Green Marketing Services

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. 

It all began with a simple, yet powerful idea.

To bring women together over glasses of heart-healthy wine to educate, empower and save lives.
Now the The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) Wine Dinner Kit is gaining support from Hanoi, Vietnam to Hastings, Minnesota.

As the head of a Minnesota marketing agency that specializes in wellness marketing, organic branding and  the LOHAS consumer (lifestyles of health and sustainability), it has been such an honor to be the creative force behind this movement.

Marketing after all is about effecting change. Moving the dial. Inspiring action. And being of service. 

I raise my glass to the health of women around the world and my client MHIF, who has the vision and commitment to bring health and healing to the planet.





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.

When I visited my homeopath this week, an extraordinary woman who is also a MD, it struck me how much alignment exists between the modalities of healing and branding.

Like a homeopathist, at firefly180 we begin the brand process by looking for patterns, past history, current perceptions and challenges. We look at what's working. What's not working. We look at tangibles like products and services delivered. And we look at intangibles like how an end-user "feels" when they receive that service. 

As the head of a green Minneapolis advertising and marketing agency, who specializes in working with green marketing companies, the organic industry, wellness marketing and the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumer, I always knew our approach was holistic. But I didn't fully make the connection that our organic and sustainable branding approach is as holistic as the clients we serve.

Funny how seemingly everyday experiences can bring new insight and depth of understanding.

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.

One of my favorite clients is having a banner year. With two recent and prestigious industry awards under their belt, this fruit and vegetable distributor can hardly contain themselves.We've been working together for nearly two years to create a brand that reflects their long-standing leadership position. And it's working. They are breaking new ground, strengthening existing relationships and creating new ones. 

While awards are great for affirming a job well done, can they translate into increased sales? Absolutely. Consumers and customers ask themselves three questions before opening their wallets:

1) What's in it for me?
2) How is your product or service unique in the market?
3) Why should I believe you?

Awards are excellent credibility builders. They're impressive. They inspire confidence. And they speak to excellence, leadership and innovation. As an organic industry expert, green marketing leader and green advertising agency owner who specializes in working with LOHAS consumers, my team at firefly180 knows how to leverage awards in order to generate tangible results.

After all we wouldn't be doing our jobs if we weren't moving the dial to create financial and environmental change.



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.

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.

We live on a small planet. And when it comes to green marketing, our planet is even smaller. So if you live in the U.S., I encourage you to think outside our continent when shopping for green companies and services. Check out the UK's Green Provider's Directory. 

This non-for-profit organization is a leading service for green, organic and fair trade products. So the next time you shop online, vote with your wallet and choose businesses that align with your values. 

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.

If you haven't tried Sambazon's acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee), you don't know what you're missing. 

This company has virtually single-handedly created a global market for what was once a beverage known mainly to South Americans.

My family has long been Sambazon fans, but when I recently learned the product was being sold in Costco, I knew they had become mass market mavens. Pretty impressive for a product that is relatively new in this country and that most people still mispronounce.

What's their secret? Like I advise all my clients in the organic industry or those who are launching breakthrough progressive products or services—the key to building your brand is through education (Why acai matters) and through story (How acai has been vital to native cultures for thousands of years, etc.)

Good marketing's got juice. I tip my glass to Sambazon.



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 head a marketing agency in Minnesota and was at a photo shoot yesterday. Since I've worked for years creating green ad campaigns, eco promotions, environmental advertising and green marketing services, I know the power of images to convey excitement, beauty, inspiration and message.

Yesterday as I watched the shoot and the images unfold, this understanding resonated even more deeply. Consumers are extraordinarily attuned to what they experience through their senses. Shapes, colors, images, shadow and composition are all viewed, processed and cataloged through their eyes.

When working to develop green marketing strategy, I liken the photos or images we use to a beautifully wrapped gift. These images attract consumers. Cause excitement. Anticipation. It is the wrapping that entices consumers to "open" the box. But it's the gift of the "message" that your customers will thank you for. 


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've been a fan of Kripalu yoga for years, but just had the opportunity to visit the center, take a few classes, dine on delicious organic fare and soak in the beauty of the Berkshires.

I wasn't expecting to have an aha marketing moment during yoga class. But today I did. I've always struggled with a posture called, "the crow." But when my instructor suggested I use a block to learn the pose, suddenly struggle transformed to ease. It's the same with marketing. As a leader of a Minneapolis marketing agency that specializes in sustainable advertising, green marketing services, yoga marketing and environmental marketing—we've found that strategic or creative struggle can be instantly transformed. Sometimes all that's needed is a little help.

Whether that help takes the shape of a new learning, perspective, a walk or a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies, each represents shifting and refocusing energy. So the next time you find yourself stuck, or feeling like a solution is nowhere in sight, find a way to shift your energy. You'll find the answer was within you all along.

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.

Recently the U.S. Food Service switched to rubber bands instead of shrink wrap and saved $8,000.

Of course from an eco standpoint since they were using far less natural resources, they actually saved a whole lot more. This is just one more example of how a little shift in thinking can generate huge financial and environmental rewards.

As a leader in environmental advertising, LOHAS marketing and eco business, I've worked with a lot of organic brands within the organic industry. Because this category is relatively new, in the early years there were no rule books to read. Or case studies to follow. But far from being a hindrance, this lack of direction led to amazing innovation that fueled the growth of the organic industry by double digits for years on end.

So look at the way you run your current marketing program. Pretend that you are starting from scratch. Imagine that words like "can't," "won't work," "too expensive" and "impossible," do not exist in your vocabulary. Re-imagine. Play. And focus on your desired outcome, not the obstacles you perceive. Then get ready to shift your thinking and save.

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.

As an agency that specializes in green energy marketing, environmental advertising, wellness marketing and wellness promotion, we work with many progressive businesses and wellness companies. 

Because so much of the work we do at firefly180 marketing is transferred digitally, we seldom have a need for a courier service. But when we do, we choose green. EcoXpress.com to be precise. It's such a simple choice that not only supports other green businesses, it also supports our commitment to lightening our carbon footprint. 

When it comes to delivery services, it's hard to imagine why every business in the U.S. wouldn't choose either a bike courier service or one that is equipped with a fleet of hybrids. (Or better yet, in addition to bikes and hybrids, one that offsets each delivery by supporting renewable energy or planting trees.)

So take a moment and think about the vendors you currently work with. Do they do business in a way that aligns with your values? Is their business giving back as much as they take? If not, maybe it's time to find vendor partners who do.

Herbalist David Winston said, "Understanding yourself is the first step toward healing."

The same is true when it comes to wellness marketing. In order to effectively communicate your message, you need to fully understand your product or service—as well as your audience. This deep knowing from the inside out is your best remedy for a marketing campaign that inspires, educates and moves your audience to action.

As an expert in the areas of wellness marketing, green communications and natural advertising, I have found that the best, most effective, most creative campaigns are based not simply on facts or benefits that appeal to the brain—but to the heart.

Just as our bodies can not function without our brain. Or our heart. Neither can good marketing.

I bought some organic and locally grown strawberries at the farmer's market yesterday. Sweet, small and bursting with a complex mix of delectable flavors, they were grown just miles from my house on acreage that is home to roaming peacocks and free-range chickens.

When it comes to organic produce, locally grown is ideal. Actually, for me it's perfection. In addition to the fact that organic produce is healthier for you and the planet, you are making a purchase with a lower carbon footprint and supporting the livelihood of farmers in your area. Of course, locally and organically grown is not possible for most of our country year-round. Living in Minnesota with a three-month growing season, that goes for me as well.

That's why as the owner of an agency that specializes in green advertising, LOHAS marketing, eco marketing, wellness marketing and organic advertising, I urge balance. At firefly180 marketing, we don't believe in drawing a line in the sand and proclaiming one product, service or choice "better" than the next. We acknowledge that no business, organization or non-profit is perfect. The perfection is authentically striving to create genuine environmental and social change.  

In the world of advertising and marketing, there are plenty of buzz words. The latest and greatest marketing guru is always at the ready with his or her brand of can't-lose, sure-fire ten steps to guaranteed genius. Categories like wellness promotion, wellness marketing and social change marketing flutter in google key words searches like sparks from a bonfire on a dark summer night.

Wellness companies and green marketing companies founded with the intent to do well and do good, compete in the broader business landscape amidst the latest marketing, trend-tracking, attitudinal survey, data-driven prophesies that promise quick results. 

But the truth is, good advertising and marketing is more than the sum of its quantifiable parts. The best, most effective, most award-winning brands are founded on three tenants:

1. Complete transparency
2. Sincere intention to be of service
3. Knowing, listening and responding to your audience

There you have it. The magic. The formula. The underpinnings for success on personal, financial and planetary levels. Now you know as much as the next green guru. 

I just ordered a flat of organic strawberries. It's a choice I feel really good about. Not only are those berries going to taste amazing, they are healthier for me and my family, they're supporting the work of organic farmers and keeping the soil and water free from toxic chemical pesticides.

As consumers, we have tremendous ability to effect change at the very deepest level. But unfortunately, all too often we forget we have any power at all. We feel we are at the mercy of "big corporations." But, as an expert in sustainable advertising, wellness marketing, wellness promotion and as an advertising agency owner who works with eco business and wellness companies, it's my job to remind consumers of their true power. Every day we get a chance to vote with our dollars.

So the next time you open your wallet, remember if you want to leave the world a little greener, spend your own green on products or services that serve you as well as the planet.  

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.

  
Every time a purchase is made a consumer asks themselves three questions:

1) What's in it for me?
2) How is your product unique in the marketplace
3) Why should I believe you?

When it comes to organic advertising, environmental marketing, social change marketing or sustainable marketing—each of these three essential questions needs to be addressed before a consumer will buy.

Here's the good news. Each of these questions is easier to address when you have a product or service that speaks to personal or environmental health. Whether you're promoting organic produce, green lawn care, sustainably made furniture, an eco spa or energy efficient appliances, you have a story to tell that more conventional products can't touch.

It gets even better. Consumers of products like yours (generally LOHAS consumers) don't want to be sold. They don't want to be advertised to. They want the back story. They are hungry for data, information and proof. They want to know they can trust you. They are leery of being green washed. So you don't worry about "selling," your job is to "share." Remain fully transparent. Be authentic. And the sales will come.