New Report Offers Insights to Marketers on How to Brand to EcoAware Dads

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) St. Petersburg, FL -  July 27, 2010 - A new consumer marketing report from EcoFocus Worldwide entitled Make Way for EcoAware Dads provides valuable insights to brand marketers as the new EcoAware Dad trend continues to evolve. The study shows that there is a strong and unattended market for home building, home improvement, durables, electronics, household goods, lawn and garden products, energy, transportation, and more. Already, more than 1 in 2 Dads always or usually factor environmental considerations into their purchase decisions, and another 32% sometimes do so. Almost 9 in 10 say it is important enough to change brands to make a more eco-friendly choice and more than 4 in 10 are prepared to pay more for environmentally friendly products that get it right. 

According to the EcoFocus report, marketers should watch for EcoAware Dads to be shopping more often for products made with plant based or renewable materials, installing solar panels and on-demand water heaters, choosing more energy efficient vehicles, using green electronics, and landscaping with native plants. EcoAware Dads will be composting, recycling, and planning trips to reduce transportation needs more often. Home repairs and remodeling will be made for greater efficiency and less exposure to potentially health-hazardous materials.   “The EcoAware Dad defines sustainability as a means of living in a way that ensures future generations will be able to have the conveniences and luxuries we enjoy today,” stated Lisa Harrison, Research Director at EcoFocus. “He doesn’t want to make compromises for a sustainable lifestyle or more eco-friendly home; in fact he is less willing to make compromises than his childless counterpart.”   The report also shows that more than 3 in 4 EcoAware Dads agree that “with each step I take to make my home or lifestyle more eco-friendly, it gets easier to take the next step”. The key barriers are cost, convenience, and availability. Key advantages are safety, durability, and efficiency. The study says that:  

• 68% wish they could buy environmentally friendly products more often, but they are often not affordable.

• 58% wish they could buy environmentally friendly products more often, but they are often not available.

• 37%  feel that many sustainable or green solutions are not practical for their lifestyle today. 

This is why the EcoFocus marketing strategists recommend that marketers must:  

• Give him credit for what he is already doing right and help him take the next step.

• Speak to where his economic or safety interests intersect with his environmental interests for your brand, product or service.

• Reinforce and empower EcoAware Dad to provide the best choices for his family today and for future generations tomorrow. 

• Create opportunities for eco-friendly practices that enable him to engage with his family, especially his children.

Some activities already undertaken by many EcoAware Dads include home weather-proofing and insulation, upgrading to energy and water efficient appliances, installing purification systems for tap water, buying energy saving windows and window treatments, replacing used bulbs with CFL’s, and recharging batteries. Many EcoAware Dads are recycling, and some are already composting kitchen waste for the garden. EcoAware Dads consider green or eco-friendly features important when choosing products for their homes and living spaces, from paints and wallpapers to flooring and carpeting to lawn and garden products.    What’s next on his to-do list? “Doing more of what he is already doing, and doing it more often” forecasts Linda Gilbert, CEO of EcoFocus. “As solutions are more available, these early steps will become integrated into behavior. In fact, EcoAware Dads expect that their children will build on the foundations laid today when raising their own families tomorrow,” explains Gilbert.    For more information about the new EcoFocus report Make Way for EcoAware Dads or to schedule an interview with Ms. Harrison or Ms. Gilbert regarding the research findings, please contact Fran Lowe at 510-735-9871 (PST) or Sheryl Zapcic at 717-875-4545 (EST).    About EcoFocus Worldwide EcoFocus Worldwide conducts consumer trend research and provides marketing consulting specializing in consumer perspectives on green and sustainable goods and services as well as insights into the health and wellness marketplace.  Clients include businesses with products and services that touch consumers in their homes and daily lives: foods and beverages; personal care and cosmetics; household cleaning and home improvements; gardening and pest control; school and home office supplies; transportation; restaurants; packaging and recycling, and other consumer and B2B goods and services.  http://www.ecofocusworldwide.com.   EF8003