Green: It's Not Just for Hippies

Tracy Weber — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:38:00 GMT

Green. Environmentally Friendly. EcoFriendly. What picture do these words paint for you?

"Hippie" perhaps?

Depending upon your location and background, these topics may seem idealistic, impractical, or for the purposes of this conversation, irrelevant to your company. That would be short-sighted.

The popularity of green initiatives in Portland may not surprise you. After all, Oregon was the first state to pass the Bottle Bill. Portland is one of the most bicycle friendly communities in the US (and the world by some accounts). Heck, we even produce a disproportionate amount of organic wine. But, if you're not of the tree hugging, Solstice celebrating, patchouli bent, what can a green perspective do for your company?

The not-so-little secret is that green appeals to the inner hippie in everyone-- including your customers.

Hybrid car sales increased 27% in January 2008 compared to a year before. More and more Americans are willing to accept a 2-4% price hike for construction of a green home. Consumers are willing to invest in these green products because they promise cost savings over time and also because green just feels good.

Who doesn't want to be able to say they're contributing to the good of the environment? And if you're not helping consumers understand how your company can achieve this, you can bet that your competitors are.

Even if farmer's markets and Birkenstocks aren't your style, making your customers feel good about your brand should be.

What Does A Client Services Dept Blog About?

Tracy Weber — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:13:00 GMT

Now that Pop Art has set up this very snazzy company blog (shout out to Scott!) I feel a certain amount of pressure to represent my little corner of the organization. However, as an Account/Project Manager I'm looking at a dearth of topics that would be both professional and interesting enough to post.

"Interesting" Let's see, should I start with a rundown of the various approaches one could take to create a project schedule or should I dive right into tools for tracking and monthly reconciliation of budgets?

Zzzzzzzz

The "professional" aspect raises an entirely different set of challenges. To begin, I'm defining "professional" as industry-related and also wise/ethical. Determining an "industry-related" topic is fairly obvious-- no one reading this blog really wants to hear about my new apartment no matter how good their social graces are. The conundrum is that an "interesting" and large portion of my role is to represent the viewpoints of clients and team members to each other in order to facilitate true & clear communication. Blogging about my day-to-day experiences within this area in a wise (don't say anything short-sighted!) and ethical (don't share anything proprietary!) manner would be challenging. A sanitized analysis of an experience where all traces of the particulars have been scrubbed is less likely to qualify as "interesting".

I will continue to give this some thought if for no other reason than the world of Account & Project Management in the digital space is demanding and engaging if not sexy, and it's worth spreading the word. I just need to figure out how.

Tracy Weber's Blog

Green: It's Not Just for Hippies

What Does A Client Services Dept Blog About?