While at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference in San Francisco a couple weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to sit down with my favorite radio hosts, James and Morris Carey. They asked me to fill them in on new and innovative products from the show, many of which focused on energy saving and sustainability. Below is a little bit about the products and companies that stood out above the rest, as well as the audio clip of my time on On the House.

One really great thing I saw was a new lighting technology by Halo. Halo has introduced LED luminaries that save both energy and money by conserving electricity and having a longer life.

Eternal makes a hybrid water heater that conserves energy, and can save you money on your monthly water bill.

Several companies explored the great outdoors with products perfect for outdoor living:

Danver Stainless Steel Cabinetry introduced its Wood-Fired Pizza Oven, charcoal fire grill and smoker, and infrared grill, all made for outdoor cooking.

Belgard exhibited a ready-made outdoor fireplace that can literally be dropped on a patio with a forklift.

Fire Rock also makes a line of outdoor fire places that can be easily installed using a simple kit.

You can “build green” with Nichiha’s fiber cement. This cement is both water and insect resistant, and the factory even recycles its water when making their products.

I found these products to be quite impressive and revolutionary, and expect their popularity to rise  in home building.

“On the House” with the Carey Brothers

Bea Johnson of Mill Valley, Calif., has her own unique supermarket rituals.  She brings supplies such as glass jars and reusable bags to store the food items she buys.  She makes her own cleaning products, and she returns milk bottles for refills.  Zero-waste has become the lifestyle for Johnson and her family.

Elements of this zero-waste philosophy have already hit mainstream.  Many shoppers already take reusable bags into stores to limit the amount of plastic bags they collect, or they use containers such as Tupperware boxes to take snacks to work as opposed to plastic sandwich bags.

The California state Assembly has also reacted to the growing trend of zero-waste. It recently approved a bill to ban plastic bags from stores.  Many stores already implement plastic bag restrictions – some even offer incentives for customers who recycle their bags.  Many  Trader Joe’s locations give a small discount for any customer who brings in a paper bags for re-use.

The benefits of the zero-waste philosophy are three-fold: it saves money, is healthier, and it’s better for the environment.  Without any packaging costs built into the price, food costs less.  Buying in bulk at local farmer’s markets also help save a great deal.  Many fattening foods come heavily wrapped and therefore should be avoided.   Also, food is fresher when it doesn’t come in plastic wrapping.  Especially if the food items purchased are fresh products from a farmer’s market.  And obviously, less plastic used in packaging will reduce the amount of chemicals and oils used to make shopping bags.  This will also lower the amount of plastic going into landfills and oceans.

For many zero-waste followers, it has become a refreshing, new way of life. “I think my family is a lot happier now,” said Colin Beavan, author of “No Impact Man.” “It’s not simply about less packaging, it’s about changing your whole outlook, about wanting less and getting so much more as a family.”  And any activity that can help save money while simultaneously saving the environment and reducing pounds will only become more popular. Zero-waste is here to stay.

You can read about Johnson’s daily zero-waste lifestyle on her blog at zerowastehome.blogspot.com.

There are countless statistics out there about Twitter users: who’s more active, who the loudmouths are, who logs on once in a blue moon and who didn’t get past the first step of signing up.

As you might guess, those who are involved in conversations and sharing online get the most out of the site. Twitter is becoming an essential and invaluable tool for companies, making positive differences in ROI, customer satisfaction and new business leads everyday.

To optimize efforts put toward your company’s profile, take note of a few rules to live by on Twitter:

• Keep a consistent brand image. Maintain a profile picture and/or background that is consistent with your other online accounts such as your Web site, LinkedIn profile, Facebook page, etc. When your picture or logo is consistent, your brand is much more likely to stick out in people’s minds.
• Build relationships. Social media is not all about you. Twitter doesn’t exist for you to sell your product or gain customers. Sure, it can lead to that, but it really shouldn’t be your raw goal. A more appropriate and realistic goal would be to establish your company as a genuine, knowledgeable leader in your industry that is in tune with its customers.
• There’s always time for personality. It’s great to promote yourself or your company and the benefits both offer, but potential and current customers need to know there’s a human behind those posts. Remember, there’s a difference between giving a play-by-play of your shopping trip downtown and tweeting briefly about a cool new store or restaurant you came across. Including a Web site address, Twitter account or a photo is always a plus!
• Re-Tweet unto others as you would have them re-tweet to you. Make sure what you say is something others will want to repeat. In the same way, if someone else says something noteworthy, keep it circulating in Twitter world, and give the original author credit.

My next post will cover more tips and specific uses of Twitter tools – both within the site and through outside sources. Follow me @stevekleber.

According to an article in MediaPost, “Today’s luxury industries are confronting a convergence of two trends:

1. Boomers entering a life stage when traditional materialistic values become less important, and
2. A recessionary economy that for many has decimated prospects for retirement.”

So, what does this mean for the luxury home market and how do today’s luxury marketers prevail in this down economy?

MediaPost lists four strategies to aid today’s marketers:

1.  Build communities around your products. The legendary Harley Davidson has always commanded higher prices than foreign motorcycles partly because of HOG (Harley Owners Group), a network providing powerful referential reinforcement.

2.  Differentiate with values that address emerging Boomer needs to seek higher purpose in lifestyle choices. A watch is more than a watch when acquired as a future heirloom for a grandchild.

3.  Make an unassailable quality and durability case. Most Boomers have been burned by shoddy products that seemed like a good deal but broke after purchase. Boomers believe the adage: You get what you pay for.

4.  Consider tiered pricing. Just as airlines such as Frontier are unveiling tiered ticket prices in coach class, luxury-class products can be offered to consumers as good, better and best (not cheap, cheaper, cheapest), without compromising brand stature or differentiation.

For more information on marketing to Boomers and the emerging Ruppies population, click here to download K&A’s free Ruppies White Paper. For more information about luxury marketing click here.

What Building a Campaign Really Takes

It’s no secret that the advent and ever-increasing popularity of social media has changed the way the world communicates and — most importantly for you — has changed the way brands communicate with their customer audiences.

As marketers, it can be frightening sometimes to embrace the changes to the “traditional” model of communication. We’re constantly evaluating social media’s value and benefits to our brand, its marketing return on investment and wondering how to justify expenses to cover marketing costs.

Although valid in your concerns, there is no doubt that social media has forever changed the way we as individuals, brands and consumers “talk” to each other . . . and it’s not going anywhere.

Take a look at these key elements to building a successful social media campaign for your organization.

1. Set firm objectives
First things first — identify what you want to get out of your social media program. Just like when embarking on any marketing initiative, you need to define its goals — are you seeking to increase brand awareness, manage your company’s reputation, promote new products or generate qualified leads?

2. Listen and learn
Let’s be honest, it’s a crowded marketplace out there. The freedom of user-generated information has led to a chaotic, hard-to-reach market. Do your research before creating a strategic approach to your social media program. Monitor trends and breaking news in your industry, evaluate competitors, find out what customers are saying about your brand and explore the platforms they use.

3. Put a strategy in place
Armed with goals and research, it’s now time to start talking. Let your organization’s communications professionals take care of social media, or partner with an integrated marketing agency that knows the ins and outs of it. The biggest barrier for social media marketing isn’t cost, but the ability to dedicate time and resources.

PRSA CEO Michael Cherenson said in a recent blog post, “Technology is certainly a powerful tool for building relationships, but people and basic communication skills still come first.” Social media is about the people using it – your important audiences and customers who will make a difference in your bottom line.

4. Measure and Analyze
Now that you’ve implemented a social media program, measure your results and return on investment. The good news is that social media isn’t about numbers or impressions. What it comes down to is your engagement and interaction with audiences.

Go back to your objectives. Have you increased brand awareness? Generated qualified leads? Your answers will provide a benchmark for future social media initiatives.

Whether due to advances in technology and innovation, or in part because of changes in consumerism, the “traditional” structure of communication has been altered. We now have the ability to directly communicate with our core customers. Communication is getting back to its roots – connecting people and ideas.