Securing the grid against human error and/or more nefarious actions needs to be a priority. Our appetite for energy is not going to go away. In fact, our need for electrical energy is exponentially increasing. It is our lifeline to the world and integral to our daily lives. Both investor-owned utilities (IOUs) and municipal-owned utilities (MOUs) are on the forward path to making the power grid more intelligent. However, the grid cannot be truly smart if it’s not secure. I propose that utilities need to be working on a parallel path in integrating data and communication infrastructure technologies that facilitate a more efficient and faster grid, while embedding security from the customer’s meter to a utility’s data center. Breaching the grid is serious and not only can the operation of the grid be compromised, but customer data as well. See article on “Data breach exposes info on NY utility customers.”  Fortunately, new reliability standards such as the North American Electric Corporation’s Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP) security guidelines requiring a utility’s cyber assets be protected against threats are a step in the right direction.

Making the grid smart and secure is a must. Our way of life in the 21^st century demands it.

What are your thoughts?

PJ Jennings

While the momentum for green energy adoption marches forward, energy efficient technologies are taking hold. From energy efficient computers, IT/networking gear and even the products that protect equipment from power outages are all much more efficient than a decade ago. While not as exciting as solar or wind or the myriad of other renewable technologies, being smarter and more efficient with our energy use is the best way to start on the path to energy independence. Baby steps will lead to giant leaps.

What do you think?

Happy marketing,

PJ Jennings

In the Six Laws of Green Marketing, Colleen Kramer highlights why sustainability needs to be an integral part of the company and not just a temporary add-on. Her observation regarding the Patagonia company rings true: if you are genuinely trying to do the right thing, it’s OK to stumble in front of your audience. After all, the road to green is truly paved with good intentions. Patagonia’s transparency regarding greening the company’s logistics may be a compelling example to other companies leery of faltering; however, if companies continue to assess green initiatives with the same return-on-investment analysis they would use with any other capital project, many projects will fail before they are even started.

One of our clients, VYCON, has the good fortune of working with EasyStreet Online Services, a cloud, managed services and colocation provider in Oregon. Utilizing wind power and flywheel energy storage, EasyStreet has a long-standing green commitment and seized the opportunity to be a beacon of how to build energy efficient data centers. Reliability, sustainability and having a low carbon footprint are part of the ethos of the company – and they end up serving the company well, financially, when the energy bills come in.

If your company or your clients are looking to tout their eco-friendliness as a marketing ploy, remind them that this is the age of transparency. We counsel clients that small but genuine change is much more meaningful and has a longer-lasting impact on the company’s image, as well as the bottom line.

Just thought I’d express my appreciation for a marketing piece that is very well done and appeals to all.

Do you have a favorite holiday marketing item you’d like to share?

Happy Marketing and Best for the Holidays!

PJ Jennings

Our clients including Eaton, EcoDog, International Battery, Marway, VYCON and others are leading the charge in developing solutions that increase energy efficiencies, store solar and wind energy, improve power quality from the grid, monitor and manage electricity and help homeowners reduce their electrical bills with smart home energy management technology. We’re very proud of our clients’ skills, dedication and vision to help our society reduce our dependence on foreign oil and to be more smart about our energy consumption. The road ahead will be challenging, but by continual education and clearly demonstrating an attractive return on investment (ROI), our clients and many other companies will succeed in getting our nation on the path to energy security and freedom.

Happy marketing,

PJ Jennings

For months the internet has been a playground for gossip and rumors surrounding the impending announcement of the new iPhone.   While skimming through blog sites such as the Wall Street Journal, Engadget, Today’s iPhone, and Phonedog, it was remarkable how much buzz surrounded the new device.  Many reports suggested that the new iPhone would boast a larger screen size, a new unibody aluminum design and a touch sensitive home screen.  Even the devices name was in question: is it going to be the “iPhone 5” or the “iPhone 4S”?  In August, CNET even posted an exclusive report entitled “Apple Loses Another Unreleased iPhone”– an unlikely incident reminiscent of last year’s missing iPhone 4 prototype.

While technofiles spend a lot of their time generating hype for upcoming products, very few companies can generate quite as much excitement as Apple.  It’s really a company that thrives on the viral nature of the Internet and media, showing the true benefit of PR.  With the media reporting on every little rumor, leak, product shot, and whisper, excitement from the consumers grows.

For example, yesterday marked the “Let’s Talk iPhone” keynote at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.  Leading up into the presentation there were still a lot of questions on what Apple would present.  To watch the announcement I went to Engadget.com.  Within my first five attempts to refresh the live blog, Engadget’s site crashed due to the volume of readers.  I took note of the site crashing as it was not a common occurrence.

While the overall product announcement was underwhelming, there is no doubt that the new iPhone will sell like hot cakes.  Even if Apple didn’t provide the market with what it was expecting, the amount of hype Apple’s viral marketing generated was impressive.  With publications like the Wall Street Journal, Wired Magazine, and CNET covering the new iPhone for months, it’s the type of publicity that money can’t buy. There’s nothing like Free Ink!

Having just returned from the Modern Day Marine Show in Quantico, VA, I am excited about all the energy efficiency and smart (the word alternative is not relevant any more) energy solutions that were on display.  From generators, ruggedized uninterruptible power supplies to solar and energy storage systems, the show was replete with energy efficient power systems. The Marines’ objective of reducing dependence on petroleum products through energy generation and energy distribution improvements was very clear during the expo.

One interesting demonstration was held by our client International Battery in conjunction with  HDT Global. On display was HDT’s innovative shelters (large tents) for Forward Operation Bases (FOBs). These shelters are pretty amazing. A large shelter equipped with communications, flat panel screens and environmental systems can be set up in just a few of hours.  As part of the demonstration, International Battery showed how its Lithium-ion batteries can provide power to vital communications and electronic systems equipped inside HDT’s Base-X^® Model 303expeditionary shelter. The demo simulated how  just two of International Battery’s NPS 160 8 kilowatt-hour battery modules can capture 1600 watts of solar power within HDT’s Balance of Systems Unit (BOS) expeditionary power system.  This capability is very important as the remote locations of FOBs create significant challenges for logistics support of combat operations. These FOBs are dependent on long-distance deliveries of significant quantities of bulk fuel. Convoy routes through unsecured areas are frequently hazardous and transport is expensive. The delivered cost of fuel can easily total ten to a hundred times its original purchase price. FOBs can now advance their sustainability goals by incorporating energy efficient technologies such as solar, wind and energy storage systems. The NPS 160 enables storage of solar and/or wind energy in a package substantially lighter than a typical lead-acid battery solution. The Lithium-ion battery also has greater than five times the cycle life of lead-acid batteries. Pretty impressive.

I wish I had more time at the expo as there was a lot to see. I look forward to next year’s event and bet there will be even more clean energy systems on display.

PJ Jennings

Both. Apple’s meteoric rise to become one of the most enviable (and richest) businesses in the world is quite an accomplishment. Once, making products relegated to mostly creative geeks serving a targeted niche, to now breaking the mold in consumer devices and driving sales to stratospheric levels, Apple has done so many things right; they’re too many to mention here. However, a couple of things really stand out to me. One is its understanding of customers now and well into the future —a  stark contrast to the American car companies that lost to Japan because they didn’t talk to the consumer. Or if they did, they didn’t listen. Apple has and does listen. Not only that, they extrapolate into the future and build a vision for new products that breaks the previous mold and get folks so excited they’re willing to give up sleep and wait in long lines to get their hands on the latest device. Secondly, Apple is really smart in its marketing communications. We’ve known that Steve Jobs has been ill for some time and while some criticized Apple for not being as transparent regarding Steve’s health as they thought it should, Apple stayed the course and unveiled news when the most appropriate for Steve (and the company). The latest news was shocking but not unexpected and we all wish Steve Jobs the best. The pundits went on to say how the stock was going to tank, yadda, yadda. As of this post, Apple stock is up nearly $10 per share.  Apple was prepared and has let us know more about Steve’s replacement, Tim Cook. And now it is pulling the curtain back even further and we’re learning about Apple’s head designer and creative talent, Jonathan Ive. (See AP story: Behind Apple’s products is longtime designer Ive http://yhoo.it/o9JvHi )

Instead of retreating from the bad news and going around in circles not knowing what to do  – as too often companies do when faced with adversity ­­–  Apple has taken it head on with a communications strategy that matches its products – brilliant.

Happy Marketing!

PJ Jennings

My point is to stay true to what works and explore new ground. For businesses, take a look at your marketing communications and evaluate what’s working and what’s not.  Are your value propositions clear and concise? Is your brand/product/service messaging getting to the right people? Are you convincing the media that you have a great story to tell? Are you maximizing your strategic partner relationships for joint marketing campaigns and/or events?

Challenging times like these are not about being the most creative, but more about getting back to basics and using tried and true methods that prove successful time and time again.

Happy marketing!

PJ Jennings

Recently, it was announced that Google will acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion.  The move, which industry analysts are calling the deal of the year, will allow Google to strategically position its Android mobile OS against the competition of Apple’s iOS and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.

In the last few months Apple, Microsoft, HTC, and Samsung have been caught up in patent litigation, each side claiming infringement on its intellectual property.  In a recent ruling by the International Trade Commission, it was determined that HTC, the leading android manufacturer, had infringed on two of Apple-owned patents.  If an agreement isn’t made, the ruling could ultimately ban HTC products from distribution in the U.S.

In a recent blog, David Drummond, Google’s senior vice president and chief legal officer commented on the ongoing litigation against manufactures of Android devices as a “hostile, organized campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents.”

However, one could say that Google painted an easy target on its back.  During the development of Android, Google executives received few patents to support their creative ideas, and until recently suffered little legal repercussions concerning the competitively designed mobile operating system.  However, the search engine giant is now more than a viable threat in the mobile industry holding a 39% market share of its Android OS and over 550,000 devices activated daily.

The acquisition of Motorola Mobility is a bold move on Google’s part to protect its position against the competition.  Since the launch of Verizon’s Droid, Motorola has been a key ingredient to Android’s success in terms of quality phones and branding.  As the mobile OEM, Motorola Mobility is the owner of 17,000 patents and 7,500 pending.

While the purchase won’t put an end to current and future litigation and infringement claims, the extensive patent portfolio will give Google a firm footing against any future lawsuits against Android.  Samsung, Sony Ericsson, HTC and LG have all praised Google for “defending Android.”  The OEM community’s support towards this defensive move may lead to a closer relationship between phone manufacturers and Google, resulting in more Android support.  Despite its late entry into the hardware side of the mobile industry, Google ensures that Android will remain open sourced.

If this deal goes through, it will likely result in an even larger and more committed open source community with Google pushing innovation on both the software and hardware sides of the platform.  Google’s senior vice president of mobile Andy Rubin commented, “We expect that this combination will enable us to break new ground for the Android ecosystem.”

However, it is consumers who may reap the most benefits from this new “ecosystem.”   When the dust falls from the patent disputes, the big 3 (Google, Apple, and Microsoft), will need to continue to produce smarter and more functional devices to remain relevant.  This purchase is a bold move on Google’s part to defend Android’s place in the marketplace.

Source: Release