Marketing

Who Wants to be The Green Marketing Expert, Wholefoods or Michael Pollan?

Way back in 2006, when  author & educator Michael Pollan’s raised concerns about the national supermarket chain Whole Foods in his book, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” Whole Foods CEO and founder John MacKey wrote a letter to Pollan. The two continued their dialog publicly, while the rise of the organic food movement lifted up small manufacturers and producers as well as large multinationals.

These two eco-minded leaders agreed on the ‘ “reformation” of the American food system,’ supporting more locally grown production: In California this would mean, anyone at a farmers’ markets to Earthbound Farm. While they both disagreed on several points, you could bet your tofu on the fact that both of these guys were advocating for change in the American food system.

But what surprised me in their paper dialog a few years ago was that Pollan was basing his arguments on some fundamental marketing principles. “..As Whole Foods recognized before many others did, there is another consumer being born out there, one who takes a broader view of his interests, understands that spending more on higher-quality food is worth it on so many levels,” says Pollen.

“As competitors like Wal-Mart and Safeway move into selling industrial organic food, Whole Foods can distinguish itself by moving to the next stage, doing things they can’t possibly do. “Local” surely is one of those things: and your buyers already know exactly how to do it. All Wal-Mart knows is how to source industrial organic food from China.”

And then something happened. Whole Foods’ stock prices went on a roller-coaster ride; and the business was expanding. Fast. 65 stores were in development in 2005; and by September 2007, WF acquired their major competitor Wild Oats. WholeFoods has its national price-friendly brand, 365 on its shelves, nation-wide. And the brand, which once stood for local and sustainable, made its mid-course correction to be in favor of big and not so local, and not so green.

Maybe this is sounding a bit like an overwrought “Wolfman” but the hidden side of this food chain is getting ugly.  As a consumer, when I pay premium prices on most of the experience I get here, and I see all the nice little signs in the fresh produce aisles  telling me where my apple, beets and tomatoes come from, I expect the same transparency in the freezers.

The 365 California vegetables, according to a recent ABC report are manufactured in China. Is there that much demand to warrant growing these thousands of miles away from the state whose namesake

Is Whole Foods looking a lot like Safeway? Has green now gone so far mainstream that it must stand by “go big or go home?” Is MacKey wrong to have certified “organic” food from China? Is mainstream television damaging the green business movement?

I think the damage comes from the lack of transparency. Consumers shouldn’t have to do all the work at figuring out the Whole Foods brand. If Whole Foods wants to handle this transparently, and up the ante on “quality” they need to step up and admit who the independent auditors are and change their packaging design immediately that these products, if they are proudly made in China.

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The best advertising also sells advertising and…

Advertising is dead. Won’t sell product in  our interactive age. Won’t be a good use of your  marketing dollar. Can’t compete with the pack and punch from social media.

The dollars once poured into mass media are being siphoned to social media, but the fact remains that nothing sells image and brand quite like a carefully placed billboard or a familiar voice in your car during the morning commute. Especially if you’re trying to gain credibility. Advertising builds awareness. It exposes what the brand thinks of itself – what the manufacturer or service wants you to think of when they show you a fleeting :30 seconds. Advertising is a cultural mirror. And, unfortunately, shows us how mature or immature we are in our response to the material world.

For the eco-economy, this is an opportune moment to learn from the big boys and take back advertising in a way that helps build brand awareness. Advertising isn’t evil, and purchasing air time may not be the best – or most economical – way of using a marketing budget. But it works.

Green Needs Mass Media

Although, critics, like Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, a media monitoring group, contend that the council’s ads mistakenly “seek to change individual behavior, not social conditions,” change-agents, and companies who are urging us to  become more responsible, would do better with building their image with advertising, then, get the public swayed on how fun/wonderful/inspirational/spiritual/ and good “green” is. Check out Method’s ad on You Tube.

For the big boys, who already use adverting, and want us to believe you are change agents, be honest in your message. Toyota’s new Prius recall advertisement, sounds like Nike’s press campaign waxing how altruistic their corporation is around child protection laws – after some of its manufacturing plants got caught using child labor. Advice to Toyota: get your head honchos on the screen and apologize, give a guarantee; make something honest and real of your situation. Your commercial looks like a lot of old B-roll with an actor reading your corporate apology.

Let’s use our current cultural channels more intelligently. Then, maybe – just maybe – we can make some big changes.

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LinkedIn Vs. Email: The Battle is Over.

Trade show producer and entertainer Ken Newman masters sleight of hand but when he’s not performing on the trade show floor, Ken’s magic may be how he uses social media to market his 25-year old company, Magnet Productions.

“Email is white noise,” says Ken, who still uses email blasts to reach key prospects but he sees its limitations in its efficacy. as email conjures up only two percent of his annual revenues.

Email is like the digital equivalent of 25 lbs of recycled paper you get in the mail everyday. I’m not going to open the PG&E bill, or the letter from the IRS first. I’m going to sort the stuff on the front stoop and throw most of it that doesn’t look of interest to me immediately in the recycling bin. There is just too much for me to open and organize. On the other hand, LinkedIn is something that my prospects and former clients are excited about. They open a message from me, because it’s come from an organized network free of junk.

So Ken did an experiment to test his hypothesis that LinkedIn was more effective to getting new engagements:

He sent out LinkedIn requests to his entire address book, and asked his prospects and clients if they would write a testimonial for him and post it to his LinkedIn profile. The results?

  • A 20% response rate.
  • Personal messages & testimonials from marketing directors, senior execs – decision makers who hire Ken directly.
  • Warm, direct responses from former clients whom he hasn’t connected with in over two years.
  • 21 new testimonials in less than one week.
  • Bookings for over four new engagements.
  • Comments regarding Ken’s expansion of services.
  • An offer to speak at an exclusive conference from his knowledge about social media.

There is the sense, it is business centric. It’s got a lot less noise. People look at that and think if I don’t respond to this in a timely fashion, I wont be thought of. The only way I can test that is empirically, the only way I did this to get recommendations on email 2%

“When someone is writing how wonderful you are, it reminds them how valuable you are. It’s happened to me, when I write a testimonial for someone else…. It makes me think,  ‘Wow, This person is really that wonderful.’ ”

LinkedIn is about connection in a very profound way, says Ken, who’s also got a healthy following on Twitter, Facebook and biznik. Even outside the viritual world, Ken knows how to build and manage business relationships, and understanding that connection in safe and trusted medium creates an impression in the mind of prospect.

A message from someone on LinkedIn may carry more value than email because it’s coming from a closed network; a perception that the sender of the message is familiar in someway, focused on business, and intelligent enough to use something that, I also have the decoder ring for.

There are 50 million LinkedIn users, and since 2002, LinkedIn has been building its credibility and product to ensure that those of us using it, will benefit from its experience.  Has LinkedIn worked in growing your business?

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good Tradeshow Tips: Small is Beautiful

If you know how to plan, design, and use your resources wisely, tradeshows are a marketing machine. And it turns out, you don’t have to have the biggest booth on the floor to be successful at getting new leads or building awareness for your brand.

Here is what Ken Newman says in Hey Newman! a strategy-packed tradeshow tips blog. His freshest post talks about “thinking small” -  a phrase that may remind the eco-logically-inclined of economist E. F. Schumacher, author of  “Small is Beautiful.”

If you’re thinking size matters, small, it turns out, doesn’t have to make a difference on the impact you will be making in front of new and current customers.

Newman says: “People will always cram into the smallest room at a party. The same psychology exists at a tradeshow. There’s nothing more depressing than a 50×50 booth with four people walking around … and three of them are the exhibitors. When you have a 10×10 and people are bumping into each other and crowding around a single kiosk or a single monitor to watch a demo, that creates a wow factor and the impression that ‘there’s something really exciting going on here!’ ”

What would you do to make that kitchen party experience? Ken Newman would probably tell you to hire him, which would be worth your while. If you’ve ever seen him in action, it’s impressive. His live presentations at the booth are attracting up to 2,000 a day at some shows. And that’s in a ‘down economy.’

If you already have a booth, but it’s a little outdated, think about reskinning it. Not only is it cost effective, but you can add that to your list of “good green deeds” for operations.

In Small Is Beautiful, Schumaker’s championed  “Appropriate Technology” – the practice of designing a product or service that considers cultural, political, economic, and ecological implications of the recipient community.

Allowing people to interact with a higly skilled tradeshow presenter is a very appropriate use of your budget. Make time to get your thinking off the floor.

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goodMarketing: The image is brand

A picture from istock photo is great if you need to fill something on your site; and you just launched your website with a latte budget, but consider using a professional photographer for your next collateral.

Why? Because originality stands out. It creates a compelling story about you. Sure, you could take your $100 digital camera and take pictures for your website, but why not spend a bit of your marketing budget, and get a whole years’ worth of value with a trained eye who has a number of lens’ and perspectives on what you should look like – in print or online.

One of the most amazing photographers who can tell a story with one image is Chris Hardy. Chris has worked at various newspapers throughout his career, and is a good storyteller himself. Visit his website at: Chris Hardy’s photography.

Can you see how great your next Facebook page can be with this genius? Does your company make stuff? Are you the person behind the brand? Where do you feel at home? What is your genius? I guarantee if you don’t know, Chris will – instinctively.

Then email or call him. Set up a shoot. Then see what happens after you use those images to tell your story.

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