Ecotopia: Bellwether Region Offers Look at Future Lifestyles

Although marketers have discovered that mass marketing has become obsolete in many product and service categories, they are probably not aware of the extent to which markets have fractionalized. That is the main point made by marketers and researchers in ''Ecotopia,'' considered by many to be the prime US bellwether region regarding consumer lifestyles and trends. Ecotopia refers to the narrow strip of the US West Coast from Juneau, Alaska, to south of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. This region is united not only by geographical, topographical, and natural-resource factors, but also economic, social, cultural, and political similarities that make it a nation unto itself. An Ecotopian would rather live in harmony with the natural environment than develop it and would rather experience than consume. This person also thinks work should not only provide money for survival, but also enhance life. The observations of marketers, manufacturers, and other businesspeople support the view of Ecotopia as an entity unto itself.