CLEAN TECHNOLOGY MARKETING THINK TANK

This Marketing Think Tank was held on November 12, 2008 at Siemens.

Mandate of Clean Technology Think Tank:

To provide a forum for the discussion of industry issues and establishment of thought leadership positions which can be communicated to marketing and sales executives in the clean technology sector.

Attendees:

• Aim PowerGen Corp.
• Alternate Energy Solutions Inc.
• BOC Canada Ltd.
• BSH Appliances
• The Canadian Energy Expo
• Cummins Eastern Canada
• GE Infrastructure Energy
• Hybridyne Power Systems Canada Ltd.
• Hydrogen Village Project
• Hydrogenics
• Linde Canada Limited
• Pure Energy Visions Corporation
• Redwell Canada, Inc.
• Siemens Canada
• Sol Source Engineering
• Sustainable Resources Management Inc.
• Zerofootprint

Host: Dirk Miller, DL Leslie, Siemens

The discussion was moderated by Bob Becker, Principal, SMA.

Issues Covered:

1. How do you successfully raise the profile of your products and services?
2. What are the best internal and external sources of funding?

---

Synthesis of Group Discussion

Why it's essential to raise profile

• To counter misinformation
• To build trust in “new” technologies (some are well adopted in Europe)
• To generate demand for solutions that are cost-effective (long-term)
  

Best practices for raising profile

• Messaging
  • - Have a simple value proposition: “when you use our product, you benefit by ….”
  • - Keep message adaptable, target to specific user groups
  • - Be persistent and consistent in messaging
  • - Get a credible third party to tell your story
• Audiences
  • - Seek out speaking opportunities and ways to engage the public; use a good spokesperson
  • - Target the next generation: children and students
  • - Depending on product, shift focus from retail customer to system integrator/OEM; win over one OEM and you can dramatically increase revenues
• Channels
  • - Use industry associations (piggy-back on their web sites)
  • - Use cross-industry initiatives and OEM marketing (spread the message sideways: circulating at trade shows, co-promotion); collaborate with competitors
  • - Trade shows, webinars, targeted direct mail
  • - Newsletters, radio shows
  • - Place thought leadership stories
  • - Invest in product demonstration, models: if they see it, they will buy it
  • - Avoid advertising (unless highly targeted)
  • - Avoid press releases

Challenges in marketing for profile-raising

• We need regulation to force adoption
• Unreasonable expectations on ROI
• Getting to the consumer who doesn’t even know he/she needs the product; creating demand through education
• Measuring return on marketing investment
  

Potential sources of funding

• Ontario Centres of Excellence in Energy
• Different levels of government (tap into their green agenda)
• Private placements; build a marketing plan into terms for use of proceeds
• Personal savings
• Parent company
• Establish a formula: for example, 5% of net profit will go to marketing
  

Next Steps

The ITAC Think Tank will reconvene in spring 2009.

» top  |  Back to Menu