What is the Renewable Energy Brand?

What is the purpose of Renewable Energy? To save the planet? To become energy independent? To make a profit? To provide jobs? National security?

What is the Renewable Energy brand? Is it simple? Is it mainstream? Is it expensive? Is it patriotic? Is it friendly? Is it treehuggers? Is it Midwestern? Is it alternative? Is it cool? Is it caring? It is wise? Is it conservative? Is it green?

The “green” movement is about being environmentally-friendly. Is that what Renewable Energy is about? “Green” has meant saving or reducing, in addition to recycling. What image do these words have in your mind: save, reduce, recycle? For most, they mean inexpensive or less money.

Does that apply to Renewable Energy? Should it? Should we as Americans expect to pay less – or more – for the Renewable Energy brand? Isn’t Renewable Energy in fact a premium product? Shouldn’t we be willing to pay more for a product that will help save our planet and by the way, make us more secure as a nation?

Most people still think it's all about "green." Why? Because if you don’t manage your message, someone else will. We haven’t given the American public the right message (if any) about Renewable Energy, so they (we) interpret as best we can with little or no information. In addition, those that use “green” to talk about renewable energy are only harming the Renewable Energy brand, because they are confusing two different movements.

People hear about the green movement, renewable energy, environmental friendliness, alternative energy, energy security and conservation. Who really knows what they all mean? We must define the Renewable Energy brand. We cannot expect Americans to understand – much less, trust – Renewable Energy if it is not clearly defined and communicated.

It's Time to Get Started

Our nation is at a crossroads and we must confront the brutal facts of our current energy reality. The average American is just now waking up to this revolution. We are just beginning to understand crises like global warming and energy dependence, issues that are sure to define the next fifty years or more of our lives. We as consumers want to do our part, but we don’t know yet how.

There are many messages being conveyed in today’s media, each organization or association offering a slightly different angle on the issues and the solutions. Industries that should share the same purpose instead dilute the marketplace with conflicting messages. It is a very noisy marketplace and while awareness is increasing, consumers don’t yet know what to do - because no one has offered a comprehensive plan.

Renewable Energy (and all its various components) is not a known or trusted “brand.” In the public’s eyes, Renewable Energy is virtually unproven, if not thoroughly confusing. The Renewable Energy proposition seems too good to be true. Without a solid, clear brand, people have no reason to trust it. Without trust, we cannot expect people to embrace it. In order to garner the public’s trust, Renewable Energy, as a comprehensive brand, must stand out in logical and emotional dimensions. Appealing to the public with statistics and facts won’t inspire the average American to take action.

Many of us have the talent and the resources – and the responsibility – to help Americans make sense of it all. It's time to get started.

Thank you to Tim Kubista for contributing to this post.

Kerouac's Brand Gap.

This month marks the 50th anniversary of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road being published. I think about poor old Jack from time to time. Not the super cool, burning to live, image of him, but the sad, lonely alcoholic who died at 47 while still living with his mother. After Road was published; the fame that it brought became a monster that devoured him. Why? Maybe he just couldn’t manage his brand. He is credited for being the avatar of the beat generation, but I would argue that he didn’t create that persona.

A section of US culture felt a great void that 50’s Americana simply could not fill. America’s subconscious created the figure without a name or face. Jack brought both and filled the need along with his rude, whiplash tenderness, prose. He played a part he didn’t create. He coined the term beatnik, but it was Allen Ginsberg who put the name out there. I contend that without Allen, the beats would have never been seen as a literary movement. The thing with Allen though, is he was far too counter-culture to fill the icon role that Jack did. I think it could be said that a communist, Jewish, homosexual, pothead may even be too counter-culture for today’s mass consumption.

The brand gap? The role he filled was the archetypical cool, rugged indifference. When you actually read his work however, what you see is a deeply sensitive, perhaps frightened, wildly excitable man. In the end, I think it may have been that difference that came with his fame that wounded him the most. At the time, the world wanted one so badly that they refused to see the other.

Build Your Brand on Leadership

Today I read Tom Peters' post "The Decent Thing to Do Is the Smart Thing to Do" and it occurs to me that while this is a no-brainer, we see so many people - and companies - out there that just don't get it. Tom's point is that leadership (which I loosely define as "demonstrating love for others") makes good business sense. (If you're one of those unfortunate non-leaders that thinks "love" and "business" shouldn't be in the same sentence, you should stop reading now.)

We were taught as small children to be kind to others. To share. To help a friend. To treat others with respect. To love others. We were taught the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." We were taught leadership from the beginning. (Thank you, Mom & Dad.)

Think about those people you gravitate to. Think about the best "managers" you've had in your life. Did you like them every day? Probably not. Did you respect them every day? Probably so. I used to love and hate going to jazz band practice. Mr. Warnke pushed us so hard - he expected so much of us. Oh I would get mad at him! But we didn't want to let him down - because we had such respect for him - so we did the best that we could and as it turned out, we exceeded our own expectations. I don't know that I could explain how my respect for Mr. Warnke came about, but I do remember him showing us his heart on many occasions, whether it was seeing him light up when a student blossomed or hearing his voice crack when he shared with our band that his son's puppy had died. Mr. Warnke led with his heart. And we were arguably one of the best bands in the state, winning contest after contest.

I'm sure everyone has a similar story and I would be willing to bet that many of those stories are about a manager (actually, leader) at work. Peters shares a quote from Boyd Clarke, "I have always believed that the purpose of the corporation is to be a blessing to its employees." (Download peters_ramble.pdf) This is, to me, the ultimate measure of a company. Do you feel blessed to work for your company? In today's world, a company that doesn't add value to its employees is certain to fail. The quickest way to add value? Employ leaders. Grow leaders. Get rid of those who aren't leaders.
 
Is the point then to have a joyful company full of employees who feel blessed? Kind of. The point is actually the bottom line. Leadership in an organization bears fruit: efficiency, loyalty, innovation, service, productivity...more customers, satisfied customers, loyal customers. To have a brand that embraces leadership at every level is to have a dominant brand.

By the way, I recently attended a celebration in our state's capital, where my hometown band marched in the parade. As I cheered with the rest of the crowd, here came the Miller Rustlers marching band, with Mr. Warnke marching with them, beside them. Though I hadn't seen him for over 12 years, I stood and waved and called out to him. Upon seeing me, he came over and gave me a hug. Mr. Warnke still leads with his heart.

How to Manage Your Wood

Are you “focus on the task” person or do you think big-picture? I’m a task person, and only recently had an “ah ha” moment that made me realize I need to think before I act.

Here’s the simple story: Along with being the Director of Business Development for BKG, I am also a part owner of a now defunct nightclub and restaurant. At the beginning of the summer we decided to build a deck outside to attract an after-work crowd. So we built the deck, which I paid for ($2,000). The deck was built in two days and literally thirty days later we closed the bar. So I hired someone to take the deck apart so I could re-use the lumber for a deck at my house. Once the deck was disassembled, I loaded all the wood on a trailer and hauled it to my house where I unloaded it in a huge pile. The contractor who is going to build my deck came to my house to give me a bid and told me I needed to separate the wood by size so he can see what he has to work with. So I separated all the wood into separate piles by size.

Mistake 1) If I had been thinking big-picture instead of just being set on accomplishing a task I would have realized that a deck was not going to save the nightclub and restaurant. Mistake 2) When I hauled all the wood to my house I should have stacked it in piles as I unloaded it from the trailer; instead of trying to accomplish the task of just getting it off the trailer and putting it all in one big pile.

This is also, until recently, how I approached my position at BKG. I have the job of getting new business in the door. I would sit at my desk and call and e-mail as many potential clients as I could, trying to get them to pay attention to us. Really all I was doing was moving around that pile of wood. I decided to take a step back and rethink my sales process. I wrote down a lot of questions. Two that kept coming back to me are: When contacting these potential clients was I really providing value? Was I really giving them a reason to do business with us? The answer is “NO.” I need to provide value first which in turn will give them a reason to work with us. I need to be a thinker first (provide value) and a doer second (reason to do business with us) and stop playing with my wood so much!

How to design for $149

Yes–you too can learn how to design for just the measly price of $149. Because hey – everyone can be a designer, it doesn’t really take much to do it–right? All you need is a computer and this seminar.

Recently, I received a notice to attend a seminar on design. Usually, I’m very excited about new opportunities to expand my education and learn what ever I can or frankly, just be wowed and inspired by others in the industry and to push myself further. However, this seminar notice that I received, really just ticked me off. It’s a one day seminar that promises to teach you all the secrets of becoming a designer including working with printing vendors all for the low, low price of $149. Now, being a designer with 13 years of experience, a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa as well as being the president of AIGA South Dakota a national organization and one of the oldest professional organizations for design in the country – I’ve learned a little on the way and feel pretty passionately about what I do for a living. I was about to toss this little mailer into the recycle bin and it hit me hard. Darn it – I’ve worked hard to get to where I am today and this seminar promises to make others what I am today in just one day. This compromises the very basic nature of my livelihood. Why should a busines owner seek someone like me or my agency, BKG out over the general person that has a program like Publisher and thinks they can do layout because they’ve taken a one-day seminar? Why – because, this field isn’t something that can be taught in one-day. Design is more than just making things look pretty. It combines economics and strategy and in the end impacts the very way we as consumers act, think and feel. Great design and great business strategy gives your business the competitive edge. So, next time you’re thinking that you need to hire a designer, think twice about their skill set, there just isn’t a 10 step process to making your next brochure, it takes innovation, strategy and creativity.

Duh, It's Branding 101

Cornell University recently published a study that found switching the label on wine changed diners' opinions of the wine. What? Really? They've got to be kidding? Imagine, peoples' perceptions and expectations really affecting their opinions and behavior? Huh.

It's not exactly ground-breaking research by Cornell's Food & Brand Lab. We don't need a scientific study to prove branding theory. Check out this excerpt from an article by ScienceDaily.

Forty-one diners at the Spice Box restaurant in Urbana, Illinois were given a free glass of Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany a $24 prix fixe French meal. Half the bottles claimed to be from Noah's Winery in California. The labels on the other half claimed to be from Noah's Winery in North Dakota. In both cases, the wine was an inexpensive Charles Shaw wine.

Those drinking what they thought was California wine, rated the wine and food as tasting better... (Read the full article here.)

Well, duh! While I'm sure North Dakota vitners make some nice wines, they aren't exactly known for cultivating the fruit of the vine (North Dakota has only four wineries). California on the otherhand has Napa Valley and Sonoma. The state is home to more than 1,000 wineries which produce nearly 450 millions gallon a year. They market the hell out of the wine industry which may be why nearly two-thirds of all wine sales in the United States are of California wine.

Think of it like this. Take two nearly exact diamond rings in terms of cut, clarity, color and carat. Put one in a Tiffany's box and the other in the largely anonymous green box from local jeweler Greenberg's. The bling in that trademark little blue box has greater intrinsic value simply because the Tiffany name (and the instantly recognizable packaging) is standing behind it.

This video also makes the point. Water from a hose can be branded with the right attention paid to emotional touchpoints. In this case, appealing to pretentious idiots who want to be seen as connoisseurs of "luxury" items.

Lessons from the Battlefield

The latest issue of The Public Relations Strategist focuses on crisis managment. The entire issue looks at various crisis situations and how they were managed; the deadly campus shooting at Virginia Tech, Jet Blue's meltdown last February and others. The pub also revisits the Tylenol cyanide tampering deaths credited with the birth of crisis communications.

The lead article is about the campus shooting at Virginia Tech last April. Quick flashback, it was the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. During the course of two shooting sprees over several hours, the gunman murdered 32 students and faculty members, and injured 25 others before he killed himself. The ensuing media onslaught was massive.

The mag published excerpts from an interview with Larry G. Hincker, associate vice president of the Office of University Relations. My favorite quote from Hincker is his reponse to the question: What have you learned about crisis communications?

"One of the first things you learn is, you have to have a plan in place. It doesn't matter whether it's sophisticated or simple - you've got to have one. Frankly, the simpler the plan, the better."

Everyone who has a stake in an organization's public relations efforts should read the article. If you think your little college or hospital or business doesn't really need a crisis communications plan... you are WRONG. I can't put it any more simpler than that.

Disaster can strike at any time. The most vital asset to any company or organization is its reputation. It's not money. It's not assets. It's what people think of you... your reputation. Reputation is your lifeblood. Without it you cannot survive. Building up a good and lasting reputation is extensive and time-consuming. You risk losing it rapidly, even overnight, because you haven't planned for a disaster striking your organization.

Viriginia Tech took a hit in the media because of the perception that officials didn't respond quickly enough in alerting students of the danger after the first shooting spree. But the university preserved its reputation by facing the questions and responding to the media.

Crisis communications 101 - tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth. Hincker was so successful that the encamped media gave him a standing ovation at the last of 10 press conferences.