Going green isn’t merely a buzzword for those in the recycling business, it’s a smart tactic for any business wanting to capture the millennial, Gen Z, and really any socially conscious niche market. And the social sentiment of saving the planet is particularly strong in Europe, the Middle East and Africa – and we’ll see why smart marketers are taking note.
Sense and Sustainability
The worldwide social sentiment around sustainability and the environment tells an epic tale that unfolds a variety of opportunities the more you explore it.
With hashtags equally focused around what we’ll #destroy and options we need to #provide, there’s certainly lots of #work for us to do if we hope to head off the #threat of destroying our planet! And for businesses, the options for speaking to a relevant focus, one that would generate goodwill and generate conversations with lots of loyal (and potentially lifelong) consumers are pretty limitless.
In the United Kingdom, a quick sound bite preview offers conversations around wildlife conservation, windmills and veganism:
Further investigation reveals Professor Peter Strachan as a definite influencer in the renewable energy space, with a small but engaged audience. And maybe you’re a socially responsible retailer, offering an energy efficient whatzit and you’d very much like to tap into this niche segment. Well, Professor Strachan may be just the man you’re looking for!
Or perhaps you’re gearing up to offer an entirely vegan ice cream concoction, something of the soy variety that’s brand new to the space. You know how much Europeans LOVE their ice cream, and thanks to this infographic, you know which flavors are tops too, but you’ve yet to tap in to that market in any real way. You have a credibility problem, as most retailers do. Enter Herbivore Club! It’s an anonymous outreach entity that has to be run by someone – and even vegans need to eat. Assuming you can ethically and financially support their “save the world” effort, you’d be on the path to a mutually beneficial relationship!
Would you have stumbled upon these folks regardless? Online is a pretty vast space – and ever expanding like space – so the odds are slim.
This is where technology makes all the difference – in both saving the world and when it comes to owning (or at least leading) your space. Social sentiment analysis has become table stakes.
Technological Changes and Challenges
Technological changes were a main theme of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, or more specifically, the role technology can and should play in solving the world’s sustainability problems. Terming the human population “homo technologicus, with the mindset of our hunter-gatherer ancestors” the forum encouraged an “unprecedented cultural revolution in the way we connect with the planet.”
One way we’re connecting with the planet is by sharing the effects our actions have on it and by supporting additional changes. The story around it shifts slightly from place to place, but the sustainability lessons coming from around the world, notably Africa and the Middle East send powerful messages that businesses can’t ignore.
We see Kenyans focused on reducing, reusing, recycling and respect for the land, and postgraduate students at an Egyptian university designing an air-powered vehicle to combat rising fuel prices and carbon emissions. If their humble efforts can capture the attention of an online audience, imagine what a mid-level enterprise can do with a few environmentally conscious campaigns!
Conservation and engineering compliance efforts are discussed alongside political, cultural and social changes – all with strong sustainability ties and offering options that most creative marketers could relate back to your business in a way that creates marketing magic. It’s really all about what’s relevant and which angle you decide to explore.
Making the Most of Meaningful Topics
Discovering a hot trend, particularly a meaningful trend, and making the most of it isn’t something to shy away from – unless it makes zero sense to pursue it. There’s no need to exploit a wonderful concept like sustainability if it doesn’t make sense for your category.
A furrier would cause furor to attempt such a thing, for example. But even unlikely enterprises, like an oil company, could – and do – successfully focus on renewables. You need to be sure you’re focusing on something that makes sense and saving the planet (in some capacity) seems to make sense for most.
And isn’t it time you started thinking about this stuff anyway? A good portion of the internet thinks so, and quite possibly, a significant segment that’s out there searching for you right now!
Want a demo around how to take advantage of meaningful topics in your niche? Contact us!
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