Book Review: The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World

by Rona Fried, Ph.D.

For those of you who’ve spent much of your life believing there are few people who share your distinct values, you may or may not be pleasantly surprised to learn that you are NOT alone – you are one of 50 million people. There’s a name for you now – Cultural Creative (CC). And an industry is emerging to serve your unique needs. It also has a name – LOHAS – it stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability.

Paul Ray, a co-author of this new book, coined the term Cultural Creative to describe an American (and European) subculture that has, so far, escaped the radar of mainstream market research. The book tells the story of who they are, where they come from, and why they are important at this time in history. It is backed by a dozen years of values and lifestyle market research with well over 100,000 American participants. This subculture isn’t new, it is just much larger and more influential than most people are aware of – including the CC’s themselves. The surprise is that, over the past 40 years, it has quietly grown to its present size of 50 million Americans, or 26% of the adult population.

According to the authors, CC’s are living alongside the other two dominant American cultures, Moderns (46% of the U.S. population) and Traditionals (29%). Moderns value success and economic growth while Traditionals want a simpler, more moral and religious world. The authors contend this is “a tipping point time, a time of change where there is enormous leverage for a creative minority to really make a difference. Our biggest challenges are to preserve life on the planet and to find a way past the overwhelming spiritual and psychological emptiness of modern life.”

How Can You Recognize a Cultural Creative?
One reason market researchers may miss CCs as a group is because their similarities lie in their values, not their demographics. They tend to have average incomes (median 1999 income, $53,000); few are very poor or very rich. They are only slightly better educated than most, are dispersed among all age groups (except over 70), and live all over the country (not just California). Many are independents politically. The one defining characteristic is that women outnumber men 60:40, and even more so, in the core group (about 24 million people).

They deeply care about the environment and social issues, about authenticity, self actualization, and about leading meaningful lives. They are behind the surging market for environmental products, natural foods, alternative health care and for products and services related to personal growth and spirituality. They read product labels carefully. The authors point out: “CCs are disenchanted with “owning more stuff,” and the materialism, the greed, the me-firstism, the status display, the glaring social inequalities of race and class, society’s failure to care adequately for elders, women and children.”

They listen to more radio and watch less television than “Moderns” or “Traditionals.” They want their food to be healthy, but also gourmet and ethnic. You will find them at weekend workshops and eco-tours – they are interested in “experiences” more than “stuff.” Their homes have original art and crafts pieces, and many books.

Although 72% of CCs say purchasing green products is very important to them, they find them too expensive overall. They believe a premium on green products exists because companies are not using technology well.

The growth of the LOHAS industry comes from the demand of CCs for its products and services. The following excerpts from the book describe this emerging “industry.”

Conscious Commerce
Here’s an example of how commerce can mix successfully with consciousness. In 1998 and 99, the top-selling

The business of consciousness is growing at a rate that surpasses almost everything else in today’s economy. As a result, CCs are becoming more and more attractive as potential customers – the “new natural consumer,” some observers call them. Contrary to the moans and groans that crass commercialism is ruining everything (some of which is quite justified), the confluence of the consciousness movement and business is spiraling into a feedback loop that drives the growth of both. In most cases, the result seems to be a high standard of quality.

This change toward lifestyles of health and sustainability is vastly underestimated in the popular press, so that most people are unaware of its scope.

Ecotourism is typical of industries done by CCs for CCs. You can hear the voice of the subculture in the way eco-travel businessman Will Weber describes his work: “The more authentically we present destination cultures and natural habitats, the more our travelers appreciate and value the experience. I can’t imagine a business with more potential for aiding environmental pre
servation and cross-cultural understandings.” Ecotourism has the kind of steeply uptilted growth curves you see for use of personal computers. But even though it’s growing very fast and getting to be very large, ecotourism as a trend is underreported in the press, even the business press.

Modernist businesses are often interested in CCs as a market. But they get frustrated because the Moderns’ tried-and-true techniques of advertising and selling turn off most of this population. Moreover, the Moderns are trying to sell them “stuff,” when CCs are much more interested in trying to make their lives work better.

How to Market to CCs
CCs are very loyal to businesses that appeal successfully to their values with products and services that fit their lifestyles. They are easily turned off by businesses that don’t use this approach. If they smell a standard sales pitch you will surely lose their interest.

* Build relationships with them by demonstrating the connection between your product/service and their values and by showing you are a person of integrity. Their values are a “package” and they take them everywhere they go.

* Walk your talk. Be personal and real. & show your passion for the environment and social issues, both in your products and in your company’s overall commitment.

* Show them you share their values. CCs are forever sorting out the wheat from the chaff. If they believe you too are discriminating, they’ ll trust your judgment.

* Make quality products. CCs research the products they buy and the companies they buy from. They don’ t buy on impulse. They see it as their duty to let others know about their experience with your company – both good and bad. They are looking for a durable, high quality product at a competitive price and they want to know its social/environmental impact. They consider where it comes from, how it’ s made, who makes it, and what happens when they’ re done with it. Tell authentic stories (avoid slick ads) that depict who you are and what your process is. They prefer to choose from a few well thought-out products than from a laundry list.

* Offer products/services that meet their expectations for price and convenience. CCs don’t want to spend more than a 5-10% price premium and they want to find products as conveniently as everyone else.

* Highlight the benefits they’ll receive. Rather than listing the many green features of your product/service, tell them about the benefits, including making the world a better place. Give them ways to easily access deeper information about the features, if they choose to learn more.

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Paul H. Ray, Ph.D. and Sherry Ruth Anderson, Ph.D., The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World, Harmony, 2000.