Fear: The One Marketing Technique I'll Never Use!  

There's something that's been bothering me lately: some (not all!) of the advertising methods used in the eco sphere.

I would say with pretty strong certainty, that all of us in the eco-world are working towards the same goal: A healthier planet, strong ecosystems, and less waste. 

From Here to Home Essentials, along with many refilleries, bulk stores, zero-waste stores, etc., work towards that goal by encouraging people to switch to refilling and make plastic-free swaps, which is something most people may not be used to, or even be thinking about. 

I've noticed that a lot of the advertising (especially in the trad wife arena, which commonly overlaps [and is a whole other bag of worms]) is based on fear and purity, and the fear especially bothers me because it overrides the viewers sense of logic and reason and it makes the choice feel "all or nothing."

This is especially true and noticeable in products marketed towards parents of children, with claims like: 

• 5 Things DESTROYING Your Baby's Skin
• Swap this TOXIC brand for this CLEAN one
• 5 Things I would NEVER put on my kids (from a doctor!)
• Products I will NEVER Let my children use....
• TOXIC items in the baby care aisle (complete with GASP emoji)
• Crunchy Mom Products that are Actually TOXIC to Babies
• These CLEAN products aren't clean (and how to buy the ones I get a kickback from!)
• Or, and this one REALLY rankles me "Sunscreen has cancer causing chemicals, so don't use sunscreen on your baby! Actually the sun is really good for you and doesn't cause melanoma." I have life experience to demonstrate otherwise. But I digress....

I searched "baby skin care" on Instagram and these are some of the top examples. I'm not linking them because I don't want to give them traffic, because of course, EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. was selling a course, supplement, or had an affiliate code, using new parents' fears to sell them "a magic product" for their kids.

Why sell with fear? Because it works. 

This fear-driven advertising is everywhere because 1. it works and 2. algorithms reward this type of content, that you have to click on because what if the Aveeno you rubbed on your baby's rash is basically the same as rubbing chlorine bleach on their delicate baby skin?! 

Everyone wants to do right by their children, and no one wants to accidentally harm their children! Of course parents want to be cautious! I'm sure you've seen even more posts in this genre, like, "If you give your kids this you're basically POISONING THEM," and it's like...cereal. No one is suggesting that young children eat cereal every day, for every meal (barring a medical condition). 

I get why companies use this kind of marketing shortcut: it works.

NO ONE wants to harm their children, especially when they can ~avoid harm, illness, disease~ by ~buying this clean, non-chemical, non-toxic~ product. I find this kind of marketing deeply unethical and misleading, and I won't be participating.

Here's just a few advertising buzzwords that can be completely meaningless: 

• Recyclable: Just because something CAN be recycled in theory, that doesn't mean it will be- especially if its plastic.
• Biodegradable/Compostable: There are items that are both, but the term is often overused. Some items are only compostable in industrial composters, and will not break down in your back yard barrel- and none of it will break down in a landfill. Check for a BPI certification. 
• Non-Toxic: Often used to mean that a product doesn't contain certain solvents, plastics, fragrances, etc., but this is an unregulated marketing term. Some chemicals are not toxic on the skin, but very toxic if you consume them. Some chemicals are toxic in rat studies in extremely high doses that would be nearly impossible for humans to consume. Even water is toxic in high enough quantities. See also: 'clean.' 
• Green/Eco-Friendly/Sustainable etc: Completely unregulated terms!
  In defense of these terms: They're often used (as FH2HE does!) to signal to certain types of customers, because those folks are using these words as search terms, rather than a distinct claim. The best way to check is to look into a company and understand their policies, wages, sourcing, etc. 

This whole thing irks me, in part, because my background is in history, so I'm used to thinking in a lot of nuance and really complicated topics. Unfortunately, that doesn't work in advertising. Advertising relies on buzzwords that catch your attention and override your critical thinking and reasoning skills, encouraging you to rely on emotions like fear. 

But I can tell you this for sure:

These companies and influencers exist to sell you things. There is no one single product to avoid (or buy) that will guarantee you or your family a life of perfect health.

Influencers and businesses use these terms (all-natural, non-toxic, chemical-free, clean, toxin-free, etc) to trigger an emotional response. They are un-regulated, and just that, marketing buzzwords. 

The truth is: an individual solution doesn't exist. Yes, there are microplastics, and we don't fully understand how those will affect us yet. And honestly, the cat is out of the bag on this one: placentae and breast milk have been found to contain microplastics. If you're alive, you've got some plastic rattling around inside you. 

And you know what? It's probably not great! BUT: 

Microplastics (and pollution, etc.) are a public health problem that require public health investment, research, and solutions. 

At the end of the day, in America, your zip code (and your wealth) are the biggest predictors of your health and your family's health- not whether or not your kids have some candy, or if they had plastic toddler plates, or if you rubbed some Aveeno on their dry spots, or if they played with a receipt in the car: it is your zip code. It is having reliable access to medical care. It is having enough to eat. It is safety. It is preventative medicine. 

No one can "rugged individualism" their way to perfect health, ESPECIALLY not when we're all breathing the same air, drinking the same water, etc. etc.

For example: what if, instead of looking for an Instagram guru to point out the best, healthiest products, we collectively decided to work to ban potentially harmful chemicals? Or, you know, make sure all children have clean water, clean air, and food in their bellies.

There's a LOT of wildly questionable and inaccurate information out there, especially with regards to advertising "clean" products, which is how people have asked me for things like "chemical free soap." And no shade to them! At all! But everything is a chemical- air, water, soil, the breathing process, all chemical. 

And sure, I could tell you that plastic-free, greywater safe, allergen-free products like the ones I stock are the magic solution...but that's not who I am. Not using fear-based, or purity-based advertising probably DOES cost me some customers...nuance is not a great advertising technique. 

(SPEAKING OF NUANCE: There's a whole other addendum to this: many of the 'green' certifications are VERY cost prohibitive, so even if something isn't certified, it may still be a high quality product.)

Really though, the onus isn't 100% on any one person to make everything perfect. A hundred families lifting a perfect "toxin-free, clean life" isn't as beneficial to us as a whole as fighting for clean water, air, soil, etc.

From Here to Home Essentials is based in hope.

I do think we can build a better planet. And I think From Here to Home Essentials, refilling, and plastic-free swaps are a part of that future.  I think to design the future, we need to be honest about the scope, scale, and seriousness of the problems currently facing us today- and some of that is straight up grim. Truly though, I believe there are solutions that go beyond buying a certain brand or product. 

My business is based in hope not fear. I'm not here to scare you. I'm not going to scare you into buying something. And I'm absolutely not going to tell you that you're harming your children if you don't, or setting them up for a lifetime of health challenges, or anything else.  (Unless, of course, if you tell me about an allergy, then I will ABSOLUTELY tell you to avoid certain products! After all, I am not a chemist or doctor.)

I believe that a plastic-free circular economy is better for us in the long run, and I hope you'll join me!