Joanne Bowles
A00856823
Marketing Mini Project 1
Question 1.
I believe that I fall into the “casual spectator” category on the Sustainability Passion
Index. There are issues that I strongly respect and support, however there is not one issue that I
am loud and vocally passionate about. I think parts of me are included in the “hyper local”
category. My family and friends are very important to me. I spend a great deal of my time
surrounded by people I love and respect. I believe they keep me sane, and their continuous
support helps me achieve my goals. Helping others is also very important to me. I have done a
great deal of volunteer work and I have loved every minute of it. There is no greater feeling then
knowing that you have made someone’s life just a little bit better. I strive to maintain a balanced
life. I strongly believe that in order to be happy and successful, I need to have a good balance
between work, school and social activities. These activities include being active, visiting friends,
and taking the time for relaxation at home. I love spending time outdoors. There is nothing
better then nature and fresh air. As much as I love spending time outdoors and volunteering in
my community, I have not done a lot of work regarding the environment. Like the casual
spectator category suggests, I care about the environment. However, I have not done much to
help causes such as global warming. I do work for an organic cereal company that is very
involved in environmental issues. During the summer a five-bin garbage system was set up and
tested. On Earth Day we went out and cleaned the surrounding neighborhood for over an hour.
Employees get rewarded for taking transit and carpooling, or buying a hybrid vehicle. While at
work, I am motivated and encouraged to take part in all these efforts put in for environmental
consciousness. When I am surrounded by friends who insist on recycling and not littering I am
again encouraged to partake in these efforts to save our environment. However, once I am on
my own, or around people who do not care whatsoever, I slack off and do not worry about
putting in the full effort to be environmentally conscious. For example, I often don’t worry if I put
some papers in the garbage instead of the recycling bin. I care about the environment and I
always want to be more proactive in the cause. When I surround myself with people who deeply
care, it strongly influences me to take part and do my share of the work. However, when I am on
my own, I take on the role of causal spectator and don’t enforce these rules on myself.
Question 2.
Marketers who want to target eco-conscious consumers would find information based on
the Sustainability Passion Index very useful. The majority of people surveyed are a part of the
“Vocal Globalist” category. These people are very passionate about social and environmental
issues within their community and the world. The lowest percentage on the Sustainability Index
was the “Self Serving Non-Believer.” These people do not care about any issues as long as they
don’t directly affect them. These two category’s are opposites of one another. A marketer would
note that at the moment the majority of people being surveyed care deeply about the
environment. If you were to be creating an ad campaign for a product, you would want to focus
in on how it benefits the environment.
Another trend that shows up as being important in most of the categories is being close
with family and friends. These social connections are very important for people, and they show
up on the Hierarchy of Needs Triangle. No matter how different people’s opinions are on what is
important in their lives, the need for family and friends is always there. Another trend that shows
up in a few of the categories is the importance of leading a balanced life. People need to make
a decent living in order to purchase necessities for life. It is always preferable to have some left
over money to spend on activities for amusement. However, a balanced life includes simple
things such as exercise, the outdoors, and other free activities to keep you mentally and
physically healthy and happy. It is very important for marketers to know what these common
needs are for people, even if they have differing opinions regarding other beliefs.
I believe that Nature’s Path Foods is a perfect example of a company catering to these
needs. Nature’s Path Foods is an organic cereal company run by the Stephens family for the
past three generations. Their mission statement is “Eat well. Do good.” Nature’s Path Foods is
extremely environmentally conscious and does a ton of work with and for local communities.
They are based in Richmond, BC with plants in the United States. Every fall, they host
Compassion into Action which raises money for the Lower Mainland food banks. This year they
managed to raise over $100,000.00. They sponsor garden development throughout the US and
Canada, and are very generous. They are truly organic and non-GMO. Nature’s Path makes a
point of stating that it is non-GMO on all packaging and support the promotion of non-GMO
foods. They are one of the few companies out there who sticks to their promise to be organic.
Another very appealing factor about this company is that it is family run. For those of us true
Canadians, Nature’s Path has not been bought out by a large mainstream American company.
Nature’s Path is following trends in social media with over 280,000 followers on Facebook and
Twitter. This gets the attention of both parents and young adults/teenagers. Nature’s Path is
following the growing trend of being environmentally conscious, healthy, and trusted. It is a
family owned company, locally based, and promotes a balanced lifestyle. All of these factors are
allowing it to grow to become one of the leading brands in the cereal aisle.
Another good use for the Sustainability Passion index might be to identify advertising
that isn’t needed. A company like Nature’s Path won’t advertise their products on a network
catering to action shows or humorous cartoon shows such as the Simpsons. After doing
research, they know the people who watch those shows won’t necessarily be into healthy food
or care about the environment. These people will most likely belong to the “the self serving nonbeliever” category. A chip or fast food company such as McDonalds or Lays chips might instead
focus in on these channels for product promotion. Nature’s Path would focus more on channels
or radio stations that show health programs, or parent networks where people are more likely to
care about their children’s health and the environment.