Blogs from the Corner Office – Earthbound Farm
By Samantha Cabaluna, director of marketing and communications

COMMUNICATION INUNDATION

Posted on May 23, 2008

 

I've been thinking lately about what makes communication effective in a world where we're so inundated with messages. The average American sees about 3,000 messages every single day. And I'm not necessarily talking about marketing or advertising messages, but important information. With all that communication out there, how do you determine what's really critical to know?

 

What's gotten me thinking is this: There's a beach near where I live that is seductively beautiful but perilously dangerous. It's right across from a monastery, so it's officially called Monastery Beach. But the locals call it Mortuary Beach because an inordinate number of people have died there. It's got a really steep slope, huge waves and a deadly rip current. Sadly, a father and daughter just became its most recent victims, and their deaths have renewed debate about what to do. Do we close the beach? Put up another warning sign? Put up a memorial?

 

I don't think closing the beach is practical (people will wind up there anyway because it's right off California's Highway 1 and its beauty is too compelling), so we have to think about how we can convince people that the danger is real. Local news reports say there are already 22 signs there. I haven't counted them personally, but I believe it. But they are typical government-issue warning signs about dangerous waves that simply fade into the background. Tragically.

 

Every guide book on the island of Kauai tells you that hiking the Kalalau Trail to Hanakapiai Beach is a must, so many tourists (prepared and not-so-prepared for the wet and rocky hike) make the four-mile roundtrip hike every day. Just like Monastery Beach, Hanakapiai Beach is seductive yet deadly. But on Kauai, they've put up a really simple, handmade sign. Somehow this handmade sign seems to be a more effective warning. To have a look at this sign, click here: wikihow.com/Stay-Safe-Around-Rip-Currents. The frank honesty of this sign keeps many tourists out of the water. You'll see that if you make your way there. I've always thought that Monastery Beach should have something like this.

 

This is an important lesson in communication. Why does the crude, homemade sign seem to have more power than the well-worded, professionally made sign? It's similar to the handmade crosses and memorials that mark a loved one's death at dangerous places on many roads. When you see one, you instantly know someone was killed there and it might be dangerous. Makes you think.

 

Today, anyone with a computer and a decent software program can put together a nice-looking flyer or sign or CD cover or website. We are simply bombarded with communication. So I'm thinking that particularly when it comes to warning signs, the stark authenticity of the handmade sign, where the message is tangible and powerful, provokes a more visceral reaction in us, and we pay attention. I would venture to say that it's because the peril was grave enough for an individual who cared to take matters into his own hands.

 

Samantha Cabaluna is director of marketing and communications for Earthbound Farm (ebfarm.com), a leading organic salad and produce company. She oversees the company's communications programs, from strategic branding and advertising to interactive electronic media.

To comment on this blog, e-mail blog@pinkmagazine.com and enter "Earthbound Farm" in the subject line.

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GREEN MARKETING
Posted on January 10, 2008

Years ago, when I was a marketing communications project manager at a publishing company, someone in our IT department said to me, "Marketing … that's just lying, right?" Ouch! But if I take a little stroll through my career in marketing, I can certainly recall those times when maybe I wasn't lying, but I was surely guilty of putting lipstick on a pig.

Now I work for a company where there is none of that. Accuracy reigns supreme; we would never say anything in our marketing vehicles that wasn't 100 percent verifiably true. Sometimes it feels like I'm always working on a thesis for that really challenging professor. But it's worth it. Believe me, this is a different paradigm in the marketing world. And it presents a challenge too.

Marketing greenness as a company is very hot these days. Everyone's throwing around all the environmentally conscious things they do. And our sales force is constantly on me about why we don't beat our chest more about how inherently green we are, and that other companies are claiming a mantle that should be ours. But precisely because of who we are, we know that while so much of what we do is so green, we need to do better. For example, our main product is prewashed salads. By the very nature of the product we generate a lot of packaging. We're actively seeking greener packaging options, but we're not there yet. We will be soon, but not yet. We just can't be Greener-Than-Thou.

This is just one of the many ways marketing is so challenging these days. Frankly, people are sick of ubiquitous marketing messages. Aren't you? I am. We're all inundated with messages these days, down to advertising on our dry cleaner's hangers or in public restrooms. We're all seeking cover from the bombardment, right? It's truly a challenge to cut through the barrage in a way that's meaningful and talk to people who actually want to hear from you. We're trying.

Samantha Cabaluna is director of marketing and communications for Earthbound Farm (ebfarm.com), a leading organic salad and produce company. She oversees the company's communications programs, from strategic branding and advertising to interactive electronic media.

To comment on this blog, e-mail blog@pinkmagazine.com and enter "Earthbound Farm" in the subject line.