Etc

When you target customers, it helps to know if they’re “dark green”, “light green” or “basic brown” in their attitudes, but, with so many green issues, products, and labels out there, it may be more relevant to your branding and communications to understand their personal green interests and behaviors, not necessarily their labels.

Check out this post by Jacquie Ottman, one of  the thought leaders in green marketing. She has great focus on categorizing green targets.

Green consumers are also citizens. Although it’s cool marketing-speak to address those who purchase as those who consume, but nothing speaks to your prospects and customers (there I go!) than treating them as if they are important and they matter.

What matters to me, as an urban green-leaning Boomer, is that I also enjoy “guilty pleasures” like: “Burn Notice”,”24″ and French Chardonnay. I recycle, live in a small flat with two others, use public transportation and ride my bike. But I am not a vegetarian and I don’t follow the activities of PETA or Green Peace. I consume a vast amount of media, and the most appealing to me are the campaigns that are well-designed. That means stories that show beauty, transparency, clarity and humor are particularly high on my radar.

I might remember a new organization through my association with The Green Chamber of Commerce, but I might also like to try a healthy beauty product that I saw a commercial for on FOX, during a “24″ commercial break.

Sometimes, it IS the message, and not necessarily the media. I am aspiring to wave the green flag, but I also am very much a typical American 40-something.

Who will save book publishing? What will save the newspapers?

What means ’save’?

If by save you mean, “what will keep things just as they are?” then the answer is nothing will. It’s over.

Seth Godin’s recent blog post is extremely relevant to those who think the sustainability movement is about
saving the world. Who will be saving the planet from environmental destruction? Save cultures from disappearing? What does ’sustainability’ actually mean? If we sustain business as it is – even if it’s green -  then we will perish. Al Gore’s PowerPoint  in 3D.

Sustainability is about transformation. It’s about making business consider something other than one bottom line. Many are racing to develop metrics systems that, like alchemy, can measure carbon, water, and other factors, to come up with a green labeling system. It’s a step, but it’s still keeping our system in check.

Consultants Ed Quevedo & Sarah Isabel Parriott of Paladin Law Group are engaging with enterprise level corporations and cities to create a unique system of measuring that accounts for other factors – how many bike lanes a city may have, how many less sick days employees are using; how many cappuccino machines are there within a 200-foot radius? Things that matter. Factors that make a business add real value.

If we are going to make change, Ed & Sarah remind us, we must be asking, is this business helping those it serves, is it treading lightly on the earth? What can a business do to regenerate instead of generate?

Fast Company just published “5 Social Capitalists Who Will Change the World in 2010.” As this leading publication is always at the top of my In Box every morning, I am able to get my 20 minutes of innovation education delivered in the most digestible way possible (even before cappuccino).

Turns out Fast Company’s picks for companies doing amazing things in the world of socially-conscious business have similar strengths and weaknesses from a marketing perspective. Yes,  they’re all doing great work; and forging a new path to a new economy. Ultimately, these companies will succeed on the merits of their business models, and the lives they impact are the ultimate goal. But for a marketing & branding geek, being handed a handful of sites to compare and contrast is F-U-N.

Most of the five website designs seem to reflect a sense of purpose; and have fairly decent designs. I don’t have to click around too  much to see they are legitimate businesses. Now, you may think this is a snarky comment, but if you email me, I can send you to websites that I have cross-referenced on Snopes (and that’s AC – After Coffee)

Only two of five websites tell me in less than five seconds of landing, who they are and what they do in the world. Their value proposition – to the world – is clear.

As time goes on, I’d like to see more photos of people – their work in action – images that illustrates the impact of the work. Vittana.org does a great job of putting a face on the brand. One of their partners is the accomplished Frog Design – so I think they got some eerrr help.

I also think having the value proposition front and center is never a bad idea – these companies are introducing innovation in business and business model at the same time. As an investor, stakeholder, director, sponsor, prospect -  I’ll want to know what am I going to get out of partnering or becoming a customer. I’ll want to know how the company I am doing business with is growing, and feel confidence to tell a friend about you.

Word of mouth starts with word on the web.

It’s tough making a  website, designing a brand, and attracting new customers with multiple stakeholders and limited resourccs. I wish the best for these leaders and will support & follow them in their progress.