*Please read the entire post.  Yes, the whole thing…before applying.

About you:

You’re a good fit if…:

• You have a professional demeanor and are self composed.  You present yourself in a way that instills confidence to a client and team.
• ** You have the ability to control a room and facilitate a discussion to an effective end.  You have a sense of calm under pressure.
• You are ALWAYS solution oriented.  Without exception.
• You have confidence, as the strategic expert, in your recommendations, and know how to sell your ideas.  You also know when to let go.
• ***You enjoy nurturing your team and watching them grow.  You understand that the workplace needs to be a safe place to launch, make mistakes, take risks, and be unembarrassed to be bold.
• You understand the importance of keeping a keen eye on frustration levels, behavior, balance, and client interactions.  You understand the importance of stopping a meeting or email chain to address a bubbling issue – even if it’s uncomfortable, even if your schedule is packed, even if it may delay the deadline.
• You hold boundaries firmly, and deliver them clearly and kindly.
• You have a strong “gut” and intuition.
• You live/breathe marketing, you see it in everything.  Your tendency to improve everything annoys even you.
• You are constantly learning – ted talks, radio labs, etc., and consequently, are up on the trends
• You are a leader with strategic, systems thinking. This way of thinking means there are often opportunities for you to say “I told you so,” but you never do.  Your team is prepared for things to go wrong, or can quickly correct when the unexpected occurs.
• You know when to get mad – When it’s merited, you do it sparingly and with purpose.
• You often thread together incongruous elements for unique solutions.
• A complex multi-faceted campaign thrills you.
• You ooze creativity.
• *Agency experience or multiple account management is preferred.

You won’t be a good fit if…:

• you have ever, ever thrown anyone under the bus to save yourself or even the company.
• you enjoy clutter
• you’re typically late
• managing the p’s and q’s of your team feels safe
• you think people won’t change unless they get in trouble
• you need training to speak in public or at the head of a meeting
• you feel that emotional swings are the spice of life

Skills/Experience:

• ~10 years

Duties:

• Manage high level client relationships from start to finish …beginning with sales meetings
• Oversee and Initiate art and creative direction (first and last approval)
• Nurture/Manage/Direct a team of two from the big picture
• Presentation and selling our ideas
• Meeting facilitation
• Billing & Budget discussions with client and team
• Final say on resource use (ie: cherry picking your contractors)
• Identify unspoken needs, and always address the spoken needs (even, and especially, if you don’t agree).

Salary & other delightful notes:
$50,000-$60,000 annual salary. Position begins as a 3-month contractor trial status, to move to full-time employee status. We operate a Results Only Work Environment: http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2013/11/at-green-rising-results-not-office.html?ed=2013-11-26&s=article_du&ana=e_sbo

How to apply:

Please reply to lauren@greenrisingmarketing.com with the following:

• Resume & short persona for yourself (less than 150 words) – as if you were the demographic to whom a company was marketing. Include a separate section of less than 100 words with needs, and what motivates you to push yourself.

• Create a brief 1-3 minute video of yourself (cellphone quality is fine) addressing one of the following two topics. Videos will be evaluated on content, not technical expertise.
  • Demonstrate a talent. This can be any talent you feel is a representation of yourself.
  • Give us a tour of your neighborhood.

• Name 1 marketing efforts made by another company, be it large or small, that you think were very effective and why.

• Please include a portfolio with 3-4 pieces of work previously completed.

Green Rising is determined to make this years brilliant team of SXSW and bring a bit of marketing flair – Portland style. Vote for us and our session, “Is “Sustainability” Dead? Lets try acceptance.” today.

Voting Period: Today – Friday, May 22 at 11:59 PM CST

Who can vote? 

Anyone can view the submitted sessions by visiting http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote. In order to vote you will need to login or quickly create a PanelPicker account here: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com. The voting is simple, just give a session a “Thumbs Up” or “Thumbs Down,” leave some comments and move on.

Thank you for your vote! 

We hope to see you there!     

************************************************************************************************

I made this years ago to help struggling clients choose an agency with confidence.  This is what I would ask if I were hiring. (did I mention we’re hiring?? See prior post!)  A company recently asked for our Apples to Apples list, and I thought we’d share.

Green Marketing PROJECT MANAGER:

• Location: The Pearl District
• Compensation: $40,000 annual salary
• Hours: 3 month trial period (initial period may begin at 20 hours/wk – TBD)
• We operate a Results Only Work Environment: http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2013/11/at-green-rising-results-not-office.html?ed=2013-11-26&s=article_du&ana=e_sbo

Green Rising is a growing strategy firm that looks at the world through a marketing lens.  We work exclusively with eco-minded companies that think big and are looking to get to the next level.   Find out more at www.greenrisingmarketing.com

The purpose of this position is to carry brand strategy through each project and to build harmonious relationships with the client.

Duties/Skills needed:

This position is 70% project management, 10% front-end strategy, 20% back-end strategy.  It is 70% people management and 30% administrative.

Your day to day work will include print-checking files, drawing a layout for an event space, guiding a client through a weekly meeting, brainstorming with the Account Lead for a strategy session, monitoring budgets, securing approvals, reviewing estimates and schedules, approving invoices, posting to social media, monitoring analytics, relaying creative direction to a designer, and fielding lots of emails and communications.

You will have 10-20 balls in the air at every moment – you should thrive on this and handle it gracefully.

The client should feel guided and confident at all times, knowing where they are in the process, and our internal team should feel that the work load is manageable (i.e. we are not constantly putting out fires, missing deadlines, or playing catch-up because of poor scheduling).

*Design skills are a HUGE plus.

If you…

• LOVE THE ENVIRONMENT (An absolute must)
• think in systems and can’t rest until you have organized said system
• have strong gut intuition and aren’t afraid to use that as a reason for decision making.  (assuming your gut is usually right)
• lead and are led well.  You know how and when to delegate to get the best product from yourself.  You do not try to be a martyr, you do try to be part of a healthy, functioning team.  You welcome feedback at all times.
• are extremely flexible without sacrificing your sanity and boundaries
• **understand people feel safe around a good listener and a strong guide – you are known for this
• are detailed oriented – sometimes painfully so (You know when to let go to meet deadlines, and when to sacrifice a deadline to get something right)
• are open to challenging the status quo, you’re not afraid to respectfully speak up
• have a knack for finding the right time and manner for speaking up
• get excited about your work and bring energy to a team, even in tough times
• have occasionally taken time for creative writing, it’s not a struggle for you
• love ideas, and can call them up during a strategy session to spark creativity
• feel consistency is crucial
• consistently take time for yourself …

… then you’re the person we want!

TO APPLY:

To help us get to know you better, please submit to Lauren@greenrisingmarketing.com:

• your resume
• Write a brief recap about a time you saw a project through from start to finish.  Who did you need to involve? What direction did you give those involved? How did you determine deadlines and budget? Did you meet the deadlines and budget?
• Name 2 marketing efforts made by another company, be they large or small, that you think were very effective and why.

Win by doing good: $10,000 of free work.

We want to fuel a worthy cause….for FREE! Because people deserve to know about you. If you’re innovating and world-shaking, we want to support you with $10,000 worth of strategy and messaging. * We’ll choose one social impact organization or one boot-strapping start-up. It must significantly support the environment.

NEXT STEPS:

– Answer the questions below

– Based on responses we will choose 3 finalists for an interview

1. What makes your organization special, and what has let you to this moment, right here, where you are feeling the need for marketing strategy?

2. What does ‘good brand strategy’ mean to you? If you think in examples, please share what comes to mind.

3. Who is you audience? Are you hyper-local? Regional? National? International?

4. Who are your partners? Who believes in you and supports you financially or in other ways? Be specific if possible.

5. Describe what you hope your organization will look like in 3 years.

To apply, click here or send email to holly@greenrisingmarketing.com

Deadline: November 12, 2014

*This offer does not include design, printing, web development, video, hard costs purchases, advertising costs, or photography. This offer includes all strategy, project management, and copy-writing.

*We are looking for 1 non-profit who is willing to exchange the equivalent in sponsorship or 1 start-up who is willing to exchange equity.

The Idea

$115 MILLION dollars. That’s how much the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised in 2 months. I know, I know…you’re sick of hearing about it, but inside this campaign are big lessons on how our brains work. A deeper look can help you understand how to use them, too.

Lets start by understanding the campaign.

Take a look at the typical format in one of our own, Gina’s Video.

…and then watch the best ice bucket fails.

Lesson #1: We say “yes” to people we know and like.

Remember Tupperware parties? A hostess invites friends for a demonstration. She gets a cut of the profit for her time and hospitality…and for enabling Tupperware to have customers buy from a friend, rather than a stranger.

The Ice Bucket Challenge harnessed this power by having friends nominate friends, creating an endless chain of familiar faces making the ask.

Lesson #2: Campaigns must combat procrastination

In a study conducted by Dan Ariely, he tested deadline-setting styles on his students, who had to write three papers. Group 1 set their own deadlines. Group 2 had no deadlines at all–just submit by the last day of class. Group 3 received three hard deadlines from the professor.

Any guesses as to which group was most successful?

It was Group 3. Group 2, with all that flexibility and freedom, fared the worst. Turns out, we humans operate best when an external voice gives us the orders.

So when your friend nominated you and said, “You have 24 hours to complete the challenge or donate $100 dollars to ALS,” it was much more powerful than if you had set the deadline yourself.

Lesson #3: We make decisions based on social proof

We often determine what’s correct by finding out what other people think is correct (according to Robert Cialdini’s Influence). Examples areeverywhere. Bartenders who “salt” their tip jars. Evangelical preachers who plant “ringers” to come forward and donate. Club owners who create long lines outside though there’s plenty of room inside.

Donating to ALS in the dark wasn’t going to inspire action. By encouraging people to “come out” as donors via video, the campaign provided social proof that dumping a bucket of icy water on your head was the correct thing to do.

Lesson #4: Watching someone we love flail around in discomfort is amusing.

This is where most creators struggle… “How to find something funny, interesting, viral-worthy?!”  Here is a Green Rising exclusive tip: With no more than 3 people, find a white board anywhere, a bottle of wine, and go to town for 1 hour putting up the craziest ideas you can find.  The one that takes the least amount of effort, and makes you laugh just thinking about it, wins.

How it affects you

When right-sized for your business, you can use these lessons to move your audience to act. You could start a referral program that plays on the power of liking. Put a deadline on your call to action to combat procrastination. Capture a compelling client testimonial as social proof that you are good at what you do.

Now, you have 24 hours to either forward this email to someone in need of marketing help or dump a bucket of water on your head.

The Issue:

The Big D (not to be confused with this Big D) .   Embraced by people who have witnessed the struggle of discrimination, dismissed by those who feel threatened by the effects of affirmative action.

However, the Big D, Diversity, has largely faced indifference.  And, that’s what really kills a movement.

In working to create a global community with Idealist.org, we began to explore the concept of a tribe.  As in: “I’ve found my tribe.”  But, what is a tribe?  Truly? This common phrase typically describes a homogenous group of people.  But, a tribe, by definition, is a group of people who share a common language, customs, and beliefs.  Within that IS diversity – big, small, smart, simple, elderly, infant, wealthy, poor.

When I look at an ad with the token black man, or Asian woman, their hands in a star, everyone made to look exactly the same, except skin tone, I feel disheartened.  As if this is diversity.

Today we’re looking at the new face of diversity.  AND, apologizing that it’s taken so long to get here.

Case Study 1: Coca Cola

In their controversial Super Bowl Ad, they brought issues of immigration, diversity, and patriotism to the forefront.  It subtly says America is beautiful BECAUSE of it’s diversity.  Boldly done.

The day that Albert Einstein feared may have finally arrived. 

Having coffee with friends.

A day at the beach.

Cheering on your team.

Having dinner out with your friends.

Out on an intimate date.

Having a conversation with your BFF.

A visit to the museum.

Enjoying the sights.

This was no ordinary field trip… 

Students were delighted as the Avian Kingdom launched their fourth bilingual tale, and their award-winning Author, Emilio, read the story to them! Neither Night nor Day, was a big hit! To add to the excitement, Vladimira, actually made a live appearance! At the end of their cave trip, the Avian Kingdom team gave each student a gift packet, filled with activities and two copies of their latest Feathered Tale.

What about the spelunking you ask? Each class went on the unbelievable Discovery Tour of the Natural Bridge Caverns! Their adventure into the historical and beautiful caverns created memories they will treasure forever.

Even if you don’t plan on dropping $4 million for a 30-second spot in next year’s Super Bowl, it’s worth noting what makes for a successful ad. We broke down our favorites into tips that you can apply in your own marketing.

1. Get at the Why   
Microsoft: Empowering
Move over Apple, Microsoft just upped its game! As “why” evangelists, we loved that this ad answered questions: Why should we care about technology? What’s it doing besides turning us into robots? A lot actually, says Microsoft with a montage of moments that bring you to tears. It cures deaf ears, restores eyesight, and lets a military man witness the birth of his son. Well done.

2. Be Authentic
Coca-Cola: America is Beautiful
It’s what everyone is craving these days… an accurate depiction of real life. Not some over-curated, unrealistic, Photoshopped perfection. Real, gritty, may-cause-controversy authenticity. And props to Coca-cola for continuing to air the ad during the Olympics despite the backlash received after the Super Bowl.

3. Add Sass (and a dash of diversity)
Cheerios: “Gracie”
Again, we’re loving the companies who stuck their necks out to portray diversity. Plus, this little girl’s got sass, and it produced one of those rare moments of true humor in a commercial.

4. Use the Power of the Pause
Dodge: Farmer
Though it aired in 2013, my all-time favorite deserves a revisit. Dodge reserved 2 whole minutes for a slideshow of still photographs set to the pre-recorded, 1978 audio of a Paul Harvey speech. Sandwiched between high-energy ads for soft drinks and snack foods, it caused rooms full of chattering people who were knee-deep in queso dip to go silent. Among the noise, this one could not be ignored.

Go forth, and infuse these million-dollar ideas into your own marketing. Who knows, maybe you’ll hit it big and actually score a spot during next year’s big game.

“Where your talents and the needs of the world meet, there lies your purpose.” – Aristotle

From the thrilling to the heartfelt, here are our favorites:

Carrie: Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise

To promote the remake of the classic horror, Sony pulled this prank in a New York coffee shop. Talk about living out your brand… and scaring the bejeesus out of everyone in its path.

GoPro: Fireman Saves Kitten

GoPro’s usual offering of adrenaline-packed extreme sports videos took a backseat this year to this tear-jerker. You can’t NOT be hopeful about humanity after watching it.

Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk Foundation (ANAR): Secret Anti-Abuse Message That Only Kids Can See

Pure. Genius. If you’re not yet a believer in the power of marketing for good, watch this. It just might change your mind.

Dove: Real Beauty Sketches

We love Dove. Their “Real Beauty” campaign turns beauty industry marketing on its head, and we commend them for getting real with us.

WestJet: Christmas Surprise Will Make You Believe in Santa

Here’s a warm fuzzy video to round out the list. On top of being a super sweet, magical gesture, we’re still in awe of how seamlessly they pulled off this time-sensitive trick!

The Idea

How it Affects You

The clean slate mentality of the new year is intoxicating. (no wait, maybe it was the champagne?)  But often overlooked in this rush of exciting new goals, are the habit patterns and ruts we face year after year.  Your business is no different, and stale marketing that supports status quo will leave you reinforcing that deep groove each year.

So take a moment.  Really.  Step away from your desk, think big, and determine what you want for your business this year.

• Do you want to be the leader in your field?
• Do you want to increase sales?

Ask yourself:

• What parts of your marketing went well in 2013?
• What didn’t work?
• What would you like to improve this new year?
• Can you do it alone or do you need help?

Green Rising can help you get past the resolution slump in March, and keep you going strong in the 4th quarter.

The Idea

Ever since Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely landed in our book library, we’ve been talking non-stop about the concept of market norms (where money motivates people) vs. social norms (where age-old traditions, pride, and relationships motivate people).

Often, we cut out the human parts of business–like small talk about a client’s recent vacation–in order to dive right into the “important” stuff.

But these simple exchanges are the very things that help your business relationships transcend beyond market norms into the social norms realm, resulting in deeper trust, smoother projects, and loyal customers.

Case Study

MailChimp, an e-newsletter service, understands the monetary benefits of being human and shifting the focus off the dollar sign.

First, they made a monkey their mascot. A monkey that talks to you. Guides you. Helps brighten your day. (Then you realize you’re forming a bond with a cartoon animal, but hey, it feels good to be loved).

Then, in 2009, MailChimp switched to the Freemium model,a tactic inspired by Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day in which companies can use their helpful tools for free if they have under 1,000 subscribers. That’s a lot of free accounts. The ratio is 10:1, free users to paying users, to be exact.

Relying on social norms–through a supportive monkey and free use of their tools–MailChimp has cultivated a giant cheerleading squad. They’re vocal, loyal, and likely to stick with MailChimp, even when they outgrow the Freemium offering.

[By the way, we reap the benefits of their sweet deal, and here we are touting their awesomeness to all of you. Case in point.]

How it Affects You

It’s hard to recognize the benefits of being human to your bottom line when you’re trying to efficiently take care of “business as usual,” but they’re there…we promise.

Next time you meet with a client, ask how their day is going. And really listen to the answer. Look at photos of his kid dressed up as a dinosaur for Halloween. Share her pain over the loss of her four-legged friend. Offer advice without expecting anything in return.

Give yourself the time and space to have fun, to enjoy work, to be human. And know that this isn’t a silly indulgence. It’s the start of a long and happy business relationship.

What’s making you feel lost in your marketing?

Your Brand, your Marketing, is one of those things that feels like it should be easy; people act like it should come naturally.  You try, but indecision paralyzes you, and everything sounds over-the-top, too weak, or just …sigh… weird.

So, where to start?  To kickstart?  To Re-Start?

You’ve got the passion, you love what you do, and hell, quite frankly, the world needs you.  (If only they knew about you.)

Enter Green Rising.  Why pay big, fancy agency fees, when DIY is way more fun?  We’ll teach you everything we know (and can fit into 2 days), so you can up your game, get focused, and share your inner powerhouse with the rest of the world.

You deserve it.

On Day 1 of Brand Camp you’ll learn how to:

• articulate the WHY of what you do

• find your best customers

• stand. out.

How can we top that? On Day 2, you’ll learn how to:

• carry out your vision on your own terms with the basics of marketing and social media (insta-what?), and make real, live connections to experts in graphic design, web design, photography and more.

Details: You will work intensively to sharpen your marketing tools and tactical implementation, all while making great connections within a small class size. Be prepared to have homework every week and really get to know your business in a new way.

When: Nov. 5th (session 1) & Nov. 19th (session 2)

Where: 1306 NW Hoyt St. #300, Portland, OR 97209

Pricing: $150 for one session, $250 if you sign up for both at the same time (includes lunch @ Paragon)

Email lauren@greenrisingmarketing.com if you’re interested!

…or, Congratulations! Your Customers are Traumatized!

This is the nightmare of a paperless world: arriving at work to discover your files have all vanished overnight. If you’re lucky, you’ll realize the T-Rex outside is wearing a fedora and this is only a stress dream brought on by tomorrow’s make-or-break meeting. If not, there will be no fashionable dinosaurs—only despair.

On this day last year, we were just that unlucky. Cue customer service disaster.

April 11, 2012. 7:37 a.m.:

• Three thousand files—our business foundation, our whole enchilada—evaporated from our Dropbox account.
• We reached out to Dropbox crisis control at 1-800-Serious-Lack-of-Digits. That’s right—no phone number.
• After clicking through a jungle of Q&A, we finally found a contact form. We sent amessage off into the void and waited. And waited. The reply came… six days later.
  

In the meantime, we sipped margaritas in Cancun and waited patiently for our files to be restored. No, wait—we did the exact opposite. With major contracts on the line, we couldn’t afford to sit around until Dropbox (possibly) responded.
In the end, we painstakingly restored our files as needed. One. At. A. Time. This took days—days of panic and hamstrung productivity. Dropbox could have restored those same files in minutes.

The moral:

Be there for your customers when disaster strikes. Even if you care, a support system that keeps customers at arm’s length communicates the opposite. Modern business might rely on computers, but we should still do business like humans.

So pick up the phone. Prove you’ve got their back. No one likes to face a T-Rex alone.

We spend a lot of time here touting good ideas. And while we believe in positivity, there’s also value in looking at occasional “how-not-to-do-it” examples.

Welcome to our first Marketing Misstep. Consider this like a history lesson: learn from others, so you don’t make the same mistake. Enjoy, and feel free to laugh… we did!

The Misstep

Recently, a team member stayed at a Hampton Inn. Plastered in the elevator were graphics boasting that duvet covers and sheets are washed fresh for every guest.

There are two reactions to expect:

1.  EWWW!!
2.  Finally, I can sit on my bed naked without worry!

Of those we polled, #1 was the most common response. What does that say about their campaign?

Cleanliness is a table stake–the bare minimum you must meet to compete. Look at airlines:  Southwest doesn’t boast safety… that’s a given. They go beyond that, promising low fares and high spirit.

By choosing to highlight fresh sheets–something people already expect–Hampton Inn loses an opportunity to stand out in the sea of hotel chains.

On top of that, they deeply misunderstand their audience. One graphic shows a teen texting in bed: “OMG, TBISC. Oh my gosh, this bed is so clean.”

Have you ever met a teen concerned with a clean hotel bedspread? Didn’t think so. The first image speaks easily to parents who are concerned about clean sheets for their children, the second is a big stretch.

Moral of the Story

It’s not enough to brag about the basics. Your brand lives in every. single. detail. So identify your table stakes… then push past them.

One thing that saddens us to no end is missing an opportunity to help due to budget. As 2013 approaches, pinpoint areas to focus your energy. Making a plan now will be worth it. We promise. (And we can help.)

At the core of our process lies a 50-syllable purpose statement. Don’t be fooled by its size… this is meant to permeate every aspect of your organization. From the CEO to the janitor, everyone should embrace this mantra if you’re going to stay on cue. Because more important than WHAT you’re doing is WHY you’re doing it.

We recently made our own easily digestible purpose statement:

To make the green movement more successful, 
we start conversations that mean something.
We envision a healthier world where socially conscious becomes socially subconscious.  

To better understand the power of the purpose, make yourself a cup of tea and listen to this podcast. And when you’re ready for a refill, check out Simon Sinek’s TED Talk on how to inspire action.

The idea

Everywhere you look, businesses claim to be “sustainable.” How do you stand out in the sea of sustainability? Stop hitting people over the head with the word. Show, don’t tell. Green is in the details.

Why it’s great

While most companies drown consumers in generic terms, a few offer relief. LUSH, a cosmetics company, uses two refreshing tactics to show off their attention to green details. 

Fresh-squeezed lemons star in their skin products…but we didn’t read this on the package. We stepped into their fresh-fruit cooler with our tour guide, Matt. (Oh, and did we mention their factory is in the UK?) Don’t take our word for it! Take the tour yourself.

We could also tell you that their products are handmade, sans sweatshops, but that would not be as convincing as the stickers that prove it. Each LUSH employee stamps a personalized sticker on their handmade products. Meet Adam, pictured left.

How it affects you

Next time you start proclaiming your company’s sustainability, think twice. Instead of stating it, show your sustainability by sharing a bit of the behind the scenes. Post images and video to your blog, or add a touch of creative collateral that illustrates your company’s green details. Your clients will notice.

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

Thinking outside the box (also thinking out of the box or thinking beyond the box) is a metaphor that means to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. This phrase often refers to novel or creative thinking. The term is thought to derive from management consultants in the 1970s and 1980s challenging their clients to solve the “nine dots” puzzle, whose solution requires some lateral thinking.

“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”