Thanksgiving may be over, but the
season for giving thanks has just begun. That's why I plan to spend tomorrow joining a roomful of others in a day-long sitting mediation. Why? To dedicate one day to immersing myself in gratitude.
As the head of just one of the few green marketing agencies in Minnesota, I spend my days creating advertising and marketing campaigns for yoga advertising, organic branding, social change communication, wellness companies and progressive businesses.
It's such a gift to create work that is in complete alignment with my values. I feel such gratitude for my clients. My colleagues. And the good we are doing together. Tomorrow is a day to give thanks. And to be fully present to that gratitude.
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.
Mark your calendars!
One of my favorite clients, Yoga Alliance, is once again hosting Y
oga Day USA on January, 23, 2010. This is an amazing national event that invites not just yogis, but novices, couch potatoes, triathletes, young, old and everyone in between to join together to stretch mind, body and spirit through the practice of yoga.
Find out how to host a gathering or participate at:
http://www.yogadayusa.org.
According to a recent
Yoga Journal study, nearly 16 million Americans practice yoga. And with more and more medical research supporting its benefits, the numbers continue to climb. Not only do I love the practice of yoga, I love to create yoga advertising and work with yoga studios to develop smart, strategic marketing campaigns.
As the head of an advertising and marketing agency that specializes in the LOHAS consumer, green advertising, organic branding and green energy marketing,
yoga marketing is a natural extension of the work we do with businesses and organizations that create positive change.
Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." These wise words are as true today for the actions of individuals, as they are for the decisions we make in business.
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.
A client came to me yesterday with a request to create a
"quick ad" for immediate
insertion. When I asked about message, desired response, audience demographic and points of uniqueness, she admitted her team hadn't quite thought that through.
I suggested she save her money. As the head of a green advertising agency that specializes in social change communication, the LOHAS consumer, yoga advertising, organic branding and green energy marketing, I urge our clients to remain proactive—not reactive.
While it's difficult sometimes not to get caught up in the office swirl, a clear head is an essential element when it comes to good advertising and marketing strategy. So the next time you find yourself reverting to reactive mode, take some advice from the yogis. Take a breath. Find your center. And listen to the wisdom within.
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
My round trip flight from NYC and Mpls last week created nearly a ton of climate change causing carbon dioxide emissions.
As the head of a green advertising agency that specializes with the LOHAS consumer, yoga advertising, organic branding, renewable energy marketing and social change communications, I had two choices. I could do nothing. Or I could
counteract my CO2 by buying an offset that helps bring about new renewable energy.So I went to my favorite offsetter (www.nativeenergy.com) and for $14 bought an offset that will help build new wind turbines in the Midwest. My carbon footprint for air travel for that trip is now zero. At the end of the year, I'll tally commuter miles, electric usage and of course, additional air travel to offset the entire year.
Running a climate neutral business is a small, but significant step toward protecting the future of the planet. Blogging about it to educate others is just one more.
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.
As marketers, there are important lessons to be learned from compost.
Listen to this. According to greenerdesign.com, researchers in India have figured out how to turn toxic textile sludge waste into lovely compost. As the owner of an advertising and marketing agency that specializes in environmental advertising, organic branding, green advertising and sustainable advertising, I can relate.
Clients often come to us with a similar problem. Although instead of slimy sludge,
the mess they most want to clean up is their messaging. That's where good brand strategy comes in. Our team takes a look at the sludge and through a variety of creative and strategic filters begins to remove unwanted waste, impurities and artificial ingredients. The result?
Rich, beautiful, exciting and nourishing advertising and marketing that benefits consumers as much as it boosts our clients' bottom lines.
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.
Ben & Jerry's announced today that they're working on developing an ice cream formulation that can be shipped and sold warm so that the end consumer takes responsibility for the energy required for freezing.
While they haven't cracked the recipe riddle, this is
a great example of a company that's pushing the boundaries. Thinking differently. And pioneering a process that could save millions of pounds of C02. That they're messaging about it now while in the development phase is a praiseworthy approach to green public relations.
As the head of a marketing and advertising agency that specializes in green pr, natural advertising, organic promotion, LOHAS consumers and organic internet marketing, we are often called on to create advertising strategies and pr campaigns that break through media clutter.
One of the best strategies to deepen existing relationships and attract new customers is to
share the back story of your marketing message. Go beyond simply telling your audience what you're doing. Let them know why it matters. Why it's unique. How it will benefit them. And the world.
Ben & Jerry's has built a great brand that speaks to quality, deliciousness and social activism. The warm ice cream concept extends their brand story. How will the next chapter of your brand story read?
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 the head of an agency that specializes in the LOHAS consumer, eco advertising, organic campaigns, yoga advertising and green energy, it's
critical that the work we create isn't just show-stopping—it needs to get results.
Recently, I've been working with a client on an extensive brand evolution. We've created new market positioning, designed a new logo, ad campaign, direct response material and more. My client was quite certain that they already had sufficient technological infrastructure to measure response. Until they found out that they didn't.
Fortunately, company leadership saw the wisdom in tackling the challenge head-on and a new system will be in place shortly. It's not uncommon for companies to invest heavily in strategy and creative and neglect the information architecture to measure and quantify results, maintain current databases and create a structure that allows the marketing team to better boost sales.
If you are one of those companies, know you're not alone. But I encourage you to take the steps necessary to ensure that your marketing efforts are hitting their target. While a move into the database world may feel like a step back, it will actually help propel you a quantum leap forward.
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
In today's edition of
Environmental Leader about McDonald's creating prototypes for green restaurants, the issue states:
"...The restaurant is treating the 10 locations as “learning laboratories,” said McDonald’s V
ice President of Corporate Social Responsibility Bob Langert, in a Q&A with DailyFinance. One of the green prototype stores, in the Chicago area, uses 25 percent less energy than similar locations. Energy savings and waste reduction are central to McDonald’s corporate social responsibility strategy, Langert said. Globally, the restaurant consumes $1.7 billion annually in energy and it spends another $1.3 billion handling its waste. McDonald’s has more than 31,000 locations worldwide..."
Does this new effort amount to greenwashing? Or a super-sized step forward? While it may be too early to tell, as an expert in natural advertising, organic advertising, organic promotion and LOHAS marketing, I've worked on many leading-edge advertising strategies and attended more than a few green energy conferences.
When a company the size of McDonald's initiates a move in a more sustainable direction, the outcome can only be good. While the franchise is far from perfect and their desire to reduce waste and energy consumption is all about increasing their bottom line—what's wrong with that?
The beauty of green and sustainable marketing is that doing what's right is generally rewarded with doing well. Who knows? Maybe a McOrganic menu is right around the corner. I would be lovin' that!
Recently, in a tiny West African village in Guinea, opportunity knocked.
This remote and steamy mountain village where residents live in one-room, windowless huts on communally-owned land saw an influx of workers looking for a place to live when a mining company boosted its labor force.
Since this community, with no housing market had no homes available, they began to move in with their neighbors and rent out the family-owned huts. Then using rent money, the villagers began to build new huts. As workers poured into the region, rents exploded and times were good.
Then the price for iron-ore plummeted and the new workforce was laid off. Now with hundreds of empty huts, the villagers are not wringing their hands in despair, rather they are preparing for the day the miners return. (And they know they will.) Bringing with them rolls of rent money.
As an expert in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green communications, natural advertising and organic advertising, I've worked with my clients through several challenging market shifts. Each has ushered in a time of introspection. Followed by stunning reinvention.
The path to great sustainable marketing strategy or exceptional award-winning work is never a straight line. It curves, it swerves and it loops around until settling solidly on track. That's the creative process. One that brings with it rich and meaningful rewards. And like the Guinea village, the knowledge that good planning brings with it future prosperity.
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.
Not many agencies that specialize in LOHAS marketing, green advertising, organic promotion and wellness marketing can say that fireflies dance outside their office door. But we can.
Based near the scenic St. Croix river, our office is surrounded by acres of rolling hills covered in native prairie grasses, wildflowers and woodlands. It's a place where clients make excuses to visit.
Last night during a heat lightning storm, the fireflies were out by the thousands. The night sky was alive with the flashing of lightning and the flashing of tiny winged creatures. It was magic. It was nature at its finest. It was unforgettable. And it spoke directly to the kind of work we create at firefly180 marketing.
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.
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