Color Clients to Die Green

When you’re thinking about being six feet under, you’d prefer the grass and trees above you to thrive. That’s one interpretation of the conclusions from researchers at National Central University in Taiwan, University of Brawijaya, National Dong Hwa University, and Vietnam’s University of Economics. The researchers found that consumers who contemplate their own death with trepidation become more likely to engage in green—ecologically conscientious—actions.
     This applied to favoring actions which minimize the demolition of natural habitats, avoid the use of toxic substances, prevent pollution, and reduce wasteful consumption of energy. In the studies, death anxiety prompted these actions more strongly than did an attitude of social responsibility.
     This doesn’t mean you should arouse contemplation about death solely to encourage green behavior. But it does mean you can work toward fulfilling your responsibilities to society by encouraging customer contemplation of green behavior in circumstances where discussing death is an integral part of the sales process. This would apply to life insurance, funeral planning, and estate planning, for example. In addition, there are certain times when death is more likely to be thought about by your target markets, and therefore your arguments for ecologically conscientious actions would be particularly well received. Periods after massive natural disasters, news about dangers to life from climate change, and holidays such as Day of the Dead and Memorial Day are examples.
     Interest in dying green could be considered as coming from a desire—seen most often in elderly consumers—to leave a legacy. Ironically, green behavior also is, at least from one perspective, wasteful and indulgent. Studies at Central Michigan University and National Dong Hwa University found that consumers believe cleaning products touted as being green are less effective than others, so the consumers use more of them for the equivalent task.
     Terror Management Theory says our realization we will someday die leads us to crave the promise of life in an afterworld and to us building legacies of children, fame, and fortune. One consumer motivation for buying products which are unnecessarily luxurious is to build enough self-esteem to protect against death anxiety. Research projects at Stanford University discovered that a protection against death anxiety is high self-esteem. The colloquial phrase “I was so embarrassed I could’ve died” reflects a relationship between threats to self-esteem and one’s demise. Similarly, when consumers experience life mastery, death anxiety is less likely to produce green behavior.

For your success: Retailer’s Edge: Boost Profits Using Shopper Psychology

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