Beyond simply reporting the incremental improvements in its reduced environmental footprint, Verso Paper Corp. wanted their 2010 Sustainability Report to convey the passionate way in which their employees support the company's sustainability efforts — financially, socially, as well as environmentally.

"At the heart of all we do..." became the over-arching theme used to encompass the abundance of anecdotes, updates, charts and data, which serve to tell the story of Verso's continuous sustainability efforts. Interspersed throughout the report are photographs with accompanying quotes from Verso employees, customers and environmental and community partners. Together, these testimonies put a softer, human touch on a report that is nonetheless filled with rock-solid facts and figures.

As with previous Verso sustainability reports, the 2010 report employs a printing technique that takes advantage of the tactical nature of paper. The cover features a globe made up of myriad laser die-cut symbols representing Verso's far-ranging sustainability concerns. At the center of these symbols is that of a heart through which is seen a brilliant green photographic image of nature on the inside preface page.

For more about Verso's commitment to "sustaining our planet, our business and our people," to download a PDF or to request a printed copy of the 2010 report, visit the Verso sustainability website.

Can a brand awareness campaign go beyond simply getting a brand name "out there" and actually make people happy? It can when the campaign focuses on the product benefits that make life easier for the people who use it.

Invented by Hewlett Packard as a paper enhancing technology, and brought to market by International Paper, ColorLok Technology brought smiles to visitors at Paperworld, the international trade fair in Frankfurt, when the two companies announced diffusion of the ColorLok brand to leading paper manufacturers around the world. Paperworld visitors were greeted at all turns by posters, bus signs and banners featuring happy, smiling people who have discovered the unique and superior qualities of paper made with ColorLok Technology.

To support adoption of the ColorLok brand by these new paper manufacturers, Perdue Creative developed a comprehensive set of Brand Usage Guidelines, Messaging Guidelines, an outward-facing website as well as a password-protected brand usage site.

Titled "The Key to Happiness," the campaign and branding system reminded adopters of the ColorLok brand of their role in making people happy—ColorLok Technology's ultimate benefit.

With both economic and environmental pressures on the industry, Verso Paper Corp. has a bright future not in spite of being a paper company but because it is a paper company. So it is fitting that we told this incredible story via bright and colorful infographics substantiating Verso as "Renew. Able." with hard-hitting, easy-to-read facts and data in the company's 2010 annual report to shareholders.

With renewable products manufactured from renewable natural resources using renewable energy, Verso readily lives up to the "Renew. Able." promise. Its size and singular corporate focus make Verso able to be agile, adaptable and innovative in order to renew themselves as needed. Furthermore, Verso's use of combined heat and power (CHP) to generate electricity using on-site opportunity fuels, or biomass (byproducts of the paper-making process that would otherwise end up as waste) places Verso in the unique position of producing renewable green energy in addition to its strong portfolio of paper products.

We present Verso's exciting story of renewability four infographic spreads, displaying the company as "Market. Able." with positive signs pointing to the rise and continued strength of Verso's key customer segments, "Expand. Able." with a product pipeline radiating from its core coated web papers to future agricultural and advanced biofuel products now in R&D, "Reduce. Able" showing the company's nimble ability to increase operational efficiency through continuous improvement initiatives, and "Transform. Able." as they move from a paper company to a producer of paper and green power.

For the full report and infographics, download the Verso 2010 Annual Report PDF (2 MB).

 

Two very different cause marketing videos created by Perdue Creative were honored in the 32nd Annual Telly Awards. "How do you agape?" an online video for Agape Child & Family Services won a Bronze Telly in the Social Responsibility category, and "Go Paper. Grow Trees." for International Paper took the Bronze Telly in the Green/Eco-Friendly category.

As an online video component to our brand awareness campaign for Agape Child & Family Services, this video was based on unrehearsed, man-on-the-street interviews, asking random people on the streets of downtown Memphis the same question..."How do you agape?"

The animated video "Go paper. Grow trees." is an integral part of a cause marketing campaign developed for International Paper to give consumers the facts on how using paper products makes a direct contribution to the health of trees and forests.

On the streets of downtown Memphis, we asked random people representing a broad spectrum of our city the same question..."How do you agape?" 

This is the video component to our brand awareness campaign for Agape Child & Family Services, a Christ-centered ministry dedicated to providing children and families with healthy homes.

Poverty, homelessness, poor education, teenage pregnancy, infant mortality — these are some of the daunting problems facing the city of Memphis, putting a whole community at risk. But what can be done to conquer such seemingly insurmountable tasks? Perhaps the answer is love. But not just any love. A form of love the ancient Greeks called agape, the love of God for mankind.

For more than 40 years, Agape Child & Family Services has quietly provided children and families with healthy homes in Memphis and the Mid-South through adoption, foster care, community restoration, homeless services, mentoring, maternity services and counseling, serving a total of 18,000 individuals in 2010. With a goal of increasing the number served annually to 50,000 by 2015, Agape sought help from Perdue Creative to launch its first-ever brand awareness campaign. 

"We've always been excited about the work we do at Agape," say David Jordan, Agape executive director, "and when we recently began to focus on our two key areas of adoption and community restoration, it was the perfect time to communicate our focus to the public, to let them know who Agape is and how they can get involved."

"How does Memphis say love?" is a multi-media campaign built on the organization's name, its proper pronunciation and its Classical Greek origins as a word for "the highest form of love." Digital billboards broadcast the brand to the wide audience of passersby along the I-240 loop, I-40 corridor and Germantown Parkway. Banner ads on the Commercial Appeal website and local users of Facebook direct online readers to the Agape website. And a direct marketing piece timed with the Christmas holiday season and year-end giving expounded on the Agape story while making a direct appeal for donations and volunteers. 

An online video,"How do you agape?", is planned for launch at the first of the year, followed by television spots on select cable channels and programs in mid-January.  

We applaud Agape for their desire to boldly expand their efforts and for realizing that accomplishing this goal means expanding their circle of influence. We are thrilled and blessed to work with them in showing Memphis and the Mid-South how to say, and show, love to children and families in need.

 

This week marks the launch of our awareness campaign for International Paper, entitled "Go Paper. Grow Trees.", which gives consumers the facts on how using paper products makes a direct contribution to the health of trees and forests.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), a majority of the 750 million acres of U.S. forests are privately owned. These private owners—mostly family tree farmers—will ultimately determine what happens to our forestlands, which we depend on for many social, ecological and economic benefits.

"Go Paper. Grow Trees." was created to connect readers to the challenges private landowners face in growing and maintaining healthy forests. Promoted in online banner ads, a print magazine ad and via ground-roots spreading of the word with an email signature graphic and social media such as YouTube and Facebook, the campaign is centered around an interactive website that provides numerous forestry facts and dispels many myths, while offering multimedia tools, including a "Go Paper. Grow Trees." video.

“It’s important to understand that tree farmers and other private landowners plant about 4 million trees every day, which is about three to four times more than they harvest,” said Teri Shanahan, IP’s vice president, Commercial Printing. “By planting trees and managing forests responsibly, landowners are given the financial incentive they need to maintain and protect the valuable forest resources that provide benefits for present and future generations.” Without the income from tree farming, landowners face economic pressure to pay property taxes and replace lost revenue. A common outcome is converting forestlands to other uses such as agricultural crops that have shorter growing and cash cycles than forest products. Another tempting prospect is to sell the land for development. In either case, the forest is removed forever and so are the benefits of cleaner water, better air, wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Healthy forests are life-support systems—and demand for paper products ensures landowners continue to farm trees.

“By providing a clearer understanding of who owns the forests and the challenges these landowners face, ‘Go Paper. Grow Trees.’ is intended to correct misinformation and provide a realistic perspective on the role that paper products play in keeping our forests healthy and growing,” added Shanahan. “Consumers continue to be environmentally conscious in the choices they make, so it’s important they base their decisions on facts. The facts are paper is a completely sustainable, renewable, recyclable and biodegradable resource—and using paper can actually lead to a healthier forest ecosystem and the demand for and growth of more trees.”

For more information on the awareness campaign, visit GoPaperGrowTrees.com.

Heartlight 2010, the annual fundraiser for Agape Child & Family Services, was held at AutoZone Park Oct. 23, with a cause marketing campaign that helped make the event a huge success. More than 500 attended the baseball-themed evening of Memphis musical acts, powerfully stirring video presentations and guest appearances from both Memphis Mayor A C Wharton and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell. The event raised $327,500 in support of Agape.

Billed as the "Home Field Advantage", Heartlight 2010 was a celebration of Agape's work on behalf of children and families in need in the community, and enabled attendees to see first-hand how Agape served nearly 30,000 children and adults each year with adoption and foster care services, tutoring, counseling, community development, and its Families in Transition program, which places pregnant homeless women into transitional housing.

“It was an amazing night, and we are so proud of the good work Agape has accomplished in Memphis this last year,” said Marka Bennett, Agape board member and chair of Heartlight. “Our greatest wish is that the stories told at this year’s event will bring hope and inspire others to want to do great things in our community.”

Read more about Heartlight 2010 on the Agape website. And, view the campaign that helped set the stage for an amazing night.

 

How do you...

Create a cohesive brand for the new entity formed by the merger of two multi-billion dollar businesses?

Marry that new identity with the existing brand of the parent corporation?

Develop a rallying cry that pulls every team member on board with renewed excitement?

Differentiate the business from competitors in a crowded marketplace?

Be a leader rather than saying, "We're a leader"?

Be creative rather than saying, "We're creative"?

And make it "all about the customer" with a promise that can be delivered?

It was a tall order, but with the new brand identity for IP Display & Retail Packaging, we built a brand platform that answers every one of these demands.

This week at Graph Expo in Chicago, Positively Print recognized our "Print Grows Trees" campaign with an "Exemplary Award". Created for the Printing & Graphics Association Mid-Atlantic (PGAMA), "Print Grows Trees" is a website and media campaign challenging the widely-held belief that by using less paper, trees will be saved, and shows that print on paper actually helps to grow trees.

Positively Print recognizes companies involved in the print production process that market the value and effectiveness of printed products. Nominated candidates are evaluated on originality and perceived effectiveness in delivering the message of print as an integral—and effective—component of today's integrated marketing campaigns.

"The purpose of the Positively Print program was...to share examples of creative and effective print advocacy campaigns with the entire graphic communications industry," said Ralph Nappi, president of GASC. "We want to demonstrate to companies involved in print that advocating for print can be done and help carry a powerful message that will benefit the entire industry."

"Print Grows Trees" was cited as "an example of how much a single entity can do to support—and promote—print."

Other recipients of the Positively Print "Exemplary Award" were Xerox Corp. for its television campaign advocating print, and a collective effort by five major magazine publishers—Conde Nast, Hearst Magazines, Meredith Corp., Time Inc. and Wenner Media—to promote the vitality of magazines as a media.

Recognized with the Positively Print "Distinction Award" were Hewlett-Packard and individual print advocate Warren Werbitt, founder of Pazazz Printing in Montreal.

For more about Positively Print, visit positivelyprint.org.

"Print Grows Trees," a promotion we created for the Printing & Graphics Association Mid-Atlantic (PGAMA), has resonated with printers and print consumers around the world since launching March 22. Promoted through industry press releases and transit ads (below), the "Print Grows Trees" website has attracted over 9,000 page views, thousands of visitors from as far away as South Africa, and over 1,800 results on Google, not to mention Twitter tweets and Facebook posts.

The posters strategically placed throughout Washington, D.C. are also drawing interest with more than 60 campaign inquiries to date, and will reach 54% of the city's adult population an average of 4.3 times during the campaign's five-week duration.

"Print Grows Trees" challenges the widely-held belief that by using less paper, trees will be saved, and shows that print on paper actually helps to grow trees.

It must have been 10 years ago when Prince Charles began urging British companies to put carbon labeling on all of their products. Many scoffed. Few complied. He then proceeded to “walk the walk” and monitor his own carbon footprint, even recently converting his 38-year-old classic Aston Martin – a 21st birthday present from the Queen – to run on 100 percent bioethanol fuel distilled from surplus British wine. (Who knew the British had surplus wine?)

The idea has been slowly catching on around the world, and with Walmart’s Sustainability Index (an initiative that will eventually rank every product on the retail giants' shelves so every customer will know exactly how sustainably it was produced), companies are going to have to play or pay. After all, when Walmart says jump, the world says, “How high?”

This is going to be a great day for the “paper vs. pixels” argument currently raging. International Paper recently brought the argument to light with their Down to Earth piece entitled “Are Pixels Greener than Paper?” (PDF 872kb) and they drew both praise and criticism for their efforts. The long and short of it is – if your digital gizmos and your ream of paper had carbon labels, the argument wouldn’t be quite as controversial.

Paper has got a lot better track record than plastic electronics – from the cradle to the grave. As much as we may want to think that our emails and iPhones are better for the planet, they are not made from renewable resources, can’t be economically recycled, don’t use as much as 50 percent biofuels to be manufactured, can’t biodegrade and don’t create an incentive for anybody to keep growing trees on Planet Earth.

We applaud International Paper for sticking their necks out and putting down some hard facts that not only help people think more clearly, but also may force the digital revolution to do a better job of owning up to its environmental impact. And we’re proud to be a part of the Down to Earth project with them.

So people – get out your Aston Martin, some unused wine and a jaunty driving cap and get ready for the labeling revolution. When you start tallying up your daily carbon footprint, you’re going to have to green up or go home.

    

 This week our team got to see two of our favorite types of work — and two of our greatest strengths — come together in one assignment for tissue manufacturing client Kruger Inc. An internal communications effort to stem losses due to workplace carelessness and indifference, the "War on Waste" blends our talent for creating a strategic and cohesive campaign with our passion for making the world a better place.

Calling the reduction of waste their "Number 1 business priority," Kruger plant management was experiencing accidents, damaged product, spoilage, inaccurate product volume and other areas of waste at a rate that, if ignored, would have exceeded $3 million by year end. Fortunately, most of the areas of waste were preventable. What was needed was an increased level of awareness and commitment on the part of every employee — an all-out war in which everyone bands together to defeat the enemy.

The first shot in the Kruger "War on Waste" was a series of WWII-themed posters mounted in protective frames and strategically placed throughout the 1.8 million square-foot manufacturing plant. The Dispatch, a biweekly employee newsletter, introduced the campaign, describing and picturing the enemy, laying out battle plans and featuring the heroic efforts of individual workers. Incentives are planned for waste-reducing efforts with a company-wide family picnic as a final celebration when overall goals are achieved.

And as it turns out, war is a fitting theme for the plant. During World War II, it was an important site for building the infamous B-25 bomber planes.