Many things in life teach us balance.
But I have never had such a keen appreciation for this elusive state of being, since I broke my right foot a few days ago. Now camped on my couch, pretty much immobilized, I've forwarded my office phone home. And I am appreciating my left like never before. Eastern thought teaches us that our left speaks to our ability to receive. To our divine feminine. Intuition. And connection to Spirit.
Our right, represents our masculine. Our ability to get things done. To activate the aspiration of the feminine. (I've always loved this side of myself.) I can get things done like no one else. But for now, I'm taking a "break" from my right-side-ways. And I'm appreciating my left like never before.
As the head of a green and LOHAS (lifestyles of health and sustainability) advertising and marketing agency in Minnesota, I have worked with clients to create green ad campaigns, yoga advertising campaigns, organic marketing initiatives and an endless array of messaging that activates consumers to create change in the world.
All that "doing" required my right side. Now I'm coming into balance in the most unlikely of ways. I'm learning to lead from my left. Starting with receiving the generosity of a friend who stopped by this morning to brew me a cup of organic green tea.
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.
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 came across a great natural weed-killing recipe today. It's supposed to work miracles:
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup dish soap
I mixed up a batch right away. With rain nearly every day, it seems that weeds are sprouting through cracks everywhere. As a leader in yoga advertising, green advertising, organic branding and LOHAS consumer strategy, I know that even the best brands can sprout weeds if left untended.
Great brands start with a clear, consistent message and like a freshly prepared garden, are all neat rows and promise. But over time, weeds sprout. When marketing leaders, clients or advertising agencies get a little lazy or bored, seemingly harmless tactics or graphic diversions end up resulting in a garden that's overrun with noise.
Branding takes patience. Diligence. And discipline. So while it's great to start something new, make sure you're not planting an invasive species. Stick with what's native. You and your garden (I mean brand) will grow in beauty, profitability and sustainability.
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.
Marketing is all about finding your
authentic voice. Speaking your truth. And sharing it with the world. While I work in this space every day, the concept became all the more clear as I met with an amazing yogi and opera singer agent from NYC who practices
Naam Yoga. As we talked and I joked that my singing voice is frightening and that I've already put in my order for my next life—to be able to sing well—he reminded me that all sound has healing value. And that the truest form of expression is to simply let go and let your voice be. That, he said is your authentic voice.
As so it is. This wisdom is true for our speaking and singing voices.
And it's true for our brand voices. As long as what we create is real. The truth in our creation is what resonates to bring the marketing response and action we desire. Bravo.
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.
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.
The
Oregon Sustainability Center, which is being called the first large-scale “living building,” is projected to have a zero carbon footprint, according to a recent issue of
Environmental Leader.
Powered by solar and geothermal energy, this 12-story office building complete with a plant-based water filtration system, is a prototype for the future. It makes so much sense.
Green marketing is another plant-based model. Each ad, message, website, social media campaign, logo and sales pitch is a closed loop. It's a creative and strategic process that guides consumers deep into the soil to explore the root of the message, then back up to the sun where they can see the light and take action. As the head of a green marketing agency that specializes in the LOHAS consumer, green advertising, yoga studio marketing, organic branding and renewable energy marketing, I believe that nature has much to teach. All we need to do is listen.
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.
There is a new proposal to build a transmission link that would connect our nation's major energy grids. New wind energy sources are coming on line, but our lack of
connectivity is making it difficult, if not impossible, to get that clean energy to the homes and businesses who need it.
It's the same with green marketing. Lack of connectivity means your message is not going to get to the eyes and ears of those who need to hear it. As the head of an advertising and marketing firm that specializes in green energy marketing, yoga advertising, green ad campaigns, organic branding and the LOHAS consumer, I know with absolute certainty
the power of connection.
Those of us in the the progressive marketing space are like transmission towers beaming our message of change to millions around the world. Fortunately, we are not intrinsically linked to pole and wire. We send our message through a myriad of ways. Some of us have abandoned the outmoded mass media wire and are marketing in sustainable ways entirely off the grid. Who needs traditional lines when you have resourcefulness, imagination and the courage to go where others have not thought to tread.
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 just bought a new laptop bag and it's safe to say that I am in love.
Not only is it totally cool and extraordinarily functional—it's green. New from Urban Junket, the fresh t.o.t.e (to observe the earth) collection is made from 100% organic canvas coated with azo-free dyes. The interior lining is made from recycled plastic water bottles and saturated with bright turquoise vegetable dye. Plus $1 from each sale is used to offset the climate-change-causing carbon from the manufacturing process.
As the head of a Minneapolis marketing agency that specializes in green marketing, yoga advertising, the organic industry, renewable energy marketing and social change communication, I know firsthand how important it is to walk your talk. Now
I've got a laptop bag that lets me wear my environmental commitment.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.
According to treehugger.com:
"A new study by the University of Rochester found that
after looking at nature scenes, people feel closer to their community, are willing to give more money to a charitable cause, and care more about social outcomes than they are after looking at man-made scenes. The reason, the researchers state, is communing with nature helps people also commune with their basic values."
Of course, those of us who have pioneered green marketing categories like LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) and environmental marketing, discovered this fact long ago. But it's always great when
research quantifies what we've arrived at through intuition, experience and proven success. As the head of a Minnesota marketing agency that specializes in yoga advertising, green ad campaigns, organic branding, social change communication and eco marketing, I have long believed that the reason an image from nature resonates so strongly is that while most of us live in cities, we are intrinsically connected to the natural world.
Even if we see a dandelion poking through cement, sunlight rippling over a fountain, or a moon rising over a cityscape, we can't help but be entranced. We are drawn to all that's green, living and alive. That's the essence of being human. And it's 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.
Today is October 12 and this is the view outside my office door.
Look closely, you'll see a herd of deer running by. But it's not the deer that are surprising. In a season that is generally all about crunching through colorful fall leaves, those of us who live and office near Minneapolis are looking for snow shovels.
J
ust as weather can take us by surprise, so can marketing campaigns. As the head of a green advertising agency with a focus on organic branding, the LOHAS consumer, yoga studio marketing, green energy marketing and social change communication, we strive to create surprise. We live in a media climate that is in continuous hyperdrive. And yet there is a pervasive cookie-cutter blandness that stifles most marketing messages.
Today, an early snow generated national media and shook up millions in my region. Tomorrow, I hope the same is true for
green marketing companies like mine. The stories of our clients are unique. Their messages are relevant. And their potential to generate change is as refreshing—and as surprising—as snow in October.
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.
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.
I love the practice of yoga. I also love jewelry. So when Lisa Anderson, a jewelry designer from the Berkshires asked for some branding assistance with her yoga inspired line, I couldn't wait to begin.
As the head of a Minnesota marketing agency that specializes in yoga marketing, environmental marketing, eco promotions, green energy marketing and LOHAS marketing, I help clients grow their businesses while helping consumers align with their values.
Lisa Anderson's jewelry is a personal passion. Worn by yoga devotees and novices alike, her line of gold and silver lotus pendants, earrings, bracelets and rings inspire and convey deep personal meaning and beauty (http://lisaandersonjewelery.com). So should her brand. And as we begin work, it will. Just like yoga, branding is the practice of finding balance, flexibility and presence.
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.
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