We are all in the midst of unprecedented change. From our institutions to personal lives, from technology to the economy, there’s an ominous rattling of the familiar. New life scratches at the weakening walls of conventional structures. Those of us who market, build brands and bring ideas to consumers face unprecedented chaos, competition and opportunity.

Awakening among millions of people around the world is a restless consciousness, a stirrng of sleeping souls. Desiring solutions and balance in their hectic lives and highly receptive to new ideas, this extraordinary audience—the potential of which lies within every human being—is not only seeking but embracing innovative and alternative concepts in food, finance, spirituality, health, entertainment, leadership, life.

LOHAS, (www.lohas.com), tracks the accelerating rise of this “conscious consumer” and the $228.9B marketplace for goods and services that appeal to people who value health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living—a marketplace expected to surge to $845B by 2012. Although it skews towards women, this large, yearning and loyal market segment cuts through traditional demographics and taps into the most meaningful mass trend to ever emerge globally. Once understood, the consumer “dial” can be turned up to appeal to a smaller but highly influential core audience or dialed down to engage a broad mass market.

The first swell of this transformative tsunami has hit corporate shores. Like Kombachu mushrooms, health and wellness divisions are sprouting within food companies. Corporations offer yoga and meditation to employees. Hybrid cars are status symbols. Health & Beauty brands are making it real. Walmart is going organic! The New Age has suddenly become The Now Age.

Extraordinary marketing opportunities accompany every shift in cultural consciousness. Consumers question traditional belief systems, institutions and relationships, including brand relationships. Who am I now and does this brand reflect my needs, values and desires? Whether marketing wealth management services or wellness products, talking to baby boomers or their elusive echo boomers, the best brand solutions launch people on their own personal journey towards better, healthier, more rewarding lives.

This is The Next Big Thing. Within five years, the conscious consumer will stand alongside the advent of computers, the birth control pill, and the explosion of the internet as monuments that transformed our existence and not only how consumers consume, but who they are. Companies who recognize this tectonic shift, expand their marketing perceptions and brave the unknown, will gain unprecedented social and financial leadership while creating more authentic, meaningful relationships with their consumers. Where will you be?

Please contact me at Lynnda@LynndaPollio.com for more information about my marketing, branding and content development work with the conscious consumer.

We have just begun a fundamental shift in all of our established social structures and are embarking on very challenging times. Although much will be lost, there is an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen consumer relationships using brands as guides. And in doing so, provide people with the tools, information and wisdom to help care for their families…and themselves.

In addition to massive job loss moving well into 2009 and the credit crisis that will ensue, the most devastating phase of this cultural transformation will be the collapse of adequate healthcare. As families lose income and insurance, massive numbers of people will stagger into the faltering healthcare system. More than ever, it will be critical for consumers to invest in staying healthy through nutritional foods and innovative wellness programs. One way or another, consumers will be paying for their health. Educating them to the broader benefits of better health, wisdom and wellness practices, while incorporating brands into these practices will secure business bottom line and engage consumers in progressive ways. It will also create a profound relationship with the American mother who will bear the emotional brunt of these struggles.

This is sobering stuff. Consumers will be hard hit in the months ahead. They will need food for the soul, as well as the body. It’s important that companies authentically participate by cultivating innovative programs and creative solutions that add deep, psychic value to ongoing marketing platforms. These kinds of wisdom and wellness initiatives do not replace conventional marketing think. They add value to them, increasing both the consumer’s quality of life and brand revenue.

Intuitive initiatives supporting consumers should become part of the nature of marketing. Traditional strategic and creative processes need to be infused with the new level of consumer consciousness that is emerging. Consumers will be making more conscious choices. Content, community and brand wisdom, as much as pricing, will determine the brands that they choose to guide them through this pivotal era.

Wisdom is about to become the new Green.