We had a lively conversation with Sandy Skees from Communications 4 Good and Irv Weinberg from Mind Over Markets on integrating PR into your marketing mix in today’s sustainability communications world. If you missed it or want to review the many nuggets of PR wisdom that were shared, here’s the link to this information-rich presentation.

PR Strategy in Today’s Sustainability Communications World

The Presenters

Sandy Skees, CEO and founder of Communications 4 Good, a public relations/communications agency, provides businesses, early stage companies and organizations with sustainability communications consulting and program implementation.

Irv Weinberg, Co-founder and Principal at Mind Over Markets, a dedicated green marketing communications company, specializes in creating effective messaging in the maturing green market for over 10 years.

Do you have any PR nuggets or success stories you would like to share?

Bookmark to:

PR is one of the most effective and sought after tools for business building, especially in the green space. Our featured guest this month, Sandy Skees, a well-known PR expert and owner of Communications 4 Good, will share ways to leverage communications as a strategic component of your sustainability initiative. Joining her is Irv Weinberg, co-founder of Mind Over Markets, and long-time copywriter and blogger.

In this teleseminar, Sandy and Irv will:

Provide insights on how to assess and maximize the relative value to your sustainable brand campaign of earned media (PR), paid media (advertising), owned media (website) and social media (consumer generated).

Discuss how to integrate PR into your marketing mix and the role it has in creating advocates, removing barriers and accelerating acceptance.

Share insights on how to write a compelling press release that intrigues journalists and gets noticed.

Presenters

Sandy Skees, CEO and founder of Communications4Good, a public relations/communications agency, provides businesses, early stage companies and organizations with sustainability communications consulting and program implementation.

At Communications4Good, Sandy is creating a language of goodness that gives business a way to focus, talk about, share, motivate and implement change in the world — change that values people, respects planetary resources and fosters prosperity. Her trademarked methodology assesses organizational assets, legacy, vision, human capital, business goals and market conditions to unlock the goodness inside of business through the power of language, stories, and communication.

With more than 20 years experience at global and boutique agencies, as well as corporate marketing experience at an international technology company, Sandy is recognized for highly developed problem solving skills that bring communications solutions to Fortune 100 corporations. Previously a partner at Porter Novelli, she managed the global HP account team in 20 cities/10 countries around the world and served on the Global Citizen Task Force and Pro Bono Initiative, working with Vday and Freedom from Hunger.

Irv Weinberg, Co-founder and Principal at Mind Over Markets, a dedicated green marketing communications company, specializes in creating effective messaging in the maturing green market for over 10 years.

He brings with him more than 30 years of senior-level advertising and marketing experience. He has worked for some of the world’s top advertising agencies including Young & Rubicam; Wells, Rich and Greene; LINTAS and Grey Advertising in New York City. Irv has been responsible for heading up the advertising and marketing efforts of Fortune 500 companies such as Coca-Cola, IBM, Club Med, Continental Airlines and General Foods, as well as non-profit organizations and small to medium-sized businesses nationwide.

Irv is also a well-published blogger on many green websites and social communities including his own Green Marketing Blog. He is a featured author in Reuters’ book for C-level executives called Inside the Minds: Greening your Business.

To Register

Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2010; Time: 10:00 am Pacific time; 1:00 pm Eastern time (1 hour)

Click Here to Register for PR Strategy in Today’s Sustainability World.

To hear our October Teleseminar “Leveraging Social Media for Sustainable Business” with Joey Schepp and Carolyn Parrs, click here.

Bookmark to:

Advertising Age has just published an article called “Has Green Stopped Giving?”. It seems recent trends and sales curves have started going in the wrong direction, down instead of up. Given the current state of green messaging, it’s not hard to see why. Take the Nissan Leaf launch as an example. The commercial shows a polar bear leaving a shrinking iceberg and giving a Leaf owner a hug. Cute execution, no concept. When are green marketers going to learn to put something in their message to motivate the majority of consumers?

Yes, of course, we want to save every polar bear we can, but when I’m buying a car, especially something new, experimental and exotic like an EV, there had better be personal benefits to me in their communications, not just planetary ones  — especially when “It’s the economy, stupid”. I’d rather have seen a commercial of that man driving by the gas station laughing because it’s not on his shopping list anymore than of him getting a hug from a bear. As one blogger put it, “It’s not easy being green when customers are blue about being in the red.”

I am tired of green marketing going to the obvious, no matter how cute, and getting the “saving the planet” message repackaged for the hundredth time. I am constantly amazed that smart marketers don’t understand that green is a personal thing. It’s a way of treating your home and family better. That’s how to move the needle.

PS: As far as the comment about green being “defeated at the polls” this November that’s not quite true. People voted for what was important to them and when they didn’t get it one place, they went to the other place. It wasn’t anti-green it was pro-individual needs.

Bookmark to:

We had a lively conversation with Joey Shepp on how social media principles align with sustainable business principles, and how sustainable business is perfectly positioned to take advantage of this disruptive technology. If you missed this Green Marketing Masters Teleseminar, here’s the audio link: Leveraging Social Media for Sustainable Business.

Here are some of questions we addressed:

1. How is social media good for sustainable business?

2. What is the best way to promote sustainable products without preaching?

3. How can I best use Facebook as a marketing tool?

4. How do you increase your fan base on Facebook?

5. How would you leverage social media in a business to business environment?

6. Is the press release still a viable part of social media marketing?

7. How might I best proceed in setting up and beginning to publish a blog?

Links Referenced in Teleseminar

Electronic Press Kits by Earthsite: Your Garden Show, Social Network for Gardeners; The Ki, Smart Living Event

FTC Disclosure FAQ and Type of Disclosure

Greenwashing: 7 Sins of Greenwashing Report

Presenters

Joey Shepp – Joey Shepp is the Founder and Principal at Earthsite, New Media for Sustainable Brands. Joey believes that social media is the tipping point for sustainability. He is an Internet entrepreneur, professional speaker, and sustainability consultant, and the founder and CEO of Earthsite, a New Media Agency for Sustainable Brands. Joey is also the founder of GreenMaven.com, the world’s largest Green Search Engine. He holds a degree in Ecological Design from UC Santa Cruz, an MBA in Sustainable Enterprise from Dominican University of CA.

Carolyn Parrs – Carolyn is a Co-founder and Principal at Mind Over Markets, a dedicated green marketing communications company that specializes in creating effective messaging in the maturing green market. As part of her passion to help green companies grow, she co-authors the Green Marketing Blog, a definitive, thought-provoking guide to marketing success in the green products world. She is also the Creator and Host of Women Of Green, a multimedia blog and community about turning up the volume of the feminine voice on behalf of the planet and future generations.

November Teleseminar

Join us Wednesday, November 17th at 10am pst / 1pm est when we talk PR with Sandy Skees, CEO and Founder of Communications 4 Good, and Irv Weinberg, Co-founder of Mind Over Markets.

Bookmark to: