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OCTOBER 2015 •
PPB
• 73
Since when does water need a marketing plan? Since
California has suffered through several years of crippling
drought—according to Mercury360®, anyway. The San
Francisco-based social media marketing firm is working with
WaterFX to generate publicity and educate consumers about
the company’s work using solar desalination to generate fresh-
water supplies for farmers in the state’s Central Valley.
WaterFX’s latest project, HydroRevolution, aims to raise
money for what will be California’s first commercial solar desali-
nation plant. To build support for the project, Mercury360® has
launched what is expected to be one of the 10 largest investment
crowdfunding campaigns on record.WaterFX announced a direct
public offering (DPO) in August to encourage Californians to
help fund the construction of the plant—marking the first time a
DPO has been used for a desalination project.
Marketing Skills For Water
Boosting Brands With Alter Egos
MARKET SHARE
Few business professionals would
debate the value of Steven Covey’s
7
Habits of Highly Effective People
, but
his introduction of the verb ‘synergize’
doesn’t exactly produce synergy
among wordsmiths. Making a verb out
of a perfectly good noun for the sake of
impact often has the opposite effect.
Synergy, as a noun, is more at
home in the science community than
anywhere else. It describes the coop-
erative action of two or more parts of
the human body; the interaction of
elements that produce a total effect
greater than the individual elements;
and the cooperative action of two or
more stimuli.
‘Synergize’ embodies the very
essence of office jargon, something
even the most effective communica-
tors can fall victim to. If you’re seeking
an effective way to add impact to a
speech or a statement, the simplest
words are often the most powerful.
Want to encourage your employees to
practice synergy? Tell them to cooper-
ate, collaborate or even conspire.
BIZWORDS
Synergize
(IMAGE PROVIDED BY WATERFX)
BRANDABLE
If you know about Peter Parker, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, you know about alter
egos. But could you argue that the creation of Spiderman, Batman and Superman made
their creators more successful as ‘regular guys’? A recent article in
Entrepreneur
explored
the appeal of creating alter egos to boost personal brands, and took note of the benefits
that can lead to a big payoff.
It’s an outlet for introverts.
If your brand is subtle or soft in its approach to
clients, an alter ego lets you explore a wild side. And who knows? This louder, brasher
version might open doors to a whole new demographic.
It’s a chance to be unconventional.
Do your dream prospects hate mainstream
branding? Do they gravitate toward what’s unusual or edgy? An alter ego is a paradox––it
screams unconventional.
It lets you create a backstory.
So your current brand doesn’t come with a cool
story? That’s okay, your brand’s alter ego does. Whatever service you provide or product
you sell can be woven into the fabric of the alter ego’s origins to help establish a strong
connection with the needs of your clients.