So I came across this article, Seeking to Save the Planet, With a Thesaurus on the NY Times recently and it coincided very nicely with my recent post on effective communications for sustainable product branding. Namely that the language we use in marketing communications (whether it be for social/environmental campaigns or product branding), has to connect with the audience. So this firm EcoAmerica had put together a study, of which portions were leaked out on the internet a month prior to its official release. Quoting from the NY Times article,
“Mr. Perkowitz said…to reframe the issue using different language. “Energy efficiency” makes people think of shivering in the dark. Instead, it is more effective to speak of “saving money for a more prosperous future.” In fact, the group’s surveys and focus groups found, it is time to drop the term “the environment” and talk about “the air we breathe, the water our children drink.” “Another key finding: remember to speak in TALKING POINTS aspirational language about shared American ideals, like freedom, prosperity, independence and self-sufficiency while avoiding jargon and details about policy, science, economics or technology.”
Indeed. People respond to language that is meaningful to them and speaks to their values. However, I must note that I am not advocating an infomercial type of language be used in environmental marketing. There are serious cynics out there to anything labeled as “green”, and this type of marketing approach will just further their suspicions. In order to get them on board, marketers and copywriters have to be responsible. Sure, we want to get as many click-throughs, email signups, trials, donations, purchases, etc. as possible. But the sustainability era demands objectivity, credibility, and a degree of compassionate communications that we’ve seen effectively employed by the best nonprofits for decades. In only this manner can we reach our collective goal as a movement.
So what to do? We’ll avoid jargon and subjective copy all-together. We’ll appeal to the values of the average American, not the greenie. We’ll apply the usability thinking of Steve Krug when it comes to website design: “Don’t make me think” what that might mean or do for me. Sure, apply the traditional copywriting best practices out there, and consider the Made to Stick SUCCES principles: simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and stories.
