http://parkhowell.com/green-advertising-and-marketing/study-shows-why-cmos-need-to-keep-engineers-out-of-marketing-energy-efficiency-and-conservation A Brighter Shade of Green Marketing Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:59:37 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://parkhowell.com/green-advertising-and-marketing/study-shows-why-cmos-need-to-keep-engineers-out-of-marketing-energy-efficiency-and-conservation/comment-page-1#comment-1590 Park Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:59:24 +0000 http://parkhowell.com/?p=7825#comment-1590 Thanks for the note, SolarChoice. All great points. For some reason, when it comes to the energy industry, or any resource conservation cause, engineers seem to rule the marketing. Have never figured that out. If you're at a cocktail party, who tells the better joke: The engineer or the marketer? Thanks for the note, SolarChoice. All great points. For some reason, when it comes to the energy industry, or any resource conservation cause, engineers seem to rule the marketing. Have never figured that out. If you’re at a cocktail party, who tells the better joke: The engineer or the marketer?

]]> http://parkhowell.com/green-advertising-and-marketing/study-shows-why-cmos-need-to-keep-engineers-out-of-marketing-energy-efficiency-and-conservation/comment-page-1#comment-1586 SolarChoice Heat Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:41:24 +0000 http://parkhowell.com/?p=7825#comment-1586 Agreed. Completely. Coca-Cola is grounded in ingredients and the technology to make it. But Coke wouldn't be around if that's how they sold it. And neither would Nike. Remember the last Nike ad you saw that focused on the technology of their shoes? Probably not. And Mac? They don't sell their technology, either. They all have one marketing approach in common - they sell the benefits of their technology. And the sustainable energy industry should consider doing the same. Companies are talking to themselves in techno-speak only they can understand. And when consumers hear it they tune out. Why? Consumers aren't engineers. And they don't want to be. Government officials aren't engineers and they don't want to be, either. They want benefits to they want to communicate those benefits to the folks who put them in office. At SolarChoice we're doing what we think is the right way to market our passive solar heaters, describing them as passive solar heaters disguised as window blinds to our audience. We explain how they work with simple descriptions and supporting graphics. Are we doing everything right? No. No one does. But we're doing our best to stay focused on the consumer and being relevant in their lives. We have to remember - no consumer cares about any product as much as the people who make and market it. We have to appeal to both the consumer's head and heart with our messaging - because people do not make purchase decisions rationally - they make them based on emotion. Facts and figures might open the door - but they won't close a sale. Agreed. Completely. Coca-Cola is grounded in ingredients and the technology to make it. But Coke wouldn’t be around if that’s how they sold it. And neither would Nike. Remember the last Nike ad you saw that focused on the technology of their shoes? Probably not. And Mac? They don’t sell their technology, either. They all have one marketing approach in common – they sell the benefits of their technology. And the sustainable energy industry should consider doing the same. Companies are talking to themselves in techno-speak only they can understand. And when consumers hear it they tune out. Why? Consumers aren’t engineers. And they don’t want to be. Government officials aren’t engineers and they don’t want to be, either. They want benefits to they want to communicate those benefits to the folks who put them in office. At SolarChoice we’re doing what we think is the right way to market our passive solar heaters, describing them as passive solar heaters disguised as window blinds to our audience. We explain how they work with simple descriptions and supporting graphics. Are we doing everything right? No. No one does. But we’re doing our best to stay focused on the consumer and being relevant in their lives. We have to remember – no consumer cares about any product as much as the people who make and market it. We have to appeal to both the consumer’s head and heart with our messaging – because people do not make purchase decisions rationally – they make them based on emotion. Facts and figures might open the door – but they won’t close a sale.

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