Sustainability Sucks And Needs New Strategies

I for one love the word Sustainability. Some people want to do away with it and replace it with something 'cool' and 'sexy'. I completely disagree. It's not the word's fault the majority of this term's users are Caucasian, and are above average wage earners. The problem is Sustainability sucks when it's stuck and lacks new strategies developed by Strategists for the movements decision makers and Brand managers (or lack of interest in new strategies) to increase adoption. Either way, I will present a variety of new strategies whether anyone listens to me or not.

1. Change The Messengers: Hiring Black, Latino, Asian, and others of mixed races (and better yet, women of color) specifically to staff "face-time" roles and duties in the Communication department will be the biggest, most noticeable change in the industry. Even a Spokesperson for commercials would be a game changer! Image Method Home hiring Majora Carter (@majoracarter) to be the National Spokesperson for their new line of Ocean plastic products. Both of there missions with align and her face, her words would penetrate barriers to adoption. Today, Method's website (the majority of Sustainability) lacks this strategy. Now, can anyone name three Communication rep for any of your favorite Green, Sustainability Brands off the top of your head who are not Caucasian? Good luck. Even Sustainable Brands, the leading "strategy and ideas" conference in the industry has an all-Caucasian Communication staff (kudos to SB for staffing a large number of woman in general). My goal is not to fire Caucasians or call out names? My goal is to rock the boat, shake things up, and advocate for new strategies that will #MoveTheNeedle. I credit Triple Pundit for publishing the telling blog post in 2011 titled "Sustainability Movement is in Dire Need of Minority Outreach". Trust me, not much has changed. Read more here:

http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/10/sustainability-environment-minorities/

*Note: Ford just did Strategy 1. Change The Messenger: http://t.co/glrgfKW6gJ

2. Shift To Digital-First: It's time to take a deep breath and let go of the past. Moble won! Digital is it! Nike is perceived as the absolute pinnicle of Corporate Giants going green, adopting clean technology, implementing a sustainable supply chain, and investing in Biomimicry! It's also the perceived leader in shifting to Digital-first, especially digital marketing. What else is there? Digital walls in corporate lobbies, digital displays at retail, the Internet of Things such a Wearables, and mobile advertising! Now, this digital-first strategy is not an easy strategy, but who says winning is easy?! Spotify is one of the hottest mobile advertising opportunities in the Country lead by one of Nation's most formidable Agents of Disruption, Sean Parker, and the potential for a Green Brand's reach is staggering. Flipboard is also a dominating digital force for all major Green Brands that struggle with content distribution and readership. 

Have I ever pushed for these changes instead of just criticize? Yes, I have.

I will probably get in trouble for posting this but last year, I requested to pitch some marketing ideas to Sustainable Life Media for their up-coming Sustainable Brands Conference in San Diego. I supplied some ideas for free over a conference call, but I requested a pitch to offer services because I questioned features, benefits, and reasons to believe vs the price of admission. I think they were expecting me to pitch a really big street team or flyer drop strategy. They were surprised that a pitched a rebrand of the Expo, from the Sustainable Brands Solutions Expo to SBDX (Sustainable Brands Digital Experience). The idea of providing digital walls and interactive displays for Brands to do next-level digital storytelling (replacing cloth backdrops and black table clothes) as part of the exhibitor fee was too disruptive. I doubt it will happen. Hopefully someone from GreenBuild is reading. GBDX! 

Where's my supporting data you ask? Bank of America Merrill Lynch predicts that the U.S. mobile ad market will grow from $3.6 billion in 2011 to a whopping $18.3 billion in 2015. Tablets will only continue to propel ad spending. Read more at http://www.business2community.com/infographics/phenomenal-growth-mobile-advertising-infographic-0826220#g2Vo6ECQtYzoz4BB.99

3. Make Loss Leader Products - Poor people need Sustainbility, too. And I don't mean get cheap and make crap that falls apart. That's not Sustainable. I mean strategically take a loss, a really big loss, at the chance of gaining a profit in the future. For some brands they're already in trouble, but good solid strategy attacts investors, especially if the strategy dramatically improves what investors like: Cash Flow!

No, supporting data there. Just common sense.

4. Edit The Marketing Plan. I just finished writing a new e-book titled "#BeSuperSocial - A CMO's Guide To Leveraging Social As A High-Level Marketing Strategy" (coming in April) and in the book I advocate for Brands to go Super Social. Now some in Sustainability might be upset that I didn't target and classy this book for Green Brands ONLY but the support facts for my idea are staggering. IBM recently reports that only 20% of CMO's leverage social channels to engage with customers! In my book, I advocate for CMO's to take social from a low on the totem pole, small piece of candy in the mixed bag of marketing tricks, and elevate social to the highest strategic level possible. This would lead to employee advocacy, social selling, social customer service, and Executives using social media. My ditigal ad agency also just launched a new ground-breaking service, Twitter Chat for Brands (#TwitterChats4Brands), to improve engagement, increase brand exposure, and generate leads with sophisticated Twitter ads and lead generation cards. 

I point out in the book two companies who are close to reaching this new social stratosphere and whether you believe me or not, some brand will go Super Social. My question is will someone listen to me and will it be a brand representing Sustainabilility? 

Must Read: Jill Rowley (Social Selling Evangelist) Discusses Her Social Selling Superpower! https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/industry-solution-partners/entry/jill_rowley_social_selling_evangelist_discusses_her_social_selling_superpower?lang=en

Study: Only 20% Of CMOs Use Social Media For Customer Engagement 

http://t.co/87NNFcuj5e

If major strategy changes aren't made soon, Sustainablitity will really suck.

Visit my agency's website to learn more: http://www.bigbikegroup.com/#!About/c1t53

 

Why Solar Needs To Win Marketing And Advertising Awards In 2014?

What do we want? Sales!

When do we want it? Yesterday!

Well, if you had met or exceeded your sales goals then you wouldn't need me. Am I right? I'm here to disrupt the industry with award winning work and provide new compelling reasons to lease Solar in 2014.

If 'moving the needle' is truly the objective then it's time to do something different according to where your Solar business is on the adoption curve. See below:

Based in the number of customers most companies currently have, my estimation is that all Solar Companies in the US are in between the early adopters column and barely into the early majority. After years of following the teachings of Geoffrey Moore, author, speaker, advisor, best known for Crossing the Chasm, I am absolutely clear that Solar needs to get more strategic in digital marketing and mobile advertising. 

Mr. Moore's teaching are simple: As you maneuver thru the adoption curve, the compelling reason to buy is not the same bewteen early adopters, the early majority, and the late majority. So what's my solution to do kick sales into overdrive?

Peanut Butter and Jelly:

Marketing solar in 2014 needs to achieve a clear cut "peanut better and jelly" moment where plug-in electric cars and solar are sandwiched together in an effort to create context of: saving lots of money everyday! Context is King in 2014 and branded content needs to drop the hard sales pitch. Once context is established, targeting electric vehicle owners to adopt solar will lead to setting sales records. 

Why electric car owners? With US plug-in electric vehicle sales up 84% in 2013, that means there's movement within the early majority (also known as "Pragmatists in pain") who've discovered their compelling reason to adopt. In fact, InsideEVs.com and the Detriot News have both report:

“In 2013, automakers sold nearly 49,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles — up 27 percent over 2012 — and 47,600 electric vehicles — up 241 percent, according to data complied by Ward’s Automotive.”

And guess what American City is the epicenter of plug-in electric vehicle adoption? Sunny San Diego

San Diego Now Has More EVs Per Capita Than Any Other US City: http://t.co/AV4ap44fOa

Why San Diego? Um, well... Maybe because we endure some of the highest gas prices (high cost of living) in the country, and the majority of drivers commute less than 50 miles per day. In fact, several plug-in owners acquire a second electric car within a year or two after there first purchase after realizing the money saved on a daily basis. San Diego Gas and Electirc estimates there are roughly 5000 plus plugin hybrid, electric vehicles currently on the road in America's Finest City and 2014 is the watershed for pragmatists in pain.

The definition of Pragmatism alone explains why marketing solar in 2014 must adapt: ^[1]Pragmatism is a rejection of the idea that the function of thought is to describe, represent, or mirror reality. Instead, pragmatists develop their philosophy around the idea that the function of thought is as an instrument or tool for prediction, action, and problem solving. Pragmatists contend that most philosophical topics—such as the nature of knowledge, language, concepts, meaning, belief, and science—are all best viewed in terms of their practical uses and successes rather than in terms of representative accuracy.

What's the silver bullet to target electric vehicle owners via advertising? Mobile and Native advertising... Duh!! Fact: the majority of all electric vehicles owners also own a variety of mobile devices and use apps on a dialy basis related to their vehicles especially charging. This also includes news apps. 

Now, I'm not going to give all of my secret sauce away, especially my advertising concepts, however pay attention this year to who's doing what and when because I'm determined to win  lots of these (below) for solar in 2014:

Follow myself and Geoffrey Moore on Twitter. My handle is @frshprnzcleantc. They don't call me the Fresh Prince of Cleantech for nothing!

Geoffrey Moore is a Venture partner at MDV. Chairman emeritus of The Chasm Group, Chasm Institute, TCG Advisors.

Mobile Advertising Is King In 2014

I thoroughly enjoyed retweeting this: 

@pgreenbe: I'm so sick of annual "mobile is the future" predictions. Its the present. Doesn't 5 billion smart devices tell you something? #crm #scrm

It's the truth... What else is their to discuss other than who wants to win?

Since, I'm the black Don Draper at this... Let's meet to discuss winning at mobile advertising.

Tweet me at @frshprnzcleantc. 

The Fresh Prince of Cleantech

I might possibly be the most self absorbed, 'selfie-taking', Facebooking, Tweeting and retweeting obsessed Instagrammer you'll ever meet w/ deep LinkedIn 1st connections in the realm of Sustainability. I really don't care what you think bc I'm a Mad man who made another breakthrough happen in Cleantech's history.

I started at the bottom of the Cleantech industry back in 2006-2007. San Diego only had a hand full of dreamers, thought leaders, and risk takers and I paid my dues with my blood, sweat, and ideas on a paper napkin. My scars are deep so my insight comes at a higher price.

Fast forward to 2014... No more paper napkins. It's time for real talk. The industry is severly lacking diversity and style. No matter the sector (green building, electric cars, solar, wind, algae, green consumer products, etc), there are no icons where their style influences "early majority" adopters to... Well... Adopt. And guess what... Innovation without adoption is... Well... Failure.

Let me break this down for those who are slow. Women, Blacks, and Hispanics don't adopt electric cars well from white men in corporate shirts handing out large pamphlets. And if you're not campaigning like your running for President and doing all you can to win Women, Blacks, and Hispanics... Well then... You are just slowly falling into the Chasm instead of crossing it like Apple. Every company in Cleantech, Sustainability dreams for an Apple iPhone moment... Well here's the secret. Without style and diversity... Kiss that dream goodbye. Ask Mitt Romney and the Republican Party.

I believe 2014 needs to be the year where Solar and electric car adoption doubles, and I'm the stylist. I'm the answer. I'm the agent of disruption that will sell the American dream of Solar on every roof and an electric car in every garage as the symbol of 'full recovery' from the Great Recession. 

My style is sophisticated, bullish, and decisive. I don't wear corporate whites. I wear cool clothes. I rock a beard, a fro-hawk, and I speak Swaghili fluently. I prefer Nike Dunks over loafers and my personal hashtag is simple: #freshprinceofcleantech.

This is #HowIRockIt just having coffee. I am a maven and my handle is: @frshprnzcleantc. In 2014, my resolution is to be the most successful public figure in all of Cleantech using my personal style as a weapon to move the needle. Social media is my sword and mobile advertising is my spear, and I'm ready to lead my army into battle and sack whole cities and counties. States even. 

As an award winning Creative Director, I see the weaknesses and patterns in my industry... I see what's not being done in Cleantech that should be... And I recently rectified some of that. Cleantech needs more Women, Blacks, and Hispanics in 2014 or else. The best Digital marketing and mobile advertising is the key.

Cleantech also needs more "selfie-taking"  mavens that are willing to display how cool it is to be green. I recently took a much needed vacay and stayed in a King suite in a Kimpton Hotel... I made it look so fucking cool, that many of my friends want the exact experience I had and price didn't matter. The experience mattered. As a Mad man, living life your way and loving yourself is the doorway to true influence.

Sustainability will forever remain boring without changing.

I'm a AMY winner, and I want to win in 2014. I want to win at the EMAs, the AMAs, the Clio awards, and even take Cleantech to the Super Bowl plus... I want to take Solar and electric cars to promise land... Winner at the Cannes Lions awards... But at the moment nobody in Sustainability knows nothin bout that! Exception: This Leo named Yeves Perez, the Fresh Prince of Cleantech. 

Name someone... One person who even talks like that. Image with me an award winning solar or electric car advertising campaign that earns top nods from the public as the best Super Bowl ad and takes home a Cannes Lion award! That's how you spell a-d-o-p-t-i-o-n.   

Follow me in 2014 because I have a freedom in my speech to say what needs to be said. I have people to pay back and a desire to pay it forward, so failure in not in my vocabulary. So, pick your New Years resolutions carefully and make sure the envolve winning. I'm clear I have.

I'm about to go HAM! www.yevesperez.com

Add Shot - BigBike Group revs up San Diego's Mobile Scene

It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I love my Starbucks and especially adding a shot of espresso when I want to get something done right then. Using that metaphor, San Diego based businesses have much to accomplish in 2013 and require an "add shot" to their marketing and advertising plans. As Creative Director, I want to run all of the best campaigns in San Diego County. As a visionary, I see where the solutions are and because I have the gift of research, I can execute like nobody's business.

My Partner's Work

Let's face it. Mobile is where it's at. Not tomorrow. Right now! I purposely coined "Add Shot" to not only serve as my agency's term to pitch the Mobile trifecta, which takes aim at the Mobile website, the Mobile app, and Mobile advertising, but also a brief manifesto of what's to come and the effects on my Client's bottom line.  I'm an agent of disruption, so at the risk of appearing wonkish I promise to drop data to support my claims.

By the way, how does your site look on an iphone or android? Does in conform to appear clean, clear, and legible like this (pic left)? While every other agency spends all year pushing for responsive web design that automatically adjusts to the users adjusts to fit the users screen resolution (which is really for blogs), BigBike Groups runs against the gain on this debate. One of our top focuses in 2013 is to release the best mobile specific websites with separate content to dramatically improve load time and feature API keys to improve brand connectivity and sharing. Why does this debate matter? A 2011 Compuware article titled "What Users Want From Mobile" states if your site does not load with 3 seconds 60% of them will leave and never come back. Mobile is an art. Companies selling products, food, and services deserve better.

Windows Phone

As Creative Director, getting the right mobile website matters for me to focus on #goodvertising and for my mobile ads to matter and produce the results that show my clients the money! Seriously, creating rich media ads including video ad units, gifs, and interstitials are challenging enough and they commanded a greater click through rate of 1.1% in 2010. So wasting a better CTR and that potential customer's trust on a slow loading site makes no sense to me and serves as the first opportunity to save the client money.

It's also apparent that device makers are fully aware of the culture influence on society their toys have and so do the users. Yet, did you know 2/3 of our time on mobile phones are used for non-communicative activities with the average American spending 94 minutes per day utilizing mobile apps vs. web-based consumption? Mashable called 2012 The Year of Mobile Advertising and the Atlantic covered the national acceleration of mobile advertising accurately.

BigBike Group Mobile Ad Campaign

As for popular apps go in San Diego, there is a rush for publishers to develop and launch to appease their subscribers and not lose ground on readership, however San Diego is so diverse. From the craft beer scene having an app to the local tourism app to the County Parks app, and everything in between, there's a niche for advertisers to fill and not worry of competing with 5 other ads of the same page. It just takes a good eye and a skilled firm to lead the way. Thus developing an app should also be no light conversation either. I believe a brand selling a product or aiming to increase employees engagement or creating a loyalty program or wanting to increase demand with a game, they  should have a Mobile app.

Also, did you know San Diego was dubbed the "Wireless Capital of the World" over Silicon Valley by Forbes Magazine just last year? It's true. Forbes tech contributor Mark Fidelman's June 27th piece pointed out the concentration of wireless employees in San Diego is 484 per 100,000 residents, compared to Silicon Valley's 375 per 100,000. Plus Novatel CEO Pete Leparulo's quote lends our mobile industry some credibility when he said, "San Diego for wireless technology is an amazing place. It's what I image Detroit was like during the heyday of inventiveness." Not bad, but what about San Diego's mobile market?

Well, besides the thousands of high wage employees of telecom companies that either carry a smartphone and or tablet device (just ask any Qualcomm employee), San Diego County has 3.1 million residents, 4000 square miles—and an ultra conservative estimate of 500,000 mobile devices in adult households according to Scarborough Research's *outdated stats from 2007, or closer to 1.5 million compared to National estimates of 52% released at CES. Yes, the range is wide, however the evidence is self evident.

I also believe its "The Year of The eWallet" for San Diego and advertising to the ewallet user will pay off in huge divided ends. I think there's clout here since Scarborough ranked San Diego as one of the top tech savvy cities in the country and the swipe of the mobile to pay for food, drinks, products, and more just completes the rave review.

Now, I'm not going to discuss my firm's strategies of how I present all of this and pitch, so that some young ad executive at a competing firm looking to prove something can turn around and copy me, but I will say to those who could be potential clients reading this... let's meet for coffee soon.    

Email me at yevesperez [at] gmail [dot] com or tweet me @frshprnzcleantc.