Liveblogging LOHAS - Marketing

Will be covering the LOHAS conference over the next couple of days.  First session:  "LOHAS Marketing"

Host: 
Mark Spellum, Editor in Chief, Plenty Magazine

Panelists:
Susan West Kurz, CEO, Dr. Hauschka Skin Care
Rick Ridgeway, VP Communications and Environmental Initiatives, Patagonia
Laura Coblentz - VP Marketing, Wild Oats
Peter David Pedersen - CEO, E-Squared

Spellum: "How to maintain your connection to the conscious consumer?"

"The conscious consumer" -- Difficult to market to...proactive...highly involved.

79% of americans consider corporate citizenship when deciding to buy a product.

key point:  AUTHENTICITY

Worries...wanting Plenty to be accepted by "activitists."  Pragmatic approach (30% post-consumer recycled, balanced is sustainably harvested).

How to communicate to the LOHAS Consumer...

Problems they discovered...looked a little TOO much like every other magazine.  Problem w/o multi-million dollar marketing budget.

50/50 gender balance on readers.

Things to remember:
- Can't satisfy everyone
- Upfront with who you are

Kurz: "Dr.Hauschka is transparent...it works from the inside-out."  Company is held in a trust ... can't be traded, can't be inherited.  Working in Turkey, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, beyond.  "We're not defined by the market...we're defined by who we are."

"Caring, committed...now in the top two spas in the world, and 400+ smaller spas."

Then the "luxury" market came to them.

"Authenticity is the ultimate luxury."

Shifting from "outer-imposed" beauty to that which is driven from the inside-out.

Food
Product
Meditation
...lots of different ways to find Dr.Hauschka

"The best way to market is to define who you are."

Our business is about human relationships...commitment *and* profitability at every level.

Ridgeway: Starts with story of the founders of Patagonia...surfing, rock climbing, etc.

"Not too many people need pitons and carabiners...but they all have to wear clothes!"

Rivermouth story...development wanted to go in

Operational principles:
- To lead and examine life...

**when given a personality test, companies are social deviants and pathological liars**

- clean up your act...examined ops, and found most polluting, and made them have less impact

- do your penance..."1% for the planet," have granted over $25MM

- support civil democracy...three ways to make change...federal gov't, local gov't, civil democracy.  the third is the most important.  $25MM has been given to the grassroot

- use our business to inspire change in other businesses...in other words, influence others.  over 300 companies now in 1%

"we love to acknowledge our competitors when they do the right thing."

what do we do to be a leader?  first company to recycle some lines, true cradle-to-cradle.  want to have 100% recycled, and made from 100% recycled content by 2010.

Coblenz:

"Building a brand that is meaningful to consumers."

Unfortunately chose to fall to the powerpoint crutch.  Next...

Pedersen:

More Powerpoint.

LOHAS in Japan is huge.
40% recognition of the concept of LOHAS in Japan in the general population.

Actual conversation started at 3:00pm...over one hour in...

Advice to entrepreneurs..."commoditization is happening with organic.  walmart is going to be the largest organic retailer on planet earth."

patagonia:  "our job is accomplished if walmart commits to organic cotton...we've inspired other businesses."

--

 

Overall, had some unmet expectations from this session...the "panel" discussion was a series of five "tell about our company" monologues.  Overall, left a little flat...five monologues, ran over time, had time for ONE question from the audience.  Humph.  Got the hook 15minutes after time ran over.

That said, the two lines that popped out, from Susan Kurz, "Authenticity is the ultimate luxury" and the one from Rick Ridgeway, "when given a personality test, companies are social deviants and pathological liars" require some further thought.

tags: lohas, sustainable, green

Comments

[Tomoe YENERER]

I'd like to make a contact with some LOHAS group working in Turkey. I will be very grad if you give me their contact mail address. Thank you.