Green Advertising

More than twenty years ago, when I became one of the first marketers in the U.S. to specialize in the organic industry, wellness marketing, green advertising and renewable energy marketing, many of my colleagues thought I had lost my mind.

They said I would never make a living. That the niche was too narrow. That the market didn't exist.

They were right. I had lost my mind. But I had opened my heart. Today my business continues to thrive.

One of the extraordinary things about a business like mine is that there is pure alignment between my life and my work.

So when meeting with YogaSamba creator, Luciana Freire in Los Angeles, we spent the morning practicing yoga on the beach.

Not only is Luciana one of my favorite people on the planet, this beautiful Brazilian yogini is bringing a whole new dimension to yoga. 

So if you're looking for balance in your life, YogaSamba is a celebratory way to dance your way into it. This practice is the embodiment of yin meets yang. Cobra meets Copacabana. And resting pose meets Rio. Her class not only opens your hips. It opens your heart. So how do you market a brand like this? With an open mind—and positioning that speaks to the heart.

Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

As the president and creative director of firefly180, an advertising agency that specializes in green marketing, organic branding, social change marketing and the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health & Sustainability) consumer, clients often come to me uncertain about where to begin. The answer is easy. Just dive in!

While in Los Angeles meeting with a client, I did just that. Literally. And figuratively. While diving into the Pacific in January may not be for everyone, it's an experience you won't want to miss.

It's the paths less traveled that bring the most memorable results.

And this is one of them. Pure fun. Pure awakening. And pure letting go of what most people would consider. Of course, when diving into marketing, there's aways a plan. At firefly180, we start with brand architecture and strategy and build creative from there. It's the same when diving into a wintry ocean. Only that plan includes lots of towels, followed by a long soak in a hot tub. 

Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

The business of heading an advertising and marketing firm can feel like a competitive space.

So can running a yoga studio. But I've found, along with my friend and client Suzy Schaak, owner of Pure Yoga, that there's always enough clients, business and growth for all. 

We've chosen to reverse our warrior.

Like this elegant yoga pose which opens to the infinite, business in the green, wellness, LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) yoga marketing and yoga advertising arenas, there is infinite opportunity. Clients, students and customers are naturally drawn toward brands and businesses that speak their language. That align with values and philosophies. And that allow them to feel heard and nurtured.

Businesses that operate in fear and constriction miss the opportunity to expand. But by opening, trusting and allowing, they'll find— along with Suzy and me— that increasing your bottom line starts with increasing your capacity to reach higher.


Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

It's a new year. A new beginning. And unlike the forest which is still sleeping, 2012 is just beginning to open its eyes. How this year unfolds is up to each of us.

Since we are the change we hope to see, we can start to shape 2012 by expressing gratitude for all the experiences good and not so good that have brought us to where we are today. 

I often go to the woods to reflect. Celebrate. And recharge. Today as I as I sit in the trees near my fire pit, I can't help but be inspired.

While the world spins, politicians shout for attention, tragedies occur and reality TV stars appear on magazine covers—nature remains steadfast. This life stream is our center. It anchors us. And with each passing season reminds us of the cycles we experience in our own personal and professional lives. 

As the head of a green advertising agency near Minneapolis where I spend my days working on brands that create change in the world, I can't help but bring in the new year with thoughts of more greenness. More new beginnings. More hope. More confidence in the inherent goodness in all of us. And more awakening.



Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

Today is the winter solstice. One of my favorite days of the year.

Living here near Minneapolis, it's dark before 5pm. This is a time of going deep into the quiet. And it's a time to rediscover that the light we seek actually comes from within. It is in the darkness that we shine most brightly.

As I worked this week creating ad campaigns, motion graphics for websites and brand architecture for clients in progressive business, the organic industry, wellness marketing and social change, it struck me that the process of creation is much like the solstice. Every time we are called upon to create, we face darkness. The unknown. Whether putting words to a page or computer screen, the fact is, the surface is always blank. Dark. 

What gives creative force life, is the light we bring from within. It's the knowledge, intuition, instinct, experience and knowing that we call upon in partnership with our clients that makes great advertising and marketing. This is our time to shine brightly.



Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

 I never tire of watching the world below from the window of an airplane. Clouds become desert dunes, highways become human arteries and lakes become rain puddles.

There's always something new to discover. And I found it recently while walking along an Atlantic beach. The ocean created a forest of trees in the sand. It seemed so obvious in the moment and I wondered why I had never noticed before.

The same is true for great advertising and marketing. Sometimes it is the most simple messages that have the most lasting and profound effect.

I've spent my career working with LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Consumers, green marketing, organic branding and social change communication. My team and I strive for simplicity amidst the complexity. This is no small task. But the result is worthwhile.

Sometimes it is the most simple message that is most obvious. Even when we've never noticed it before. 

it's no surprise that extraordinary wisdom is found in nature. She has a story all her own. We need only attune our eyes and ears to see the forest through the trees.


Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

 Nature has much to teach us. Even a tree can become an office chair for an afternoon—especially during a visit to the east coast on an uncharacteristically warm winter day.

As the president of a progressive, socially and environmentally. mission-driven advertising and marketing agency near Minneapolis, it's no accident that my Twin Cities office is in a natural setting.

What better way to craft strategy and creative for green energy campaigns, yoga marketing, Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) marketing and wellness advertising, than with the sky above me (skylights) and miles of native grass and wildflowers out my door.

Nature is all about cycles. While messaging and graphics often change to reflect the "season", each cycle brings new growth and discoveries. 

So let's take it from nature and spend some time celebrating the cycles while approaching marketing fearlessly—even when you find yourself out on a limb.



Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

In ancient times, we strolled the beach looking out at what looked to be a finite horizon. An end point. One that if visited, would plunge us into darkness. The unknown.

Today when we stand by the sea, the experience is more expansive. We know that the horizon as an end point is an illusion. Such is the case with creating green ad campaigns, wellness marketing, social change communication and organic branding.

To grow, all businesses and brands need to evolve. Flex. And grow. There's no end, just an ever increasing spiral.

As long as the brand maintains its integrity at the center, the spiral expands almost effortlessly. When it becomes unclear, the brand and the business tend to wobble. So revisit your brand. Take care of it. Listen to it. You'll be rewarded with messaging and creative that sings and a business that flows as gracefully as the winter waves at this New Jersey nature preserve.

Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

We can all take ourselves a bit too seriously. Wavy Gravy, the Woodstock clown activist famously said, "We're all just bozos on the bus." How true.

So in the midst of work. Life. Deadlines. And holiday celebrations, join me in taking time to play. Recharge. And dance through life. As the president and creative director of a green advertising and marketing agency near Minneapolis, I make it a priority whenever I am on either coast to dip my feet into the Atlantic or Pacific, no matter what my schedule or weather. 

Creativity comes from within. So when it comes to shining light on yoga advertising, social change communications, the organic industry or wellness marketing—try to work in some play time by the sea.You'll nurture new ways of seeing life and work. 



Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

Who says sustainable brands can't be sexy? Not River Moon Coffee, a new brand nestled along the St. Croix River in Stillwater, Minnesota. 

When founder, Geoff Schodde hired me to help his team craft a highly experiential brand that spoke to his passion for perfect coffee, beauty and pleasure—while at the same time supporting small, artisan shade-grown coffee farms, the journey was as delicious as his beans. 

My expertise with the LOHAS (LIfestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumer, green advertising, organic industry and social change communication, served as a solid foundation for the start of this brand. But even more vital were the unflinchingly intuitive and intentional brand touch points that rose to the surface during our brand architecture process.

Brands that want to be a little bit of everything, always amount to a lot of nothing.  Great brands are fearless. And they are truthful. As we dove in, River Moon's unique characteristics emerged naturally and with a voice all its own. One that will speak with clarity, confidence and aliveness. 

Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

I recently watched research professor Brene Brown's  heartfelt and compelling presentation on TED.com. She speaks to the fact that vulnerability is at the heart of creativity. I couldn't agree more.

As the head of a Minneapolis advertising and marketing agency that specializes in green advertising, organic marketing, yoga advertising, social change communication and the LOHAS consumer, i've found again and again, that it's companies who are willing to peel back the layers and show the world who they really are—are the organizations who end up with strong, memorable and authentic brands.

Let's face it. It's not easy to be vulnerable. But the fact is, everyone and every business has weaknesses or insecurities that they would prefer to ignore...or keep hidden.

But the power of vulnerability and transparency is that those apparent shortcomings make us who we are. They become brand diferentiators. Points of uniqueness. And when we are willing to shine light on those dark places,,,they are the parts of us (and our brands) that make us most loveable.


Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

There is a Zen proverb that says, "The snow falls, every snowflake in its place." The idea that a seemingly random event actually embodies a higher intellegence is very much at the heart of green advertising, organic branding and social marketing.

With fall well underway and winter not far into the future, I've been thinking a lot about how great creative and strategy seem to "fall" into place. There's a moment when widely disparate ideas and concepts merge. The dots connect. And a stillpoint occurs.

That's the magic of marketing. And that's why fall is such a great reminder of letting go and trusting in the process.

Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a Minneapolis-based branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

As a leader in the arena of green and wellness marketing, I know how vital it is not to simply position a product, service or approach—but to establish credibility. 

Trust. It's at the center of every relationship. Campaign. Brand. And message. So when I was asked by friend and client Spring Forest Qigong recently to share my family's story of healing, I was honored. You see, long before Spring Forest became a client, their now president, Qigong Master Lesley Vincent, saved my son's life.

Stories have the power to inspire. And to heal. No amount of money spent on advertising, media relations or brand DNA is as potent as an individual experience. So as you create marketing campaigns—whether they're in social change communication, green marketing, yoga marketing or organic branding—remember the importance of experience. We all live lives through our senses. And when it comes to testimonials, they flow through the mind, but open the heart.

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. 

Neuromarketing is a new field that uses MRI technology to measure brain response to marketing messages.

And while I'm sure it has much merit, as a marketer and branding expert in the areas of green marketing, organic branding, social change communications, the LOHAS consumer and wellness marketing, what I'm really most interested in is the heart.

Brands create an emotional doorway that open space for consumers to connect with products and services deeply and with resonance. A box of crackers for instance (Annie's Cheddar Bunnies) represent not only cheesy, organic, healthy snacking—they "feel" fun, playful and trustworthy.

The heart after all, has its own intelligence. And at the end of the day, it's an emotional connection that transforms buyers, into brand evangelists. 




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. 

Never underestimate the power of wind, sun and water.

While all three are great sources of renewable energy, they also have the power to renew mind, body and spirit.

So when friends invited me to sail on the St. Croix River yesterday, I knew there was absolutely nothing else I would rather do.

On a river that has its share of speed boats, our day unfolded by turning off the motor and turning on to the sound of sails slapping in the wind. 

As president and creative director for a green advertising agency with expertise in renewable energy, organic branding, yoga studio marketing and wellness advertising, I know the value of turning off and tuning in. Media fills our heads with noisy messages that all compete for space in our lives. Our job is to filter out the noisy mass market "engines," and claim the quiet. To find the natural cadence of marketing messages that matter.

While summer is in its final hours for this Minneapolis, marketing maven, the sound of silence is always in season. 

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. 

Life can be a swirl. So can work. In the day to day discipline of managing your brand, it can be easy to get caught up in endless rushing, quick fixes and short term goals.

But there is a secret to finding the stillpoint. And that is BEING the rock in the river. No matter how much the water swirls around it, the rock remains firmly planted. And while it is shaped by water over time, it is not quick to give way.

As the head of a green, wellness and social change advertising and marketing agency in Minneapolis, my team and I help our clients to create brands that are as grounded as the largest boulders. And whether we're working on green ad campaigns, yoga marketing, organic branding, or speaking to LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumers, we strive to create rock solid messaging and brand coherence.

Nature has much to teach us. By finding the stillness, we are most open to resting in the flow.

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. 

Friends had a baby recently. As I thought about gifts I could bring to celebrate the arrival of their daughter, I couldn't help but think about the fact that new moms are the gateway to green buying.

So while I know that typical baby gifts include clothes and toys, I thought I would offer them something a bit different. A clean start so to speak. So included in my reusable gift bag, (with clothes and toys) I also added some of my favorite green cleaning products. Why? Most commercial cleaners contain a chemical cocktail that is as harmful to babies and their parents as  the planet. If you want to get your home really clean, start with clean and green products.

I've spent my career in the green advertising and marketing business. It's not just a way of work for me. It's a way of life. I've had the honor to launch and evolve brands using green and eco ad campaigns, work with organic branding, wellness marketing, LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) marketing and more.

I've won lots of awards and had the honor to work with many amazing businesses and organizations. But I'm most proud of the fact that my work and my life are very much in alignment. After all, at the center of all great brands is authenticity. Why would you hire an advertising or marketing agency that was anything less?

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. 

I shared my story recently while being interviewed during a video testimonial for Spring Forest Qigong. It's a story I've told many times. And it's a story that never loses its power.

My son's life was saved thanks to an extraordinary woman and facilitator of healing. Lesley Vincent, now president of Spring Forest Qigong, came into our lives after my then 13-year-old son had brain surgery and a tumor removed. Unfortunately, after the surgery, he experienced seizures 18-hours-a-day and the nearly 30 pharmaceuticals he was taking daily for seizure control not only had no effect, he was left in a drug-induced fog and was depressed, hopeless and losing the will to live.

Lesley, working with both the energy of qigong and teaching my son to become his own healer, worked miracles. Literally. She has become one of my closest and dearest friends and a mentor to my son, who is now in college and hoping to become a healer himself.

As the head of a green advertising agency that specializes in wellness marketing, organic branding, social change communication and yoga advertising, I know the power of healing stories. We all have them. And it's a gift when we share them.

Stories come alive in surprising ways. From the days thousands of years ago, when first peoples gathered around fires, to today when we share with others in person or online, our stories validate the past—and open doors to the future.  

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. 

The wind fills our clothes like sails, tickles the leaves until they laugh and whispers secrets in our ears. I heard and felt the wind while standing on a cliff near the Mayan ruins of Tulum in February and I heard it again today in the kirtan recording, "Into the Wind." 

As a leader in green and social marketing and the head of a Minneapolis advertising and marketing agency, I listen to the wind. It's often said that as marketers, we have our ears to the ground. But, just as importantly, we need our heads in the clouds. 

It's there we find inspiration. Dream big dreams. Tap into creative and cultural expansiveness. This is the essence of LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability)  marketing and of the LOHAS consumer. This values driven style of brand development is evident in green marketing, organic branding, yoga studio marketing, social change communication and more.

How do you recognize it? Anywhere you find businesses who are passionate about doing well, and doing good— you'll also feel, hear and touch the wind.

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. 

While I'm not a big sports fan, I am definitely a fan of green. So when friends invited me to a Twins game the other night, I have to confess I was a bit more excited about the green and eco-conscious Target Field stadium than I was about the game itself.

There are all kinds of way to weave green into our daily lives. Sports is one way. Marketing is  another. As the head of a Twin Cities marketing and advertising agency that specializes in green ad campaigns, green energy marketing, social change communications and wellness marketing, I know the power of consumers to create change in the world. Often I hear people say that they feel powerless to make changes. They feel that one person can't make a difference. They're right. And they're wrong.

The perfection lies in the fact that when each of us as individuals says, "yes," to a change, there are others doing the same. They often feel alone, but are actually connected to the whole. Change happens in magical ways. Twenty years ago, who would have ever imagined a green baseball stadium? The world IS changing. All we need to do is get in the game.

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.