MOOD

With all that’s wrong in the world today, producers and manufacturers are recognizing the ethical desire to know more about a product’s lifestory – where production is, from what materials, by who, and how it gets to consumers for end use. Companies are doing this as both a marketing concept and for well-being. They want to show that they are morally responsible and stand behind a product’s lifestory (no tainted toothpaste here!). Fresh produce suppliers are first to realize this trend, much in line with the green and organic movement (think Whole Foods). Dole created a tracking system in which every fruit has its own tracking number; customers can then go online, enter the number and find out what farm the produce was picked from. Shopdroppers are a group of people that make the effort to find out a product's lifestory and then physically go into stores and place lifestory labels on products. Common suspects include Coca-Cola, produce and light bulbs. Tylenol has also taken a step forward in this direction with a TV commercial initiative showing supposed employees that talk into the TV convincing watchers that they care about what goes into Tylenol because they make it for their kids too.

INFLUENCE

Tracking the life of a product is of obvious interest to the rag trade since there is a common customer-knowledge that most clothing is made overseas in less than desirable conditions. High-end Dutch knitwear brand Flocks gives customers detailed information about the animals that provide wool for their sweaters. This is made possible since each sheep is tagged with an ID number and provides exactly enough wool for one sweater. While EUR 475 sweaters may solicit prime product knowledge, outerwear brand Timberland has also taken initiative to inform the end consumer of its roots by detailing “nutrition labels” on their products. Info includes factory location and specifications as well as the factory code of conduct. Wordy tags are especially popular in denim, so don’t be afraid to highlight ethical cotton farms and factories on those clunky hangtags. Loomstate organic denim has gone to the extent of making biodegradable hangtags with cotton seeds embedded in them, so that customers can plant the tag and grow their own cotton! Though we don’t know the accuracy level of some lifestyle stories, we do believe in it as an important marketing technique. Customers have an increasing thirst for product knowledge, and this is a great way to push positive branding in an ethical way. If you’re already producing in ethical standards, why not publicize it?