Get To The Grapes

Let me tell you, as someone who drinks more than 128 ounces of water a day, I know a thing or two about the importance of clean water.

As a company, we at Merlot Marketing have taken small, yet significant, steps to become more socially responsible, by offering our employees, clients and guests filtered tap water instead of bottled water. We feel it is our responsibility to provide the highest quality of service, right down to the H2O we provide our clients.

We must say, we are a bit biased when it comes to the water filtration we use.  Our client, Everpure, has led the water filtration industry as the number one provider of commercial grade water filtration throughout the world for more than 75 years.  So, naturally, we serve Everpure filtered water to all of our guests from national, regional and local media representatives to industry influencers and beyond.

On a much more serious note, we shouldn’t take having access to the best-tasting water possible for granted.  Did you know that wars have broken out for years around the world due to a lack of access to clean water? According to a report dating back to 1999 and sponsored by the UN Development Program, fighting over the scarcity of water, over the next 25 years, will possibly be the leading reason for major conflicts in Africa, not oil.  This is why we are getting involved in today’s Blog Action Day 2010.

During today’s celebration of Blog Action Day 2010, we ask you to take a moment and consider the amount of water you and your family consume each day.  While we of course don’t recommend cutting down on (Everpure filtered) drinking water (yes, that’s a not-so-subtle hint), we do ask that you think about how much water you’re consuming other than drinking water.  To get your juices flowing on how you can help reduce water waste, I’ve included a list below, provided by Treehugger.com, on the many products we each buy and how much water it takes to produce them.  I realize that water is a necessity for the things we eat, drink and use everyday, so I’m by no means saying we shouldn’t manufacturer or consume these products, but the statistics below should at least get you thinking about just how water is consumed and how we might be able to help conserve it.
Car
It takes an estimated 39,090 gallons of water to make a car. It’s unclear if that includes the more 2,000 gallons used to make its tires–each tire takes 518 gallons.

Pair of Jeans
It takes around 1,800 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to produce just one pair of regular ol’ blue jeans.

Cotton T-Shirt
Not as bad as jeans, it still takes a whopping 400 gallons of water to grow the cotton required for an ordinary cotton shirt.

Single Board of Lumber
5.4 gallons of water are used to grow enough wood for one lumber board.

Barrel of Beer
In order to process a single barrel of beer (32 gallons of booze), 1,500 gallons of water are sucked down.

To-Go Latte
It takes 53 gallons to make every latte.

So, what do you think? Can we make changes in our lifestyle so that there is enough water for others in the world?  I’m not saying to reduce your lattes, after all, your latte-drinking provides jobs; however, I am saying to think about your overall consumption and where we all might cut back, i.e. watering the lawn, letting your water run while doing the dishes and brushing your teeth. If we all make small changes, we all can make a big impact.

According to a study by GfK MRI and reported by Advertising Age, “‘Green’ coverage, negative emotions and, surprisingly, celebrity scandals are more likely to hurt than help” magazine circulation. The research reviewed various topics on 11,161 magazine covers between May 2006 and April 2010. Advertising Age added that “The economy, beach bodies, and ‘best of’ treatments all help magazines draw bigger audiences than usual.” The surprise for me was the low interest in ‘green’ edit given that it seems” everyone” is going “green” these days.

The article also noted a story about Vanity Fair‘s Editor in Chief Graydon Carter placing Paris Hilton on the cover in 2005 and a smart aleck accusing him of using the heiress like “newsstand crack.” My how times have changed… Who would have thought Paris Hilton would become a magazine cover “don’t.” Okay, well, I’ll reserve comment…

So, which public figures still “sell” covers?

• Jennifer Aniston
• George W. Bush
• Barack Obama

As previously noted, other topics that sell include:

• The economy
• Beach bodies (surprised?)
• “Best of” topics (I mean who does love the ‘best of’ anything?)

And for the betterment of society (that’s my commentary), what’s out is the aforementioned Ms. Hilton and former MTV reality star Lauren Conrad. It’s looks like there is hope for humanity and the future of magazines after all.

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p>Find the full article at AdAge.com

I have to hand it to Domino’s, it’s a pretty creative idea.  Now that’s one form of advertising almost anyone can “love.”

GreenGraffiti, a business dedicated to clean outdoor advertising, used a high-pressure water hose to spray the eco-friendly images into the grime on the street. The green ads were created early on Thursday, while there was a lull in foot traffic.

“This is the first time we’ve done something like this,” said Jenny Fouracre, manager of public relations for Domino’s. “It’s never been done by an American company in the U.S. before.”

GreenGraffiti is created by laying a stencil down on the street and using a power washer to clean away filth in a design. More than 200 of these clean Domino’s ads were left on the ground.

The first 250 people to hunt down the sidewalk ads and email a picture of themselves with the GreenGraffiti to Domino’s will receive a $15 gift card. Winners will also have their pictures posted on Flickr.

I just returned from Solar Power International, previously called Solar Power Conference and Expo, and let me tell you, there were no signs of a recession.  After attending the Pacific Coast Building Conference (PCBC) in July, the only signs I saw there were ones featuring the big ‘R’.   It was pretty somber.  Solar Power International on the other hand was energized!

The show started in 2004 with less than 1,100 attendees.  In just four years, the attendance is approaching 13,000.  With an industry growth rate of more than 40 percent per year, be it luck or incredible foresight, these companies are growing as fast, if not faster, than the industry as a whole.  Our clients enjoyed phenomenal success at the show and from a business perspective, it was nice to see some light at the end of this challenged economic tunnel.

If you thought you enjoyed reading blogs, hold on to your ‘wine glass’ because we’re creating a Merlog – two, in fact (see our agency Merlog “The Water Cooler”). “Get to the Grapes” is just that – a place to gain insight and access to the world of marketing (and other things of interest to me. In this industry blog (or Merlog as we like to call it), I’ll forego pretentious ponderings and simply get to the grapes about what’s happening in marketing and the world. Agency life is our life and we’d like to share with you our thoughts, ideas, and expertise from the agency perspective – and trust me, in this business, it’s a unique perspective. So, come back often and leave us a line – we encourage the conversation.