12 Events that will change everything

Entertaining, Freaky, American, but interesting. From Scienticif American.

French farmers create momentum at Champs Elysées

It is true. We're living a cosmopolitan life. A lot of people live disconnected from the countryside, hardly knowing where our food is coming from. Right now, a mass of people in France is heading down to Paris to see how the most mundane of all boulevards, Les Champs-Elysées are transformed into green.

More then 150.000 threes, plants and flowers and 8000 parcels of ground, 300 kilograms each are brought to Paris tonight to build a green, agricultural boulevard. it is the initiative of les Jeunes Agriculteurs (a member based organisation with more then 55000 young farmers) Their objective is to show the world what efforts are needed tot produce the food we eat. Their aim is to establish a dialogue with the public: They both want to express what they do, reconnect with citizens and ask what the general public expects from agriculture in the future.

To my point of view, a positive attitude, experience and conversation starter leading to a positive image. French Farmers go trough difficult times these days, and this big momentum is at least more remarkable and will generate more societal backup then just another strike.

On top of that, (smart again) they connect with the chauvinistic nature of the French, as it is also seen as a 'live exposition' of what rich and broad series of agricultural products France has to offer.

Fooling the brain for sustainability

Fooling the brain for sustainability for slideshare

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My slides for Pecha Kucha Maastricht, held at Kaai 13 in Hasselt, and Hosted by Creatvie Class (thanks again Nick Decrock for the hard work!)

Interview with Retail Detail on sustainability and retail

RetailDetail.be is a quite young Belgian portal website. They combine news of the industry with online services for the retail industry. After clicking here, you'll find an interview on sustainability as creative and commercial opportunity.

The Green marketing Workshop at Milk The Green Cow

Recentre - Milk The Green Cow

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It was a great day! Here are the slides. Let's catch up again in June
to talk about boardroom buy-in.

People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it

This is a very powerful Ted-talk on how to build succes that I'm very happy to share with those who work in sustainability.

All great, successful and inspiring leaders and organizations communicate in the same pattern. And it is exactly the opposite as everyone else. In this TED-talk, Simon Sinek explains you exactly the basic idea of reversing the order in how we communicate.
He supports his view with examples like Apple, the Wright brothers and Martin Luther King.

Some smashing quotations:

- People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it
- The goal is not to do business with everyone who needs what you have, the goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe
- If we communicate from the inside out, we talk directly to the part of the brain that controls behavior, and we allow people to rationalize with the tangible things we say and do
- People who believe what you believe will take your cause for their own and share your believe with others
- We follow those who lead, not for them, but for ourselves

When we match this with cradle-to-cradle for instance, as an example of a very successful philosophy, it makes sense.

It corresponds perfectly with 'not addressing the Captain Spock of our brain (the reflective system of the brain, the homo economicus), but addressing the Homer Simpson of our brain (the automatic system, the homo sapiens). It is the part that is responsible for behavior, routine and decision as discussed in the green box, during the Recentre 'Milk the green cow sessions'.
To much time, green marketing addresses the reflective system, powered with rational arguments. Powered with facts and figures, while a why-driven value proposition shares a believe.

And we all know that the market for something to believe in, is endless

The power of the chalkboard

I really like this sort of 'advertising'.

First of all because chalkboards have a very authentic and spontaneous appearance: Whatever is written on it, it seems like it is written this morning. By the girl that's now working at the counter. It doesn't look like overproduced marketing. This is a message 'only here, and only now'... witnessing some of the EXKI empathy for local consumer behavior, partnering with UGC cinema right accross the street.

When we look back at the early marketing of Starbucks, the chalkboard was (and still is!) one of its main communication channels. All new products and taste varieties were introduced on the chalkboard. First of all, it always looked "new", and was a trustworthy and real conversation starter.

Imagine Starbucks decided to launch all its new coffees into mass media (just like Mc Donalds does with every new burger), consumers would think that everyone has seen it on TV.

Asking: "do you know this new frappucino at Starbucks?" would feel a bit silly.

It wouldn't be flattering anymore to talk about the new Komodo Dragon blend,

or Caffè Verona you can discover just around the corner.

Therefore, reconsider the chalkboard. At least, it feels like someone really wants to tell you something.

The Green marketing triangle at the Recentre coaching sessions

Milk the green Cow 10/05/10 17:58

Last week, it was the second of three coaching sessions of Recentre (centre for sustainable design) at the AINSI, a remarkable building in Maastricht. There I had the pleasure again to take a very diverse audience trough different techniques and strategies on how to gain ground for sustainable products and services.

I took the participants trough a process stuffed with examples, riddles, kickstart questions and exercises that was all structured by a model that provides a certain logic, so participants can also us it in their own practice.

Here you'll find what I would like to call 'the Green marketing Triangle. A model that starts from the idea that there are always three communication agendas;

• the product experience,
• the brand belief and
• the company credibility.

When you confront these three levels with three strategic families:

• Communicate an USP
• Share a big ideal
• And challenge the status quo

You end up with nine strategic angle points to turn your green alternative into a success. You can use it as the basis for a green marketing brainstorm session, just as we did last Thursday in Maastricht.

You can still subscribe for the next and last session in June; this day will be focused on 'building boardroom buy-in'. To join up, click here

Subscribe for the MVO-days in Ghent or Leuven

In Flanders, there are several companies that provide professional services and advice when it

comes to CSR.

'MVO VLaanderen' organizes two intensive days, where you can catch up with professionals, and learn about the various aspects of CSR, powered with workshops of various players in the market.

Who should come?

Every entrepreneur who wants to push the barriers when it comes to CSR and sustainability

What will you get?

Inspiring cases and a diverse offer of professional services to explore.

You can find the entire program here

Trinity?

I will be there for a 20 minutes presentation of my recently improved version of the sustainability triangle: A tool that shows you different angle points on how to 'gain ground' for your green product.

When and where?

First day will be hold the 25th of Mai in Leuven, Provinciehuis

Second day will be the 20th of October, Het Pand in Ghent.

Where to subscribe?

Right here