Biophilic Marketing: Analyzing Strategic Implications in Startups

Introduction

In today's world, where competition between organizations has increased sharply and business environments have faced rapid and complex changes, marketing plays a key and undeniable role in the success and sustainability of various institutions, including companies and service providers. Marketing is no longer just a tool for promoting a product or service, but acts as a strategic bridge between the organization and its stakeholders and has a pivotal position in the process of identifying customer needs, building a desirable brand image, and guiding the path of organizational growth. On the other hand, the accelerated urbanization trend in recent decades has significantly changed the pattern of human relations with nature. This transformation has affected not only humans as biological beings, but also the built environments that are the context of human interactions and activities. In recent years, concepts related to biophilic design have been widely used in various fields. The use of elements such as natural light, plants, water, natural materials, and green landscapes has become one of the main strategies for improving the quality of built spaces. Also, scientific evidence has shown that biophilic design plays an important role in enhancing the experience of space by improving mood, reducing stress, increasing productivity, and restoring cognitive ability of individuals.

Methodology

The present study is a mixed-type (qualitative-quantitative) study with an applied and descriptive-survey approach that examines the strategic consequences of biophilic marketing in start-up businesses. The statistical population includes managers of start-up businesses and university professors with expertise in the fields of marketing and the environment, who were selected using purposive sampling and based on the principle of theoretical sufficiency, with a total of 16 people. In the qualitative part, data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The interviews were designed and conducted with the aim of accurately and deeply identifying the consequences of biophilic marketing. Then, the interview text was analyzed using coding and thematic classification software (MAXQDA) to extract key themes and consequences. After extracting the consequences in the qualitative stage, a quantitative method was used to determine the importance and priority of each consequence. In this regard, the causal relationships and the degree of influence of the consequences on each other were determined using the fuzzy cognitive mapping approach. This method allows for analyzing system dynamics, simulating the future behavior of variables, and prioritizing factors based on their impact. For this reason, FCM is a powerful tool for decision-making and analyzing complexities in fields such as marketing, management, engineering, and social sciences. It should be noted that the required quantitative data was collected through a specialized questionnaire (researcher-made) that was completed by the same 16 participants in the qualitative section. Also, to assess the validity and reliability of the data collection tool in the qualitative section, content construct validity (after initial analysis, the findings or interpretations of the interviews were shared with the participants themselves and approved) and intra-coder and inter-coder reliability were used, respectively. On the other hand, in the quantitative section, content validity and test-retest reliability were used to assess the data collection tool. Finally, the consequences of biophilic marketing in start-up businesses were identified and prioritized.

Discussion and Results

The findings indicate that, with the help of content analysis, seventeen strategic consequences of biophilic marketing (creating a brand identity as an ambassador of nature, attracting multicultural talents, increasing brand social capital, increasing brand flexibility, promoting environmental awareness and sensitivity, creating a sustainable competitive advantage, increasing a sense of belonging and customer loyalty, improving customer satisfaction indicators, reducing business costs, helping to develop a circular and sustainable economy, increasing consumer empathy, facilitating the consumer decision-making process, strengthening business emotional intelligence, strengthening a sense of brand social responsibility, attracting green and sustainable investments, increasing creativity and innovation, and increasing customer participation) were identified for start-up businesses. Also, using fuzzy mapping, helping to develop a circular and sustainable economy, attracting multicultural talents, creating a sustainable competitive advantage, reducing business costs, facilitating the consumer decision-making process, and creating a brand identity as an ambassador of nature are the most important consequences of biophilic marketing in start-up businesses.

Conclusion

Biophilic marketing, as a new and comprehensive approach, reflects fundamental changes in consumer behavior and society's attitudes towards the environment. In today's world, where environmental awareness is rapidly increasing, start-ups are faced with financial and time constraints that require differentiating and efficient solutions. Biophilic marketing allows start-ups to create a significant competitive advantage by integrating natural elements into products, services and marketing communications, while fulfilling their social responsibilities. From a strategic perspective, this approach helps start-ups to increase market share and align their long-term vision with sustainable development, as today's consumers are looking for brands that consider not only product quality but also its environmental and social impacts.

Keywords: Biophilic Marketing, Circular Economy Development, Multicultural Talents, Creating a brand identity, Start-up Businesses