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Purchasing Power
"Vegetarians love food!” says Bartlett. Some of the most popular products among the veg crowd, he says, are faux meats and prepackaged items, which help make the transition to a vegetarian diet easier. “Some of the most popular brands are BOCA, Morningstar Farms, Silk Soymilk and Tofutti soy ice cream products, all of which are available at major grocery stores nationwide,” Bartlett says.
Because vegetarians are interested in health, the environment and animal welfare, you’ll find their cabinets full of green cleaning products, products that haven’t been tested on animals, vitamins and supplements, and organic personal care products. According to Bartlett, the Caring Consumer section of PETA.org—where users can browse lists of companies that do and don’t test on animals—is extremely popular. Vegetarians also go on eco-friendly vacations and donate to animal welfare groups and environmental causes.
Reaching the Veg Market
Vegetarians are very plugged-in—they’re often online researching various veg products—which means the Internet is a good way to reach this market. Direct mail is also a winner, but Holland stresses that you’ll want to use recycled papers and soy-based inks and be sure to let your market know that your mailings are environmentally friendly. Another way to get vegetarians to take notice is to run print ads in niche magazines like VegNews and Vegetarian Times.
You’ll cover all your bases, and reach the most loyal vegetarians, by targeting vegans. “Most marketers make the smart move of catering to all vegetarians and interested people by making sure that their products and messages are vegan-friendly,” says Bartlett. If you have a vegan-friendly product, consider applying for certification so vegetarians feel confident buying it. You can learn about the vegan logo from the Vegan Society and register for one here. You can also learn about the Certified Vegan Logo from Vegan Action here.
Your marketing should hit on vegetarians’ main concerns: “The ‘big three’ concerns ... are animals, environment and health,” says Kochanowicz. Be sure to stress your product’s benefits as they pertain to these three concerns, even when you think they may be obvious. “I’ve seen products like coffee mugs marketed as eco-friendly because they’re reusable. But when have coffee mugs ever been disposable? Nevertheless, it works!” Kochanowicz says. “As a vegan, I don’t mind it at all if the same thing went for products normally free of animal products.”
Good buzzwords and phrases (assuming they’re true for your product) include fair trade, vegan, vegan-certified, not tested on animals and organic. Avoid vague words like “healthy,” which can mean anything—or nothing. Even “vegetarian-friendly” can be vague, as Kochanowicz has seen “vegetarian-friendly” products that contain chicken broth, fish ingredients and animal rennet.
When targeting vegetarians, your message needs to be authentic. “This audience is very savvy; they question marketing,” says Holland. “One mistake marketers make is to create an ad or marketing materials that are too commercial, too glossy, too mainstream.” If you’re not sure how to speak vegetarians’ language, Holland suggests hiring a green marketing firm or, if you’re advertising in a magazine or targeting a magazine’s readers, ask the publication’s ad department for help.
Vegetarians are fiercely loyal to the brands that address their concerns. Show a vegetarian how your product is compassionate to animals and environmentally correct, and you’ll have a friend—and all her friends—for life.
Linda Formichelli is a freelance writer based in New Hampshire. She wrote about marketing to dentists in Target Marketing’s February issue.
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