Sixty percent of German citizens claim in surveys that they pay attention to sustainable qualities when shopping - but only a fraction of them actually do. Where is the black hole in which sustainable consumers seem to mysteriously disappear between the survey and the supermarket checkout? Johanna Gollnhofer has an illuminating explanation: misguided marketing. Instead of green visuals, eco-appeals and dying polar bears, products need relevant messages, attractive packaging and a competitive price. Pleasure instead of sacrifice. More instead of less.
And our podcast guest should know. Johanna Gollnhofer is a professor of marketing at the University of St. Gallen and has just dedicated an entire book to the 60 percent potential. In this podcast episode, she explains what really makes the silent majority tick. Why contradictions are not a problem for the largest population group, but pragmatism. And how sustainable brands can finally get out of the eco niche and into the mainstream.
The key to this lies in clever marketing and strong brands. “The golden age of sustainable marketing,” Johanna is convinced, ”has only just begun.”
Read more: Johanna Gollnhofer & Jan Pechmann's helpful and insightful book “Das 60%-Potenzial - Mit Marketing die breite Masse für grünen Konsum gewinnen” has been published by Campus-Verlag.