Sustaining Consumer Attention

A recent report by The Hartman Group found that slightly more than half of consumers "claim any familiarity at all with the term 'sustainability'". It goes on to discuss that consumers and industries have very different views of sustainability. For consumers, it's about holding onto certain aspects of their lives or the world by avoiding risks and keeping the world "safe". This starts within the consumer and works its way out to the household, the community, the nation and so on...

Does this mean that the fact that we at FreeBird raise our chickens on sustainable family farms is of no interest to most consumers? Not so fast...While they may not use the word "sustainable" to describe their own purchasing behaviors, the key values that play into their "safe" purchasing are healthier, local, social responsibility, environmental responsibility, simple living and control. All of these are naturally achieved through sustainable farming.

We need to educate consumers so that this isn't just another industry term. For example, we need them to know that eating chickens raised without antibiotics is not only better for the environment, but better for their health. This should be basic knowledge. The better we do, the less likely "sustainability" will become just another passing fad.