard cynics to go green.”
The research combines the Shelton Sustainability Segmentation system with the Roberts Worldview Assessment framework, research based on the work of Dr. Clare W. Graves.
The research distinguishes three kinds of environmental skeptics and suggests a number of ways to reach them. Among the recommendations:
- If possible, disarm the skeptics by showing you understand that they view the green movement as a scam.
- Suggest that China is beating the U.S. in sustainability (or, conversely, that China doesn’t want U.S. consumers to be sustainable)
- Focus on purity — the lack of toxins and pollution created by your green products.
- Avoid discussing global warming at all costs.
The research started with Shelton’s Sustainability Segmentation system, found in Shelton Group’s latest proprietary study, Eco Pulse 2011. The Shelton researchers then collaborated with Roberts on his Roberts Worldview Assessment, which segments people into various thinking styles or “colors” based on their personal values and outlook.
(read full article here)
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John Marshall Roberts is a behavioral scientist, a communication expert and founder of Worldview Thinking. To learn more visit http://worldviewthinking.com and this article
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