Selling a Lifestyle, Offering a Choice, Creating Change

Words

“We believe addressing even the largest of problems starts with small solutions” - ChicoBag™ Company.

These slogans get people thinking about what they can do in their everyday lives to change the world we live in. In the last few years I’ve noticed an initiative to get people using reusable bags for shopping trips, groceries and even just carrying as purses. This sort of slogan leaves people feeling inspired to help with sustainability; utilizing rhetoric at its finest, getting people involved.

A good slogan or informative website implements various tools of rhetoric like ethos, pathos and logos. Facts are always a huge influence over what people choose, numbers give us a concrete idea of what’s going on. By giving the consumer the opportunity to change the world, the company makes an emotional appeal. And of course, a reusable bag is much better for the environment than plastic, that’s just logical.

Fashion

Taking the written one step further, in selling an attractive bag, more people are willing to purchase it and use it. When originally released, many people bought canvas bags simply because they were fashion statements. In starting there though, the issue becomes well known. Slowly, more and more options are available with facts about how reusable is better for the environment than paper or plastic. Ads are especially effective at using visual rhetoric to sell a product. Here, the bag is pictured in the vegetable section, not in a landfill, polluting our world.

While celebrity culture has faded in endorsing these bags, the usage is still catching on. I’ve noticed people using their own bags more and more, whether for the discount or because they want to make a difference. What seems like a silly fashion trend can actually find its way into everyday life; I know it has in my family.

Change

By offering discounts on groceries for bagging with your own bags, giving away bags at large events and making them attractive, people are more likely to change their ways. This includes keeping a small bag in your purse, carrying a few in your car or buying them for friends. And so by selling a lifestyle, real change is implemented.

In my own family, my dad always keeps his own bags in his car in case he has to run to the grocery store after work, or if he needs to carry extra stuff into work. He’s even left me with his bag obsession. I have a few in my car and have already amassed my own collection of canvas bags, which have served me well for day trips and long vacations. So maybe ChicoBag™ Company is on the right path with what they say, we can be a large change through small means.

HERE