Social Change Marketing

Join a gentle revolution and celebrate the launch of Green Lifestyle Film Festival, 7/30, 6pm at the XAI Verandah Lounge in LA. And while you're at it, check out Green Lifestyle TV. This global citizen journalist movement is out to transform media so that it reflects the beauty of the human spirit.

As the president of a Minneapolis based marketing and advertising agency that specializes in working with businesses and organizations that effect change on the planet, I love this concept. Green Lifestyle's mission is to be solution-oriented and inspiring. Just like great green marketing, social change marketing, LOHAS consumer marketing, yoga marketing and organic marketing.

Thought creates reality. And whether we're watching a film, TV show or reading an ad or website, it's our brain that processes the information. But it's our heart that inspires and compels us to take action.

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.

At firefly180, we specialize in building progressive brands. This brand work can be found at the core of our green ad campaigns, health and wellness campaigns, LOHAS consumer campaigns, yoga marketing and social change messaging in the music industry.

At the center of each brand is a clear and cohesive messaging platform. It serves as a rock-solid foundation from which to jump or dive into the marketplace.

A messaging platform will appear extraordinarily simple, yet it's a simplicity that emerges from a swirl of complexity.

It encompasses the essence of who you are, who you serve, and how you do it. It includes concepts and ideas that most closely represent your organization and its core values. It should resonate on an intellectual and emotional level so your platform can be developed into key words or phrases that become part of your conversation every time you describe what you sell or do.

Your messaging platform shouldn't change from month to month or year to year. So invest the time. The money. And the expertise to get it right. You wouldn't set sail in a boat, blindfolded, with no map, compass, fuel or means to communicate—so why would you launch your brand without being anything but fully prepared.

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 worked in the progressive space for 20 years building brands and creating advertising campaigns for renewable energy, the indy press, organic, yoga, wellness and social change initiatives. I've worked in big firms. And I've worked in mid-size advertising agencies. But when I launched firefly180 marketing, I was extremely intentional about three things:

1) My team and I would create strong brands and messaging that empowered consumers to make positive change in their lives and the world.

2) Our work would drive financial and quantifiable results for our clients.

3) I would create a sustainable, low-carbon-footprint model with all the benefit of the best advertising agencies, but without the typical, expensive and often wasteful overhead.

My virtual advertising agency model is an idea who's time has come. It works. It's seamless. It's effective. And it's green. My geothermal, climate-change-fighting office is planted among native grasses and wildflowers near the banks of a protected scenic river, but I travel daily to meet with my team in cities like NYC, Boulder, Houston, Boston and L.A.

The beauty is of course, I don't have to leave my office. And neither do they. We've created the precursor to Star Trek transporter technology—instantly beaming ourselves through the universe to explore, connect and create. Yesterday I traveled to India to meet with a potential client. The resulting carbon footprint? Zero. Quality of the experience? Immeasurable.



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.

Last night, a friend and I went to see Carlos Santana in concert. We started the night with sushi and ended with a sense of expansion. 

As the head of an advertising and marketing agency near Minneapolis that specializes in social change marketing, green marketing, wellness marketing and the LOHAS consumer, our team creates brands that take consumers or stakeholders on a journey. Santana does the same. His performance artfully weaves words that act like threads of philosophy, hope, spirituality, progressive politics and love along with music that takes his audience deeper into the experience.

In marketing, graphics, paper stock, images and video are like music. They attract attention and draw an audience in. It's the words—copy and headlines, that connect the threads that carry the message. Together, they create art.

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. 

Who needs a cabinet full of pharmaceuticals when nature offers its own medicine chest? 

As the owner of a Minnesota advertising and marketing agency and organic industry leader who specializes in green marketing, organic branding, social change communication and the LOHAS consumer, I have long worked with clients to educate customers about how food can heal.

One of our clients, H. Brooks and Company, is an absolute leader when it comes to offering tools that empower and educate grocery stores, restaurants and shoppers about the health benefits of fruit and veggies. Every marketing touch point is an opportunity to create messaging that not only differentiates your brand, but drives sales.

This recent newsletter illustrates how you can combine classic B-B sales strategy with a holistic message. And who doesn't love the fact that a delicious slice of watermelon can promote heart health and help prevent cancer?

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. 

How often do you have the chance to share a bottle of wine and have conversations that will save lives? Maybe this is a recipe we should embrace.

The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) is doing just that. As the head of a Minneapolis advertising and marketing agency that specializes in wellness, social change communication, LOHAS marketing and progressive causes, I partnered closely with MHIF leaders to craft a movement that is as fun as it is lifesaving.


The result? Launched about a week ago, the movement has already begun. An overwhelming number of those attending the dinner where the initiative was announced have already begun opening their homes and their hearts to educate and activate change around heart disease. To host your own wine dinner, go to the Minneapolis Heart Disease website or contact Toni Knorr, tknorr@mhif.org.

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 fireflies are back. I can see them by the hundreds flitting about in the meadow behind my studio. Each shines a light. Together they light up the night.

That's the brand promise behind my agency, firefly180 marketing—a firm that specializes in leveraging the power of the marketplace to create social and environmental change. We're experts in organic branding, green marketing, renewable energy marketing, LOHAS marketing and social change marketing.

So whether you're based in LA, Rome, Boulder, NYC, Hong Kong or Timbuktu, let your light shine. At firefly180, we're ready to help you spark 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. 

I recently returned from a three-day silent retreat. I have to admit, I've always wanted to step into silence, but have generally found lots of noisy reasons not to.

What I discovered, uncovered and embraced during this time of introspection, meditation and simply being, was the power of my voice. Which is kind of ironic, since no speaking was involved.

Each of us has a story to share. A song to sing. A mission to fulfill. We often find lots of reasons why we need to put it off just a bit longer. To ignore the whispering of our souls. To lose ourselves in the cacophony of our minds.

Marketing is a lot like that. It can be a lot of noise. It can be distracting. But as a leader in green marketing, social change marketing, renewable energy marketing and organic marketing, I know from experience that good marketing holds a clear, steady, singular voice. It shines a light. It doesn't diminish. 

In a world filled with lots of noise. I encourage you to go inward toward the silence.  Find your story. Discover your truth. And tell it. Share it. Be it. Live it.

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 the most delicious and nutritious flax seed cracker on the planet, go buy a box now! flackers are the brainchild of Dr. Alison Levitt, a MD with a mission.

I met Dr. Levitt several years ago, when she worked with our family by prescribing a regime of herbs and supplements during a time when my son was in the midst of a health crisis. This wise and wonderful  physician was then in the midst of creating what would soon become the flackers brand by whipping up recipes and using a food dehydrator to "bake" them. They were amazing. Now you can try them too.

As a leader in organic marketing, branding, social change communication and green advertising, I can tell you without a doubt that Alison Levitt is the real deal. Don't forget to check out the flackers website along with Dr. Levitt's blog.

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 want action to stop climate change, pick up the phone and call now.

Join Repower America today in their three-day calling campaign. It's easy and tens of thousands are already flooding the phone lines.

Just call our easy-to-use, toll-free Repower America hotline at 1-877-9-REPOWER (1-877-9-737-6937) and enter your zip code. You'll be connected to one of your Senators. 

Once you're connected, remember to tell the staff member you're speaking to that:

• You're a constituent
• You want your Senators to pass strong clean energy and climate legislation this year
• You want a strong bill that invests in clean energy, creates millions of jobs and sets a limit on harmful carbon pollution from all sectors of our economy

Repower America has become incredibly adept at activating millions through digital media. How did I find out about this campaign? It found me through my in-box this morning. Now I'm leveraging new media channels to spread the word farther and wider.

That's what I call green marketing at its finest. Like a dandelion opening to the sun and scattering seeds on the wings of wind, green advertising agencies like mine create social change and harness the power of consumer choice with beauty and high impact. 

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 film, Avatar speaks to a long-buried global desire for a closer connection with the natural world. The beauty of this film is that it speaks not just to enviros and activists, it moves audiences from all political, cultural and psychographic perspectives.

Now, a PRI video report brings the reaction of perhaps the most important audience of all. Rainforest dwellers who now live in the jungles of Ecuador. I spent time a few years ago with the Achuar tribe in the jungles of Ecuador. As a people who have lived in harmony with the planet for thousands of years, it is fitting they are represented in this report.

It's rare for media to strike such a universal chord. As the owner of an advertising agency specializing in LOHAS consumers, creating green ad campaigns, social change communication and renewable energy marketing, I couldn't be happier.

Thanks to Avatar, blue is the new green.

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.

There are nearly infinite ways to extend your brand. If you have a green or LOHAS consumer brand like mine you can start by:

• serving organic coffee and tea in reusable mugs
• fueling your vehicles with bio-diesel or use hybrids
• buying only 100% post-consumer fiber paper for your printer

Of course that's just the beginning. Another extremely simple and generally overlooked tactic is to extend your brand through your email salutation. Why sign client correspondence with the traditional "Sincerely," "Yours" or "Best Wishes," when you can convey your brand message at the end of every digital communication?

As president and creative director of firefly180 marketing, an advertising and marketing agency that specializes in markets that include; organic marketing, yoga advertising, green energy marketing, social change communication and renewable energy marketing, I know that the power of creating off-the-beaten-path ideas can ensure a brand message resonates and stays with the audience.

Take my agency for example. We work in the progressive space with progressive businesses and non-profits. Our tagline is: building brands that spark change. When we close an email, we sign it enthusiastically, "Shine on!" 

Clients love it. It's playful. It speaks to change, light and forward movement. And best of all, those who receive our emails feel acknowledged for the spark they bring to the world. So the next time you sign an email with "Sincerely," stop to consider how you might be able to extend your own brand with a salutation that speaks volumes. And remember, shine on!

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.

Food that reflects your personality? That's just one of the trends the Food Channel predicts this year, according to a recent Natural Marketing Institute article published in the LOHAS Journal.
As a brand strategist who specializes in organic branding, green marketing, social change communication and green advertising, this trend seems only natural. After all, food is a brand. And like all brands, food has personality attributes.

A common branding exercise invites businesses to choose foods that represent their brand. For instance, a yoga brand might choose miso, edamame and rice—while a produce company might choose fresh lemons and strawberries. It only makes sense that as consumers continue to seek self-actualizing experiences, we begin to choose and serve foods that represent an actual extension of ourselves.

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.

Sadly, for all the talk, hope and political wrangling, the carbon management requirements that many had hoped to see materialize at COP15 did not. For an excellent summary, check out  Joel Makower's greenbiz.com.

We have a couple choices. We can lament the fact that world leaders lack the guts and vision to mandate a clean energy, carbon-neutral future. Or we can see the silver lining and do what we as LOHAS consumers, organic consumers, social change agents and green energy advocates have always done. We become the change we wish to see.

The most important movements of our time have not been legislated, they have risen from the collective consciousness of seemingly ordinary citizens like you and me. Think about the meteoric rise of the organic movement. Civil rights movement. Suffrage movement. And end to the Vietnam War. 

Each came into being—or to an end—because of an outpouring of personal resolve. These movements didn't start at a global summit. They didn't start with a gathering of politicians. Or world leaders. They started, because enough of us believed it was time for change.

It is time for change once again. We can begin today with simple steps like replacing incandescent indoor and outdoor lights with solar and energy efficient compact fluorescent and LEDs. We can build and retrofit homes so that they require less energy. We can buy more fuel efficient cars and drive less. The list goes on and on.

Most importantly, we must not lose hope. Remember your power and capacity to create change. This is clearly a time when actions speak louder than words. 

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 friend of mine just returned from Copenhagen. While he wasn't there to attend the UN Summit on Climate Change, he did stop by COP15 to take in the vibe, cheer on the protestors and bring me back a smattering of materials he managed to gather.

Perhaps the favorite item in my gift bag, was Ode's special issue, The Solutions We Need Now. Imagine my surprise when I received an email notice courtesy of LOHAS and Ode, offering a digital version of the issue for free!

As the head of a green advertising agency and an expert in green energy marketing, social change communication and green marketing, I applaud this marketing effort. This beautifully conceived magazine issue is getting out to hundreds of thousands without the environmental cost caused by paper and ink, the energy needed to print or the recycling/solid waste realities after the issue is read. The online experience is simple and seamless. Get your free issue now. You'll love it.

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 are concerned about climate change and want to make your voice heard, go to Repower America's Wall now. It's a great way to be part of the UN Summit in Copenhagen without burning carbon dioxide to get there. 

You can leave a text or video message and join thousands of like-minded citizens from across the globe, including luminaries like Stephen Hawking, to mere mortals like me. You'll find my post here. As a leader in green marketing, eco-marketing, social change communication and renewable energy marketing, I love this platform. It's fast. It's easy. And it gives immediate voice to our hopes, fears and vision for our 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. 

When it comes to three-ring binders, there are literally thousands of styles, materials and sizes to choose from. So, as the head of a green marketing agency, when a client needed custom binders for a sales presentation, the choice was simple. We chose green.

Earthbinder, to be precise. Made from chipboard that's 95% post-consumer fiber, these binders are not only cool and functional, they send a message that speaks volumes about sustainability. 

Making an intentional choice about green marketing materials is a must for companies in the business of wellness, organic, social change or environmental sustainability. In fact, when it comes right down to it. The choice is only natural.

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 holiday gift giving season has begun. As businesses get serious about choosing gifts for clients and loyal customers, two vital considerations are often overlooked:

1. What does your brand represent?
2. How can your gift extend your brand?

If the answer is environmental sustainability, fair trade,  health or wellness, I strongly recommend giving green gifts. As the owner of a green advertising agency that specializes in organic branding, social change communication, yoga studio marketing, renewable energy marketing and the LOHAS consumer, that's not only what  I recommend to clients, it's a philosophy I practice myself as a business owner.

A couple sites I recommend include: spiralfoundation.org, vivaterra.com, heifer.org and organicbouquet.com. Of course, this is just a start. There are literally countless creative ways you can choose gifts that are not only meaningful and beautiful, but that align with your values as a global citizen. What's important is that you consider ways to give—and give back— far beyond the holiday 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.

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.