Religion and sustainability - motives

When people think about marketing, the most common thing that comes to mind is advertising. However, there is far more to marketing than just advertising. Understanding what a consumer wants and why they would be interested in a product help dictate what product to develop, how to advertise the product, how much to sell it for, and where to distribute it.

In the case of sustainable products, researchers are debating what motivates consumers to "go green". It may benefit marketers to step back from motive generalization applied to all consumers and look at consumer's core values. Religion provides one of the most influential sources of core values. My preliminary research shows that religious consumers are less sustainable due to perceptions that the world will end soon and less of a need to care for the planet. These values should translate into motives for marketers. While a non-religious individual may be highly motivated by "save the environment", "help the planet for generations to come" campaigns, religious consumers, instead, may be more motivated by "save money" or "reduce your energy bill" campaigns. Understanding motives can help all consumers to embrace pro-social campaigns such as sustainability.