Minneapolis and St. Paul are both hotbeds for creativity. So it's no surprise that there are countless advertising agencies and marketing firms to choose from. But how do you choose one that's right for you?
If you have a
green product, service or mission, it's essential to choose an agency that speaks your language. It's not enough to create a green marketing campaign that expresses the eco-consciousness of your product. Environmentally-friendly attributes alone are not enough to entice your customers to open their wallets.
So take a close look at the work of several green marketing and LOHAS marketing firms. Meet with them. Get a vibe. Talk to their clients. Ask for quantitative results of campaigns they've created. Then dive in. Have fun. And know that you are actively harnessing the power of consumer choice to create positive change in the world.
Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing.
Toyota's Prius has done it again. This is a brand that
continues to innovate, connect with
consumers and push technological boundaries. Their new rooftop solar array that pulls hot air out of the car while parked, reduces the need for air conditioning—thereby increasing fuel efficiency.
As the head of a green advertising agency that specializes in environmental public relations, eco friendly marketing, natural advertising, LOHAS marketing and green energy, I can't help but
love this brand. I just hope U.S. car manufacturers are watching. Learning. And greening.
Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director for firefly180 marketing—a branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing.
Ugh. I love Sigg bottles. I've bought them for friends. Recommended them as a campaign element in clients' green marketing efforts. And have been a brand enthusiast for years.
Now the brand is up to their eyeballs in a
full-blown media crisis. Why? While its CEO may claim the issue is all a matter of semantics, the fact is Sigg was less than truthful about the presence of BPA in the lining of its bottles prior to 2006. As the head of a
green advertising and marketing agency that specializes in sustainable advertising, green public relations and LOHAS marketing, I feel Sigg's pain.
And I understand their temptation to
walk the fine edge of the truth. After all, they could rationalize that the BPA presence in their bottle lining was a non-leaching presence, so therefore it was no big deal. But it was a big deal. And the fact is, it is NEVER a good idea to tell less than the truth. Because at some point, the whole truth is always revealed.
So the next time you feel the need to dance around the truth. To tell parts of it. To offer less than full disclosure. Consider the predicament of Sigg—a former poster child for eco-consciousness. This once trusted brand no longer has the full faith of its fans. Consumers feel deceived. And damage control, if it is possible, will be immensely costly. Ask yourself, "Was it worth it?"
Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director for firefly180 marketing—a branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing.
I just learned that a Midwestern city in the midst of severe financial crisis is planning to build
a model green home on spec. Unlike similar homes that have been built and marketed in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Minneapolis, this home will be built in an economically distressed neighborhood.
The message? A
green lifestyle isn't just for those with fat bank accounts, green living today means dramatically improved energy efficiency—which brings cost savings conventional homes can't touch. As the owner of a green advertising agency and an expert in green communications, green marketing strategy, LOHAS marketing and eco promotions, I believe this city's messaging is right on track.
I've spent much of my career marketing and creating messaging strategies around renewable energy. Over the years, I've attended many green energy conferences and the technological advances and market applications have been absolutely stunning. Consumers have traditionally had to pay a stiff premium for most energy-saving and planet-friendly products. And while today the cost is still higher, the gap is slowly narrowing. What's better still is that green living is not only saving consumers money, those who are generating their own power are actually making more green.
Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director for firefly180 marketing—a branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing.
Somewhere down the line, in a lackluster windowless office, a business owner or marketing head got his or her wires crossed. It was the day they decided sales strategy meant selling. Not sharing. Not offering advice. Not being of service. But get their money first, ask questions later.
No one likes to be "sold." Especially if your audience is part of the more than $200 billion Lifestyles of He
alth and Sustainability (LOHAS) market. As an expert who has worked with scores of wellness companies and progressive businesses in the categories of wellness promotion, wellness marketing, environmental public relations and eco friendly marketing, I know for a fact that selling doesn't work.
What does work is understanding your audience. Listening. And offering solutions to problems. Sales come when you become an expert. When you are willing to guide your customers through unchartered waters and up Everest-like summits. Not only will the sales come. Your customers will come back again and again.
Walter Cronkite. His name was his brand. Besides being a respected journalist and communicator, he was the most trusted man in America.
While we feel the weight of this loss, Walter has lessons to teach us still. About trust. About integrity. And about connecting deeply with an audience.
Does your brand have what it takes to fill his shoes?
As the head of a marketing agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, environmental public relations, eco friendly marketing, wellness marketing and wellness promotion, I have long maintained that trust is the most vital part of any brand. I'm not talking about trust as a concept. But living, breathing, undeniable trust. When your customers know that if you as a brand screw up, you'll not only admit it, but make it right. The kind of trust that instills confidence when business is good. And patience when challenges arise.
Trust can't be bought. It can only be earned. Take it from Walter, when it comes to good branding, it's all about trust.
If you think environmental public relations is a great opportunity for spin, think again.
The public is smart. And the fact is that once some savvy blogger, journalist, reader or consumer smells deception, the gig is up.
As an expert in the categories of LOHAS marketing, wellness promotion, environmental public relations, wellness marketing and eco friendly marketing, I've worked with a lot of wellness companies and progressive businesses. And I can tell you with certainty that
any gains you think you've made by being less than truthful will cost you more in loss of brand integrity. If you still believe you can get away with a message that is anything less than the unvarnished truth—I hope you've got a crisis media plan in place. You're going to need it.
The next time you hire a wellness marketing firm, ask yourself these questions:
1. Is this firm fiscally and emotionally healthy?
2. Does this firm integrate wellness into their corporate model?
3. Is this firm proactive when it comes to healthy lifestyle choices?
4. Where does the concept of wellness fit into this firm's mission?
As an expert in the areas of LOHAS marketing, wellness promotion, eco friendly marketing and environmental public relations, I've found it's
essential to partner with a firm that is not only creatively, but personally aligned with your company, cause or product. Because the fact is, for most of us in the marketing arena, our job means much more than a paycheck. It's our passion. It's our way of contributing to a cause that's much larger than ourselves. And it's the reason we get out of bed every morning.
If you're working with a firm that's giving you less than 100%, maybe it's time you found a company who will. Doctor's orders.
Good creative is all about flow. It's not about forcing. Faking. Or over-thinking. It's about letting go. Using your head as much as your heart. Listening. And being heard. It's about climbing under the skin of your audience. Speaking their language. Being of service. And guiding them toward making choices that bring them joy.
At firefly180, when we launch into the creative process it is very much like jumping into a river and letting it take us where it will. When like us, you specialize in eco friendly marketing, environmental public relations, green marketing and work with wellness companies as well as the organic industry, there is new territory to be explored around every bend. New species to discover under every rock and reed. Sometimes the river takes us into a quiet pool where we take time to absorb the surroundings and reflect—but the pull of the river inevitably takes us ever further. And deeper.
Great messaging does not come from those who cling to the shores of the tried-and-true. But rather from being willing to explore beyond established boundaries to create a whole new set of maps that others will follow.
I've just arrived back to the office after spending a few days last week at the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) forum conference in Boulder, CO.
This conference is one of the few where wellness companies, non-profits, Fortune 100 companies, green marketing companies, environmental public relations firms, the organic industry and other progressive organizations gather to meet, learn about new market trends, share with others and recharge.
When I dove head-first into eco friendly marketing nearly 20 years ago, it felt like I was creating and speaking another language. My friends and colleagues all urged me to give it up. They were convinced I couldn't earn a living, that I was too narrowly defining myself and that even though
Forbes magazine had boldly declared the '90s, "The decade of the environment," many were convinced the movement was a blip on the radar that would soon pass.
Sometimes I thought they might be right. But as difficult as it was to blaze new trails in those early days, I simply couldn't give up. There was too much to be gained by unleashing the power of consumer choice to create change in the world. Marketing, I believed, was the key.
Last week, I joined 550 business and NGO visionaries from as far away as South Africa, Columbia and Japan. The language I helped to create nearly two decades ago is now widely known as LOHAS. It has become so widely spoken and has become such a powerful mainstream market that
Newsweek coined the term, "LOHASIAN" when referring to the category. There are thousands of languages spoken on our planet. But when it comes to business, I believe that LOHAS has the most potential to speak to positive change—and a positive bottom line.
One of my first clients became one of my best friends. Laurie Brown, founder of Restore Products, is an innovator, thought-leader and green entrepreneur. We began working together in 1990 when she launched the first green retail store in Mpls. And I became a key part of her messaging team as we chartered new territory in green pr, green promotion, eco and wellness marketing.
Today Laurie's company has transcended the walls of her retail store with a revolutionary new refill station that is saving millions of plastic bottles from landfills—while saving customers $1 each purchase. The quality and effectiveness of her products are not only stellar, they are completely plant-based and non-toxic. Check out her website at http://www.restoreproducts.com.
Now as in the early days of marketing her products and refill station, we found that eco promotions were key. At the heart of our strategy were in-store demos. As is often the case, consumers find it difficult to believe a green cleaning product can do the job of a conventional cleaner. Of course seeing is believing. This high-touch, experiential marketing foundation has been vital to the decades long growth and success of Restore Products.
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