SnoreWorld: A World of Relief

Snoring is a joke till it happens to you, then it’s no laughing matter. As a matter of fact, up to 40% of us snore.That’s not just here in America, but all over the world. Snoring can damage the health of the snorer and damage the relationships of those affected by it because of loss of sleep, fatigue, irritability and high blood pressure — not to mention the eruption of emotional issues caused by being kept awake by unpleasant and disturbing sounds. The bottom line is snoring is a major problem in search of realistic and effective solutions.

Till now, there has been no comprehensive website or single source to go to for advice, products and procedures. Because of this, an opportunity existed to serve the needs of this underserved target audience on multiple levels as a web-based aggregator of information, support and products which explain, educate and relieve snoring and the multiple problems that accompany it.

SnoreWorld.com was created to be a global resource for snoring and sleep deprivation issues. Unlike single solution sites, SnoreWorld’s goal is to build a community of snoring sufferers to share stories and solutions, and offer information and reviews on snoring products and programs.

Mind Over Markets’ strategy was to position SnoreWorld as the most complete snoring solution resource in the world. But just as important, to give the snorer and those affected by it the promise of relief. We not only wanted the persona of the brand to be open and warm, but to have authority and ingegrity so it would become a trusted source to be relied on.

We created a logo that reflected the moon and night. The heavenly orb is graphically made up of different facets to reflect the many facets of the snoring community and the many solutions SnoreWorld provides. When you scroll over each “facet” on their website, text pops up to illustrate their multifaceted approach to the problem which embraces the physical as well as the emotional side effects of snoring. This is where SnoreWorld stands apart from other online resources. They take a humane, understanding and empathic approach rather than just a hands-off clinical one to the problem.

We also wanted the logo to be restful. A big yellow moon on a velvety night sky to communicate peace, quiet and rest.

The tag line is another simple yet all encompassing promise: A World of Relief. That is meant to communicate a wide resource of snoring solutions and communication. It also says they are a worldwide resource with a broad range of methods and solutions.

Maybe if we could all get a better night’s sleep the world could be a more peaceful place. And that would be a world of relief for all of us.

What do you think?

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Every once in a while, we do a shameless promotion at Mind Over Markets. Forgive us, this is one of them…

“It’s the economy, stupid.” That’s what most green business gurus are saying today. Some are even going so far to say that green is dead. That’s simply not true. What’s dead are the messages that marketers are putting out there like, “It’s easy being green,” or “We’re saving the planet one (fill in the blank) at a time.” People don’t buy products or services to save the planet, they buy them to save and help themselves.

If your core messaging is not motivating your customers to engage in your business, if you are not getting it out there through the mediums that matter, we can help.

Mind Over Markets (affectionately known at MOM) has been living, breathing, designing, writing and promoting green products and services for over 10 years. Let us help you bring your business to a new level in this leveled market.

Announcing our Green Business Booster

This in-depth, hands-on, highly interactive process is designed to electrify your communications and take it to a whole new level. Here’s how we do it:

Where You Are Now. We will review of your digital and printed marketing communications including website, company brochure, etc. to evaluate where you are now. This includes a deep dive into your social media marketing efforts and communications.

Where You Want To Go. After reviewing your current communications, we will facilitate a highly interactive and creative process with you we call our Green Brand Discovery Session. This process will clearly position and message your product or service in order to capture its unique promise of value in a way that is meaningful to your target audiences.

How to Get There. Our Green Business Booster will help identify potent strategies to effectively communicate your message to your target audiences.

Making It Happen. This is where the rubber meets the road. Your three 60 minute Green Marketing Coaching Sessions will help you implement the communication and marketing strategies outlined in your Discovery Session. Now you’re rolling.

For more info on our in-depth Green Business Booster, contact carolyn@mindovermarkets.com or call 505-989-4004.

Green is here to stay. Are you?

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Organic chicken little has been running around announcing that the sky has fallen on the green market. Our avian friend cites the bankruptcy of Solyanda Solar as the latest victim. What defeated them was a poor choice of power generation — kind of like Beta versus VHS all over again.

When beta went down it just meant that the form was wrong not the overall technology of video players. We think the same is true here. Green issues have not gone away and neither have green answers.

There is an entire industry waiting to be born and we need the White House and both houses to get behind it. Not only will this produce multiple benefits, it is actually the road to the future.

In a green world, we will give birth to a vibrant, job producing industry with enormous growth potential. Every state, local and federal building should be fitted out for solar. Only U.S. companies need apply. We will use US labor to install them and sell the excess energy back to the grid. The skies will be clearer, and we will no longer be panicky at the pump.

It’s a win-win-win all the way around.

Done correctly, it is the industrial revolution all over again but with safer, healthier methods and much better results. We have the technology…

The problem is the real deterrent to this gold mine is the forces that don’t want to let it happen. Clean coal, frackers, and energy companies have a vested interest in green going brown. But when people finally wake up and realize that the green isn’t about hugging trees, but creating a better, healthier and safer world for all of us, we’ll hop in our hybrids or EV’s and hum past those ancient relics of our old ways. “Remember gas stations?” we’ll say.

For this to happen, green needs to go beyond the planet, right to the personal. So instead of your product or service saving the planet one (fill in the blank) at a time, communicate how green can save their family, their lifestyle, their future. That’s what we call at Mind Over Markets “Greenstreaming” — taking green from the minority to the mainstream. Then we’ll really have something to talk about.

Want to Greenstream your product or service? Just Say Yes in the comment box below.

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We know plastic water bottles are overwhelming our landfills and severely clogging mother earth’s pores, yet we mindlessly grab a bottle when offered. We know pesticide-free apples are way better for us, but still we eat the heavily sprayed ones. Here’s the dilemma: We say want green products and healthy foods, but we don’t back up our words with actions. The very actions, Dr. Renee Lertzman says, “…we know from an ecological, economic, political and spiritual standpoint would do us all a lot of good.” So what’s holding us back? Why are we talking the talk, but not walking the walk?

Renee has some answers. She’s a writer, researcher and communications consultant focusing specifically on the psychological dimensions of sustainability. Her article “The Myth of Apathy” laid out some concrete truths and insights into this dilemma, so I invited her on Women Of Green to share those with me. What I uncovered is a fresh, new perspective on what it means to be green and how to engage the mainstream consumer in really caring about the environment. A very cool interview so listen in!

Listen to interview with Dr. Renee Lertzman here.

About my guest: Dr. Renee Lertzman provides practical and professional guidance on sustainability communications, public engagement, and outreach strategies. Through consultations, presentations, and the development of written materials and online resources, Dr. Lertzman helps companies, organizations, and individuals incorporate psychodynamic and psychosocial dimensions into the planning, design and implementation of communications initiatives.

– Carolyn Parrs

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It’s amazing to see what has taken hold across our country. Average people regularly vote against their own interests and now it seems they increasingly purchase against their own interests as well. Especially where the green world is concerned.

Stand in the checkout line of your average American supermarket and you’ll see what I mean. Judging by what consumers continue to buy and not buy, eatists far outnumber and outweigh supposed green elitists by record numbers. Green products continue to retreat according to recent studies reported by Carol Pierson Holding in a recent post.

She quotes an Ogilvy Earth study that shows that while Americans have good intentions, their purchasing patterns show where good intentions lead.

I can sight the economy as a cause, which is obvious, and the granola aura, which is obvious as well, but I think there is another factor which most have not thought about and that’s the general feeling of depression that has settled in. When people think their own lives are not going to get better, why would they bother pursuing products that are better? When they think their own lives are compromised, then needs of the planet pale in comparison.

Of course, as we have written countless times, many green marketers have blown it from the beginning. All the “saving the planet” and none of the saving yourself is certainly at the root of much of the reported failure. Poor labeling, and even worse, poor messaging is really the root cause.

Global warming gets scoffed at every time it snows, but imagine the traction it might have gotten had it been labeled climate change or ever better, weather disruption from the start. Imagine the power that label would have had during this year’s record flooding, tornadoes and forest fires.

Wouldn’t a focus on healthier, safer food, especially after the record numbers of e-coli incidents jogged people into purchasing more carefully, and caring about what their families were eating? Wouldn’t the physical evidence of increases in Diabetes and the astounding increases in obesity be proof that Americans better change their living and buying habits? I think its undeniable. Sadly, none of these important issues were the focus of green products.

The first thing I learned as a young copywriter was to examine the facts, lay out the advantages, and have a strategy that created a compelling case for what you were selling. The marketing pioneers I was so lucky to work for knew you could be educational and still be entertaining. They insisted that we say something relevant first and then say it in a clever way.

We could have had a lot of  fun with the Nissan Leaf and why you should love it and want it. Not why a polar bear should. That execution would have been labeled “borrowed interest” — a device you use when there’s nothing innately advantageous about the product you are promoting. In this age of gas pump sticker shock, I venture to say there’s plenty of fuel to launch a meaningful campaign.

When a client of ours who makes environmental paint products for children’s rooms wanted to promote their line, we told mothers that there “really was a monster in their kid’s room” and it wasn’t under the bed, or in the closet, but on the walls. We changed buying habits and made their paint a hit. We weren’t saving the planet one nursery at a time, we were appealing to motherly instincts that said protect your child from toxic pollution.

Suddenly the extra two dollars a gallon paled in comparison to the health of their family.  That”s what we call the “The RELEVANT in the room”.

The other point Ms. Holding made in her post was that green is perceived to be feminine, as though that were a problem. It’s not because women make 85% of all the purchases in America. My suggestion: Make your green communication appeal to women. They’re the ones whose DNA is programmed to protect the health and welfare of the family. They’re the ones who go shopping. They’re the ones who sign the majority of checks.

Personally, if the green world fails or slips back to where it began, it will be a sad day for all of us. Not just us greenies. And that will lead to further deregulation of safety standards and encourage polluters to keep on going because it will make them think no one really cares.

Is it too late? I don’t think so. Here at Mind Over Markets, we’ve seen the battle can be won but it ain’t gonna be “Kermit” or icecaps or polar bears who are going to win it. It’s going to be intelligence and appealing to consumers self-interest.

Most marketers are slow to get it. They still believe the only demographic worth pursuing are 18-24 year olds, even though the concentration of wealth and purchase power is much much older.

In that spirit, we say it’s not that green can’t sell, it’s just been sold from the wrong point of view. When you make green important to my life and my needs, then you are talking to me. When polar bears get their own credit cards and make their own purchase decisions, then we can talk about it again.

What do you think?

– Irv Weinberg

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A new study by the leading sustainability consultancy OglivyEarth “Mainstream Green: Moving sustainability from niche to normal” provides new insight on how to close the Green Gap that persists between what consumers say and what they actually do around sustainable living. The study notes several imperative steps to allow green purchasing practices to enter the mainstream. These are some of the highlights:

Make it Normal: The great Middle Green is not looking to set themselves apart from everyone else. They want to fit in. When it comes to driving mass behavior change, marketers need to restrain the urge to make going green feel cool or different, and instead make it normal.

Eliminate the Sustainability Tax: The high prices of many of the greener products suggest an attempt to limit or discourage more sustainable choices. Eliminating the price barrier eliminates the notion that green products are not for normal citizens.

Make Eco-friendly Male Ego-friendly: Sustainability must strike a chord with male consumers by considering what works in traditional marketing. For example, automotive brands with alternative fuel vehicles are finding success by sticking to what has been shown to work — sleek ads with an emphasis on speed and design.

Lose the Crunch: Just because a product is green doesn’t mean it must be packaged in burlap. For green marketing to succeed, it must be liberated from the traditional stereotypes to emphasize the most compelling personal benefits.

Hedonism over Altruism: The emotional tenor of sustainable marketing to date has been focused on appeals to Americans’ altruistic tendencies, but our research shows that this is to deny human nature. Wise brands are tapping into enjoyment over altruism.

Do you have other ideas about how to use purchasing power for sustainability and the way to take green spending habits mainstream? Please share them below!

Listen to Carolyn’s interview with Simran Sethi on the Psychological Barriers to Going Green. Eye-opening!

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According to a new study from Cone, Americans continue to misunderstand phrases commonly used in environmental marketing and advertising to give products a greener image than they may deserve. Back in my days on Madison Avenue, we copywriters had a name for these “phrases”. We called them weasel words. Weasel words are words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said, when in fact only a vague or ambiguous claim has been communicated. For instance, the phrase “virtually spotless” for dishwasher detergent might make you think that after washing your dishes with Brand X, you will have practically no spots on your glasses. Ahhh, a classic weasel word at work. The word “virtually” means virtually nothing. It’s vague, it’s meaningless, and it’s used all the time in traditional advertising.

Sorry to say that in most green marketing, not much is different. We have our version of weasel words too. The infamous word “natural” is a classic weasel word. It means nothing, yet just stroll down the aisles of your favorite natural foods store and you will see that term used all the time. The truth is 100% natural means 100% nothing because there is nothing needed to back it up. No certifications. No detailed information in-line with the Federal Trade Commission’s guidelines. Nothing. No wonder consumers are confused. And marketplace capitalizes on this every day. Not until strict regulations are in place (like “certified organic”) will consumers really begin to trust any claim in green marketing, or any marketing for that matter.

Got a weasel word you’d like to share? Let’s get them out in the light so that consumers can see the light and make better choices.

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Dear Seventh Generation:

We love what you’re moving towards in terms of your new paper bottle packaging. Anything that replaces plastic with its long tail of environmental no-nos is a welcoming development. And it’s one that sure to set you apart on the shelf.

Word of caution: Be brave.

Don’t do what SunChips did and panic and retreat the first time a package compromises itself and falls apart on a consumer’s kitchen floor. Better, safer, more eco-friendly packaging is an important thing to do, and something our planet, now battling nuclear contamination, surely needs. But please remember your package is only part of the package. It’s what’s inside the package, not the package itself, that really counts.

We all know that green, by itself, is just a part of the story. That means you can’t just tell us what you’re not, you need to tell us what you are. A superior detergent that will get my clothes clean, and take out stains as well or better than conventional detergents.

Now that you’ve gone mainstream and sit on Wal-Mart’s shelves, you need to come clean and tell me why I should vote for you with my dollars? Products that go mainstream need a message that deals with mainstream values like economy and efficacy.

And that’s your next big challenge.

When you have a name like Seventh Generation which means thinking about life 140 years in the future and a focus on mainly green issues, I think you need to reassure us all about today. How you serve us right here and right now.

A recent consumer trend study by EcoFocus Worldwide reveals that younger consumers (18-35) believe that most of the efforts they take to be green or eco-friendly probably won’t have an effect in their lifetime. So why not assure them (and all of us as a matter of fact) that “We ARE the seventh generation” and what we do today matters today. The time is now and we CAN have an impact. Then the fact that you have all this cool new packaging will mean even more.

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Jacqueline Ottman is a woman who has been immersed in green marketing way before green was the scene, before hybrids were hip, before Al Gore was well, inconvenient. Yes, she’s seen it all – and studied what works and what doesn’t.

Fast forward to 2011. According to Ottman, the rules have changed. “’Saving the planet’ is not nearly as effective as ‘saving you money’ or ‘saving your health’ in green marketing,” she says. We couldn’t agree with her more. Our mantra at Mind Over Markets has always been bringing the planetary down to the personal.

So to help you navigate this emerging, ever-changing market, Ottman just released her new book The New Rules of Green Marketing (Berrett-Koehler; February 2011; $21.95) where she provides insight into the changing needs of mainstream consumers, how companies large and small have responded with fresh green marketing strategies, what it takes to succeed, and what the future of marketing will look like.

This comprehensive dive into green marketing is a must if you’re serious about making it here. Ottman goes into depth on subjects such as:

Green consumer motives and buying strategies

Designing green products from life cycle approach

Strategies for eco innovation

Communicating sustainability with impact

Establishing credibility and avoiding greenwashing

Ottman’s new book is chockfull of practical checklists at the end of each chapter, an extensive 25-page green marketing resource guide, and dozens of inspiring case examples of the most successful greener products and companies today.

Whether you are a start-up or C-level executive, you will find Ottman’s book a reliable compass into this fast-growing, and sometimes green grab bag arena. “Meeting today’s consumer needs won’t be easy,” Ottman admits. “Many challenges are associated with sustainable branding and green marketing – and many notable attempts, inadvertent or deliberate, of ‘greenwashing’ abound. But consumers want worthy businesses to succeed.”

How worthy is your business? What are you really contributing?

Listen to “Me First, Planet Later” with Ottman on Women Of Green.

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One of our clients is Dream Designs, a chain of organic lifestyle stores in Vancouver that manufactures and sells organic bedding, sheets, towels, mattresses. fashion and more. They are a perfect example of how knowing your customer informs and molds the advertising messages.

By definition, the Dream Designs customer is educated, affluent, hip, adventurous and interesting.That tells you that the best way to communicate to them is to make the communications as interesting and adventurous as they are. The other challenge is to do all of that in a small media space. No small task.

We created a series of six ads that could be repeated and run on a regular, weekly basis to build momentum around the stores and the products Dream Designs sells. “Are you good in bed? featured their 100% organic sheets was how we began. After all, 100% organic sheets with no chemicals or pesticides in the cotton growing cycle is good to be in bed with. We followed that with “Sleep like an ecolog” featuring their 100% organic mattresses.

Next came ads for their organic pillows, “A case for our pillows” and “Are your pillows a sham?” And then ”Make a blanket statement” featured their organic designer blankets. For their 100% organic cotton towels, we asked a serious question: “Does the “t” in your towels mean toxic?” We even did a fun, 50% off sale ad with the headline “Beddy buy.”

Why did we have so much fun with their ads? We knew that their customers would appreciate the humor and intellectual exercise of getting the meaning and personality of Dream Designs advertising.That way we implied quality without having to say it. We said the stores would be fun to shop in without having to tout it.

When your product is really good, you can show your style and imply all your positive attributes without spelling them out. When your customers can join in on the fun of your communications, you have created a relationship that makes them want you to succeed. Best of all, having your customers actually look forward to your ads and what you are going to say next is the best of all possible worlds.

Be brave, have fun, entertain as you inform and even your small space ads will make a big splash — and a big impact. We can’t wait to do more.

How are you being brave, having fun?

To view more of our work, check out Mind Over Markets.

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