The latest Iconoculture report digs into the green trend. Iconoculture calls the trend "SustainAbilities", defined as "How long will the planet and its resources last?" This trend is driving consumers and businesses to choose sustainable means and ways.
What is important to business in the new home sector are the values that motivate consumers to make specific purchasing decisions. We can consider these values in determining everything from our product assortment to our marketing messages, to the specific way we target each home buyer group.
If you haven't already made some moves down the 'green' road as a company, you are falling behind. Iconoculture says that "SustainAbilities" has already surfaced to the consumer mainstream in the home/garden sector , as well as beverage, community/world, fashion, food, transportation, work and learning sectors. It isn't far behind in entertainment, media, money/spending, retail and technology.
Knowing your design center is a blend of the home/garden/money/spending/retail consumer worlds, it tells us we had better get moving!
From Wikepedia: Personal Values
Personal values evolve from circumstances with the external world and can change over time. Values are applied appropriately when they are applied in the right area. Personal values are implicitly related to choice; they guide decisions by allowing for an individual's choices to be compared to each choice's associated values.
Iconoculture lists values and motivators that drive this type of green consumer behavior:
sustainability
Based in environmentalism and ethics – the notion that personal and business decisions should maintain Earth and its resources.
environmentalism
Preserving and conserving irreplaceable plants, animals, places, energy sources and other resources vital to the well being of Earth’s ecosystems.
conscience
Ethics, fairness and responsibility tug at you to do the right thing. The world will be a better place, and you might just become a better person, too.
flexibility
The ability to bend, adapt or change course quickly. Flexibility is the key to staying vital through ups and downs, highs and lows.
fulfillment
The satisfaction of realizing dreams for family, community and world.
hope
Wishes, desires, a better tomorrow – all within reach from the optimistic viewpoint of hope.
integrity
I say what I mean, mean what I say and act accordingly. Resolve, strength and courage to do what you know is right, in every arena of life.
leadership
The ability to see beyond the moment to a bigger, better future and take others from here to there. Equal parts communication, strategy and motivation.
legacy
The desire to leave behind a lasting reminder that will outlast our earthly departure.
practicality
Forget theory. Practicality gets down to the reality of how things actually work and get done.
responsibility
The buck stops here. Being accountable and answerable for your actions or the actions of others.
Every decision you make about product assortment is a perfect opportunity to show home buyers your green leadership as a builder. Work with your major manufacturers to make the best choices for this conscientious consumer. Many choices, surprisingly, are no more expensive to the builder or to the consumer.
*I recently wrote a letter to the editor of Dwell magazine, (one of the best American magazines of design, lifestyle and aesthetics, balanced by sustainability, responsibility and environmental impact) My letter chastised Dwell for showcasing a vent-free fireplace in a magazine known for targeting the green conscious consumer. (No, It hasn't been published yet, but I am watching!)
Working for Hearth and Home, a fireplace manufacturer who takes indoor air quality very seriously, I was shocked that Dwell and the project architect failed to consider the long term and unintended costs of an unvented hearth system. Excess moisture leading to mold, unhealthy indoor air quality, odor and interior soot are all potential by-products of an unvented hearth. These issues would be eliminated by specifying a direct-vent gas fireplace which is endorsed by virtually every Green building program as well as the American Lung Association). (Of course a Heat & Glo, Quadra-Fire or Heatilator hearth system could fill this need)
Case in point, as a builder, it is critical that you point out to the consumer the product and building decisions you make that support their green values, and challenge your manufacturers to share their expertise in this area. This can be done in the selling process, by packaging or bundling 'green' options, or by calling out choices with special logos or informational signing.
Iconoculture is a leading consumer strategist and trend expert company, based in Minneapolis. Their clients include companies like Toyota, Master Card and Sony. You can sign up to receive their weekly consumer trend newsletter here.
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Krisann Parker-Brown is the merchandising manager for Hearth and Home Technologies, the leading manufacturer and retailer of fireplaces and hearth systems. Krisann supports design centers and new construction builders in presenting Heat & Glo, Heatilator and Quadra-Fire hearth systems, and consulting on design center merchandising, point of sale and the consumer experience. Contact her at brownkr@hearthnhome.com or 952-985-6537
