Recently, President Obama announced over $2.3 billion in Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits for clean energy manufacturing projects across the United States. These 183 projects in 43 states will generate more than 17,000 high quality clean energy jobs and the domestic manufacturing of numerous advanced clean tech solutions, services and products. And that is great news for all of us.  But there’s another side of that coin that needs an equal amount of stimulus. And that’s demand. One of the oldest laws of economics is supply and demand. Neither one is good without the other. So Mr. President, now that you’re helping create supply, consider this a demand for funds and programs that will have consumers demanding clean tech and clean energy in the here and now.While it’s nice to hear phrases like clean coal, that’s not what we’re talking about because clean coal is a goal right now and not a reality. But that $2.3 billion sounds like it could produce some pretty exciting and effective products right here and right now that will create jobs, birth new industries, and give this nation economic and energy independence, not to mention clean air and skies. American consumers are smart. They’ll know a good thing when the see and hear of it. We need your help to get the message out. What we in the green marketing world need to do is create messaging that presents just how good, sensible and necessary all these clean energy products will be.  Help us get the word out. Now that oil prices are creeping north again, it just might be the perfect time to re-jolt the American consumer so they don’t go back to sleep and think everything’s just fine. Maybe some of that loot can be sent our way so we can wage a war on energy terror. Or the shock of high utility prices.  Maybe we can use it to bring solar down to earth so it’s not perceived as appropriate only if you live off-the-grid. Maybe we can start to position wind energy as not just a lot of hot air. And maybe, just maybe, tidal energy can become a new wave. Nothing drives the market like consumer demand. Imagine how stimulating it can be to marry push-to-pull and have consumer interest pull these products into reality and wide usage because they want them. Ultimately, it really is that simple.   As green marketers, we all know what it takes to bring products in from the fringes and make them standard. We’re ready to do our part. Currently, the airwaves are full of PSA’s promoting many worthy causes. Let’s add intelligent clean tech to the list.  It seems to me that there is no more worthy cause than clearing the air, saving our water, preserving our forests, protecting our beaches, wild life and ailing oceans. And using the natural resources of the sun, the wind and others yet to come, to power our present and our future.  There is no more intelligent use of financial resources than using it to fuel our future with industries that add value without depleting resources. And talk about ROI, not only will we become the world leader in eco-technology, we will create a revenue stream that will enrich us in many ways for generations to come. President Obama, email me at mindovermarkets.com. We need to talk.  – Irv

Back by popular demand, we’re starting our monthly Green Marketing Labs in Denver, CO in March. These fun, interactive, real-life marketing laboratories will give you the insights and tangible solutions you need to make your marketing meaningful in the maturing green market. So bring your questions, bring your challenges, roll your sleeves up and have some fun. 

This Mind Over Markets series is sponsored by CORE Colorado and takes place Saturdays, 9 am to 12 noon. Each lab is $40 or for $130 you can do all 4 and save 20%. Here’s the line-up.    

 

Lab 1: Developing Your Marketing GPS (Green Positioning Strategy) – Saturday, 3/27

The green market has matured since Kermit was King with his “It’s Easy Being Green” campaign. Now over 1,500+ new products enter the market each year. It ain’t so easy anymore. How will you break through the clutter? How do you position your product or service so it’s not another “me too”? In this marketing lab, you will: 

Obtain a clear understanding of the current green market – its obstacles and opportunities

Identify how meaningfully different you are from your competition

Uncover the advantages that result from using your product or service

Identify your key target audience(s) and the rational and emotional reasons they buy your product or service

Develop a strategy statement to effectively communicate your message to your target audience(s)

 

Lab 2: Creating a Compelling Green Brand in a Crowded Market – Your Positioning Line  – Saturday, 4/24

The most powerful asset a company can own is its brand. It is the marriage of all the elements of how your product or service will be presented in the marketplace. It says, “This is what I stand for.”  In this marketing lab, you will learn how to: 

Drill down to the creative core of your product or service and turn it into a powerful communications theme

Take your Green Positioning Strategy and develop a clear and compelling positioning line    

Integrating your brand message into all your marketing materials   

 

Lab 3:  Creating a Compelling Brand in a Crowded Market – Your Visual Identity – Saturday, 5/22 

No branding effort is complete without the investigation and development of a compelling visual identity for your product or service. Your visual presentation, which includes your company logo and website, is way more than “pretty pictures”; it’s a visual cue that quickly and effectively communicates your company’s personality and what it stands for in the marketplace. In this marketing lab, you will learn how to: 

Create an accurate visual identity based on your brand’s positioning strategy and line

Create a graphics standards that will serve as a guide to ensure your consistent use of design elements, formats, and templates in all of your communications

Integrate your visual identity into all your marketing materials

 

Lab 4: Creating Persuasive Messaging for Social Media – Saturday, 6/19

To make it in social media, you need to unlearn the rules of traditional marketing messaging. No more hard sell. No more creating customers. What you are creating are relationships instead. And those relationships can be your single greatest sales force. In this marketing lab, you will learn:

How social media is used by entrepreneurs and business owners

Why you need to serve, not sell    

Why content is still king and how to make your marketing messages compelling

The importance of relevancy and frequency

How to integrate your brand message into your social media marketing

 

“It’s like having your own Marketing Department!”

                                                     - David Wolf, Wolfs Bagels