The pandemic changed us.
The pandemic has caused one of the greatest shifts in consumer behavior we have witnessed in over a century.
On the one hand, there is a rising consciousness and increased connection to the health and sustainability of our planet and bodies. At the same time, the desire to live life to the maximum now, filled with unique experiences, indulgences, risks, travel, and unbridled hedonism has been amplified more so than ever before. These two competing forces create a unique tension.
It’s our mission at Squared Circles to resolve it.
Conscious Maximalist™ Report 2024
America’s New Wave of Conscious Consumers; How Conscious Brands Can Win the Culture Wars in 2024 and beyond.
A clear, uncomfortable tension.
Our proprietary research in partnership with the The Culture Factor Group surveyed 3,000 Americans, and shows them to be living a contradiction. 75% think that we hold at least some degree of power to make a meaningful difference to the climate crisis as an individual. But fewer, it seems, are willing to step up to the plate.
Agree/Strongly Agree
The rise of Conscious Maximalism.
We see the rise of a new consumer era of Conscious Maximalists™. Their Conscious and Maximalist tendencies create tensions offering profound possibilities for innovation.
These 46M adult Americans are early adopters who look for beacon brands that solve this tension. If you win with them, they can turn “niche” into “mainstream”. And science into culture.
“The health scare of the pandemic has really made me reconsider my own health and ways I can optimize what I eat and how I exercise so I stay healthy long term.”
“Right now I am watching what I am spending, especially on the bigger stuff. But I still get my kicks from indulgent meals, my favorite snacks or drinks."
“I find that people that max out their life and experience stuff much more interesting than those who show off their things. It's kind of obnoxious. You can kind of tell right away.”
“Every time I fall into routines, I feel I am kind of standing still.”
“While I appreciate companies making an effort towards sustainability, often it results in a pretty mediocre product. At the end of the day, I still want stuff to work."
“Obviously the affects of climate change are all around us and it can feel overwhelming at times but I do truly believe we can do something about it. It starts with your own actions.”
Go Deeper.
Like what you read and want to build on our thinking? We welcome the dialogue around our research and invite others to join the Conscious Maximalism conversation.
Or if you and your teams want to go deeper on our Conscious Maximalism™ data set or learn more about how to build products and brands for this influential new consumer: email us.