Wisdom and Ethical Consumerism
In the age of access, almost everyone has the ability to research everything from where they get their coffee to what kind of shampoo is best for them. This has meant a new era of consumers, one that is willing to spend money on things with an impact. Worse yet, stores have realized this too and are now using ethical consumerism as a marketing tactic. A recent example is Unilever's "What's your worth?" campaign in which consumers were asked how much they part with for shampoo. Unilever started this movement to encourage people to identify their value as a consumer by understanding that we need healthy choices within our disposable income – it can affect our health and overall well-being. Unilever's approach is creative and also goes a long way in helping consumers feel empowered in their purchases.
Ethical consumerism is not something new, nor is listening to the advice of ethical brands. The problem today is that a growing number of unethical companies are using marketing tactics to influence their customers' buying decisions, which can have far-reaching impacts on our health and ability to access healthy foods. Campaigns from both small and large companies are being driven by the goal of influencing consumer behavior. A recent example of this trend was revealed in a study done at Kellogg's with nearly one hundred thousand consumers. It discovered that approximately two thirds of the consumers were influenced by marketing messages that use deceptive health claims and quality messaging. [1]
Egoscue has a unique expertise in organic consumerism, which starts with an understanding of how to filter out the most potent and effective marketing campaigns from all of the other noise. We have spent years analyzing how to protect consumers from some of the more aggressive corporations that seek to manipulate their buying decisions through marketing campaigns. This is our niche and we are passionate about it.
However, we feel that there should be limitations on this kind of consumer manipulation. We also feel that consumers should be aware of how they are being marketed to. So, we will be mixing some wisdom with ethical consumerism and dissecting the most common marketing strategies being used today.
The use of organic consumerism as a marketing strategy is not new but has grown steadily in recent years as more people are concerned about which companies they support with their hard-earned money. It is no longer enough for us to empathize with the people running large food corporations—we must seek to understand the impacts of our purchasing decisions, and how they affect our health. This means making choices such as avoiding fast food that has been proven to have direct impacts on obesity and other detrimental health issues. It also means eschewing products that have been proven to contain ingredients that are harmful to our health.
Egoscue is a brand that is positioned on the intersection of wellness and organic consumerism. We are a brand whose mission is to remind people of their true worth, and we realize the importance of having well-informed consumers. In order for people to make informed decisions about what they put into their bodies, it's imperative that we make sure they know how food manufacturers are trying to influence their behavior. We believe consumers should know about the marketing techniques being used on them so they can become savvy shoppers and avoid being manipulated by corporations who use deceptive strategies and claims in an effort to improve their profits.
So, to break it down, let's start by looking at some common marketing tactics that companies are using. We will be taking a closer look at some of the tactics that have been used in recent years.
Marketing Tactics [2]
Name Tags [3] – These are the labels with your name on it. If you see any names on food, remember that they are coming from the manufacturer and not from you. This is often an indicator that it comes from a factory farm or another factory-like environment. It won't be organic so it is not fresh and healthy for you.
– These are the labels with your name on it. If you see any names on food, remember that they are coming from the manufacturer and not from you. This is often an indicator that it comes from a factory farm or another factory-like environment. It won't be organic so it is not fresh and healthy for you. Pretense of Health – Food companies will try to convince you that they are being good stewards of our health, but marketing research has proven that consumers do not believe this anymore. Additionally, many of these products contain additives that can have direct links to serious health issues such as obesity and diabetes.
– Food companies will try to convince you that they are being good stewards of our health, but marketing research has proven that consumers do not believe this anymore. Additionally, many of these products contain additives that can have direct links to serious health issues such as obesity and diabetes. Fast Food – An example of pretense of health in fast food industry marketing is the fact that they try to convince us that fast food is a way to keep us slim and healthy. Again, marketing research proves otherwise.
– An example of pretense of health in fast food industry marketing is the fact that they try to convince us that fast food is a way to keep us slim and healthy. Again, marketing research proves otherwise. Low Fat – Low fat marketing schemes are designed to convince us that we can lose weight by eating low fat foods. What what does this tell you? That they want you to become less healthy and more unhealthy.
– Low fat marketing schemes are designed to convince us that we can lose weight by eating low fat foods. What what does this tell you? That they want you to become less healthy and more unhealthy. Fat Free – Another marketing tactic is the idea that we need to eat foods at least 50% of which are not made up of fat in order to be healthy. This is a smokescreen for the fact that they want us to be sicker and less healthy.
– Another marketing tactic is the idea that we need to eat foods at least 50% of which are not made up of fat in order to be healthy. This is a smokescreen for the fact that they want us to be sicker and less healthy. Source of Antioxidants – Marketing companies will tell you that because they use some ingredients, such as blueberries, they will give you a lot of antioxidants. What they don't tell you is that these items have been processed and cooked in ways that destroy their natural properties, making them less effective in terms of antioxidants.
– Marketing companies will tell you that because they use some ingredients, such as blueberries, they will give you a lot of antioxidants.
Conclusion: Understanding the different marketing tactics helps us to better understand how our purchasing decisions affect human health. It is our belief that consumers are able to increase their level of awareness when it comes to their dollars. This leads to them making more informed purchases because they have a better idea of what is really in their food. We believe that this leads to healthier families and lower obesity rates in our country and around the world.
A Little Bit of Wisdom [4]
We all know that eating healthy is important, but it's not always easy to make the right choice when we are trying to fill our tummies.