Green Copywriter Interview

Cool - I just got an email request for an interview. You can read it here.

How the Democrats Subverted Corporate Tactics, and Why You Should Too

I got a call the other day from the Democrats. It was an automated message, but I was curious to see what they wanted now that the election had been won. I figured it was money.

I figured wrong.

The very kind voice on the line told me how important it was to support President Obama's budget. Then he asked me a favor. "Go to www.BarackObama.com," he said.

Being as I was standing next to a computer and still curious, I obeyed.

"Click the link to tell Congress to support the President's budget."

Lo and behold, prominently displayed on Obama's home page was a picture of the White house and a phone branded with the President's inspiring logo. Next to it was a big button emblazoned with the words "Call Now."

Next, I figured, would be a synapse of the budget so I could see what it was for which I was supposed to express support.

No such luck.

I was taken to a page with this headline:

A New Foundation for Growth — Call Your Representatives

Enter your address to find your representatives' phone numbers. Make sure to report your results.

Underneath was a box for me to type in my address and Zip code, and another button reading "Find Representatives."

The only other thing on the page was a sidebar containing a script telling me word for word what I was supposed to tell the aforementioned representatives:

Example Script for Your Calls

Hello, my name is __________ and I'm calling you from __________ (city or town). I'm calling today because we are in the grips of the worst economic crisis in generations — and President Obama needs the support of every member of Congress to create jobs, fix our economy and rebuild and renew America.

The President has proposed a budget that is honest, responsible and invests in the priorities we need to get our economy moving again and create jobs now and in the future, including:

• Renewable energy to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil
  
• Making Health Care more affordable for every American by cutting costs
  
• Improving education so our children are prepared for the jobs of the 21st Century

Can I count on Rep./Sen. _________ to support the President's plan?

Feeling a little like Alice in Wonderland, I typed in my address.

Up popped a little map of my area, including a little arrow, again emblazoned with Obama's logo (which also appeared at the top of the page,) pointing to my hometown. Next to it were the names and phone numbers of my representatives, accompanied by a button instructing me to "Click here when you're done calling."

At this point I rebelled. No way was I going to call my representatives if I didn't have a clue what I was supposed to be supporting. I clicked back to the President's home page, expecting to find a link to the budget. No such thing. I poked around the site, figuring it had to be on there somewhere.

No way, Jose.

So I went back out to Google and found the budget. It took a while. Guess SEO isn't too high on the list of whomever is in charge of the Office of Management and Budget's website.

What I found was very inspiring but nearly impossible to understand.

One thing I did understand, though, was that Obama is calling for increasing spending for the military.

I went back to my instructions and called my reps. I told them I was all for supporting alternative energy and improving education but that I have a REAL PROBLEM with spending an even greater percentage of our ever-deeper-in-the-red budget on the military.

I could go on about that, but it's beside the point of this post.

When I finished calling, of course, I clicked the button like a good little sheep.

Now I was directed to enter my first and last name and email and report my calls. They wanted to know how many calls I made and what the response was, which I dutifully relayed (taking an extra moment to reiterate my opinion.)

Here's what popped up next:

Thanks! — Now spread the word

Ask your friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues to join you in calling their representatives.

* Send a message using your regular email program
* Share this page on Facebook

BRILLIANT!

Absolutely brilliant!

The Democrats have finally caught on to marketing.

• They've caught on to the fact that the majority of human beings are pretty much ovine in nature (look it up if you don't know what that means) and more times than not will simply do what they're told if it seems reasonable. Even if it's not.

Is it reasonable to call your reps in support of a plan you know nothing about?

How many Americans have even read the plan, let alone understand it?

• They made sure the whole process was set up to be idiot-proof. They stood by and held my hand, making sure I took each step in turn and completed it properly. Each step led inexorably to the next. Nothing was complex. Each phase of the process focused on one thing, and one thing only. During no phase of the entire transaction (yes, transaction - I didn't get through without giving them several items of value) did one ever have to stop and/or think. In fact, thinking was discouraged.
  

• They took full advantage of branding and name recognition.

• Not only did they get me to place a call, but they found out what the results were - golden information that will help them design their next promo. (Yes, I'm labeling their work with marketing terms. )
  

• And of course, they wouldn't dream of letting me go without capturing my contact info. If they're smart they'll follow up until I tell them to go to hell.

• Now, here's the most brilliant part of all. If they got me this far, they're assuming they made the sale. I'm on their side (they think.) And I'm sure to have friends. And because politics is such a passionate subject, I probably talk about it with them. And since I was proactive enough to complete their little process, I'm likely to be influential. So they ask me to spread the word.

They make it easy to do. (Again.) You click on the link and get to a program that searches your email contacts in order to send this message:

Hey,

I just called my elected representatives in Washington and told them to support the President's budget -- it's a bold plan that confronts the long-term threats to our prosperity and builds a new foundation for economic growth by investing in energy, health care, and education.

Look up your representatives and urge them to support this plan:

http://my.barackobama.com/callcongress

Thanks.

Well, OK, lots of nonprofits have you tell a friend, but Obama's crew takes it a step further. They introduce another avenue - social networking. The Facebook link takes you to a comment box (branded with the same telephone/logo image as appeared on Obama's homepage, with a request for your friends to start the process over again.

Wow. You know how messages spread on Facebook. Like a virus.

So what's my point?

Well, besides the fact that I'm in marketing and taking notes, the point is multiple.

One is that no matter who's doing the telling, you shouldn't act without checking it out.

And the other is that corporate America and the Republican Party have been playing this game for far too long - and look where it got us.

But they're not the only ones who can direct human action.

Instead of playing the defensive on taking environmental action, why don't we act a little more like marketers? By that I mean:

* Make it easy. One step at a time.
* Hold our tongues. Too much information can be worse than too little. It gets people thinking about reasons why not.
* Pound the benefits.

Read the script again:

The President has proposed a budget that is honest, responsible and invests in the priorities we need to get our economy moving again and create jobs now and in the future, including:

* Renewable energy to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil
* Making Health Care more affordable for every American by cutting costs
* Improving education so our children are prepared for the jobs of the 21st Century

Every feature listed is backed by tangible benefits to the reader. NOT benefits to the originator of the document, which would read more like: "to increase our popularity so we'll get re-elected and have our way."

It's starting to happen, because people are seeing the connection between what's good for the Earth and what's good for them , but we need to focus on it even more: Talk more about how sustainable choices help the people you're trying to convince, less about how important they are for three-toed pygmy purple spotted wallabees. (Yes the wallabees are important and you can go on about them sometimes but don't expect the average Joe to listen. Start talking about the money he'll save when he seals the cracks in his house, though, and watch his ears perk up.)

* Oh, and don't forget. Tell a friend. Or twenty. If just one catches your enthusiasm and starts re-broadcasting your message, you've leveraged it a hundred times.

More About Living With Ed

Wow, it's been a busy week! Last time I posted I promised to write more about Ed Begley Jr.'s keynote speech at the better Buildings Better Business Conference last week.

The biggest point he made was that living sustainably doesn't have to mean living beyond your means. Quite the contrary - it's all about living responsibly, isn't it? (After all, the reason our world is so messed up to begin with is that we as a society have been living beyond our planet's means. We've behaved like a bunch of teenagers going nuts with their parents' credit cards - only it's our kids who are going to have to pay the bill, with interest.)

Going sustainable doesn't mean you have to spring right away for tens of thousands of dollars worth of solar electric equipment, or start buying high-priced organic clothing. Those actions don't hurt, and we can certainly aspire to them. But there are plenty of other actions we can take that are simple, easy to do, and will actually save us money. It's all about fiscal responsibility. "Save money on the little things," says Ed, "and you can afford the bigger things later on."

Ed calls them the "low-hanging fruit" - the cheap and easy stuff we can afford. "There's a wide array of things you can do that are really super inexpensive, " he says. Here are a few of his suggestions:

• Weather stripping your windows



• Installing an energy-efficient thermostat



• Bike riding when weather and fitness permit



• Using public transportation when available



• Home gardening and composting

"Do it cheap. Do these things today and you will save money. I guaranteee it!"

It's the same kind of stuff I try to write about every week here on Living Green. (So stay tuned for a steady trickle of ideas!)

Find out more about Ed Begley, Jr. at http://www.edbegley.com/.

Wow! Just got back from the Better Buildings Better Business Conference in the Wisconsin Dells! (The picture at left shows just a few of the solar thermal panels on the roof of the Kalahari Resort, where the conference took place.) Boy was there enough good stuff there to feed me posting ideas for weeks!

Having rejected TV at the age of 18 (and never missed it since,) I wasn't prepared to enjoy the keynote speaker as much as I did. But Ed Begley Jr. (if you watch the tube you might recognize him as the host of "Living With Ed") gave me a very pleasant surprise. He's real, he's passionate, he's personable, and he had some very good points.

My favorite was when someone asked what he thought of nuclear energy.

"Nuclear?" he replied, "I'm 100% in favor of nuclear energy. We have a perfectly safe reactor putting out perfectly safe nuclear energy...93 million miles away."

Stay tuned for more about Ed - he's got a lot to say that resonates with the whole reason for living Green!

Wood Duck Housing Boom

Do you live in Central Wisconsin and have a large yard or property near water? What do you think of inviting a growing family to live on your property? They won't pay rent but they might provide you with hours of entertainment.

I'm talking about wood ducks. I just got an email from Kelly Zagrzebski at Wisconsin Public Service about a great way to help these beautiful waterfowl do their thing:

Wisconsin Public Service is teaming up with Ducks Unlimited (DU) to hold a wood duck house giveaway event on Saturday morning, March 7.

This year’s theme is The Great Greenwing Wood Duck House Giveaway. For a $10 donation, buyers will receive a wood duck house, instructions for use, and a one-year DU Greenwing membership for any youth up to 18 years old. The houses have a retail value of more than $30.

The McNaughton Correctional Facility in northern Wisconsin handles the production and assembly process of the wood duck houses. More than 500 houses were produced this year.

DU (Northwoods Chapter) has coordinated this program and has distributed more than 5,000 houses in northern and central Wisconsin over the past 14 years. DU recommends you check your existing wood duck house and replace wood shavings annually.

This year’s Great Greenwing Wood Duck House Giveaway will take place on Saturday, March 7, from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM at the following Public Service office locations:

* Rhinelander – 425 W. Davenport St
* Minocqua – 9427 County Rd J
* Tomahawk – 27 N Tomahawk Ave
* Merrill – 3200 E Main St
* Waupaca – 315 S. Main St
* Two Rivers – 800 Columbus St
* Wausaukee – 912 Main St
* Menominee, MI – 1717 10th Ave

Supplies are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

I live in the middle of Wausau and am more likely to attract wasps in something like that than wood ducks. But if I had the right place you can bet I'd put one up! How about you?

Freecycle Network

I haven't used this yet, but what a great idea:

The Freecycle Network is a grassroots organization whose mission is "to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community."

Basically how it works is this: you sign in to their website (which is free, naturally!)and find your community's page. There you can post items you want to get rid of, or browse what other people have posted to give away. If you find something you want, you can contact the owner through the site and they'll tell you where and when you can pick it up.

When I visited Wausau's page the other day items ranged from diapers to a canoe. And the tone was neighborly - thank-yous from donors and recipients alike peppered the page.

Freecycle groups are everywhere. All 50 states plus 98 countries and territories on 6 continents are listed on their site.

Hmmmm. I've been doing some pre-spring cleaning. My daughter wants to do a garage sale next summer, so I'm not getting rid of anything yet. But once she's done, boy am I going to start posting!