Green Spark Marketing

21/04/2025

Would you like to discover the principles behind creating a great sustainability story? If so, join our free, bite-size webinar on Wednesday 30th April, 1-2pm. You'll enjoy some of the 35+ years of green PR experience that's tucked under the our belt, and learn some of the techniques behind creating stories which resonate with your target customers.

Also revealed will be an intro to research into how different groups of people react to environmental messages.

If your company is committed to making itself greener and reducing its impact upon the planet but you're not telling anybody about it, you’re missing out on significant opportunities to attract new clients, job seekers, boost your business and -just as importantly - help others learn from your experience.

You'll leave the webinar with tips that you can apply straight away to your sustainability content and PR. And don't forget it's free.

More details and booking here: https://sustainability-storytelling-bitesize.eventbrite.co.uk

01/04/2025

Would you like to discover the principles behind creating a great sustainability story? If so, join our free, bite-size webinar on Wednesday 30th April, 1-2pm. Well be sharing some of our 35+ years of green PR experience and outling the main steps and techniques behind creating stories which resonate with your target customers.

You'll also hear about some of the research revealing how different groups of people react to environmental messages.

If your company is committed to making itself greener and reducing its impact upon the planet but you're not telling anybody about it, you’re missing out on significant opportunities to attract new clients, job seekers and to boost your business.

You'll leave the webinar with tips that you can apply straight away to your sustainability content and PR. And don't forget it's free.

More details and booking here: https://sustainability-storytelling-bitesize.eventbrite.co.uk

11/10/2024

Tomorrow we'll be at the She's Electric show at Ellenborough Park near Cheltenham. It brings together sustainability, style, shopping and fun.

Aimed especially at women, there'll be loads of advice around how to make your life greener, and the Sustainable Lifestyle room will be full of businesses offering the means to do that - pre-loved clothes, beauty care, food, well-being and more. There'll also be a range of electric cars to test drive.

The event's hosts & MCs are Jo Elvin, broadcaster and former Editor-in-Chief of Glamour Magazine, and Erin Baker, Vogue, Marie Claire & Vanity Fair automotive feature writer.

We're helping our client, Clear Future Financial Planners, who'll be there offering investments and pensions which enable people to use their finances to do good both for themselves and the environment. And its director, Simon Evans, will be speaking on the She's Unstoppable panel, discussing how to introduce sustainability into your life.

It should be great - we love a bit of shopping and sustainability! Not to mention the opportunity to talk about sustainability as well.

18/04/2024

There's still time to book a place on our free webinar today at 1pm (BST): 'Sustainability Storytelling – a introduction' to learn the principles of how to talk about your sustainability work with authenticity, passion and no greenwash.

During the hour, Caroline Aistrop, our creative director, will be outlining some of her 6-step process for turning your business' or organisation's sustainability work into inspiring PR so that you can:
- attract new customers
- increase repeat custom from existing ones
- boost staff motivation
- make yourself a magnet for job seekers, especially Millennials and Gen Z
- inspire others to become greener, too.

The demand for sustainability from both consumers and large companies is now such that if you're not communicating your green commitments and achievements - whether that's greening yourself internally or selling a green product or service - you're going to lose customers to your competitors who are.

Keep ahead of the game. Future-proof your business and future-proof the planet. It really can be win-win all round!

Book your free place now at:

Gain an insight into how to turn your business’ sustainability work into authentic and inspiring stories and PR

16/04/2024

Would you like to create compelling content and publicity about the great work you or your client is doing to be environmentally responsible?

Just a couple of days to go to our creative director's 1 hour webinar this Thursday, the 18th, 1-2pm on Zoom. Learn some key principles of her Sustainability Storytelling System that'll get you started with turning your environmental commitments into inspiring and authentic stories, content, and PR. Book your front row seat here:
https://sustainability-storytelling-webinar.eventbrite.co.uk

11/04/2024

If anyone is near a TV set at 5pm today, tune into the Channel 5 news bulletin to see Stroud Brewery (our fab client) featured, and learn about the project they've been co-ordinating to find climate change resistant hop varieties.

Hops have been vital for beer making since they were introduced into the UK in the 1500s.

The increased temperatures that we're starting to experience because of climate change will slow hop plant growth, or stop it altogether. Hops are fussy things that don't like sustained high temperatures. Pests & diseases that attack these plants will also flourish in the warmer and wetter conditions.

Basically, the future of our pint of beer is looking rocky. A future without a beer 😟 noooo....

Fortunately, some climate resilient varieties have been found and Stroud Brewery has brewed some test beers with them. These are currently on the bar to be tasted and assessed by customers.

We're so chuffed at getting this great story onto Channel 5 news..

10/04/2024

How human are you? No, that's not asking whether you’re unemotional like Mr Spock or if you blub uncontrollably at a sad film. It's referring to your communication style. Have you stopped to think how your business comes across to your target customers? Is it more factual or do emotions figure prominently?

Sustainability has long been the domain of scientists and experts. Not surprisingly, as they were the ones collecting the evidence in the early days and sounding the alarm. But this has led to much of sustainability communications being formal, full of facts, not easy for the ‘ordinary’ person to follow and lacking in emotions (other than ‘we’re all doomed’).

But in recent years, research has revealed that our emotions are more often than not in the driving seat of our decision-making. It’s a primeval, survival thing. So how do we tap into the ‘human’ side of sustainability to tell stories that grab hearts as well as minds?

Join Green Spark's creative director, Caroline Aistrop, on her free webinar, ‘Sustainability Storytelling - an introduction’, 18th April, 1-2pm (BST) to hear more about how to effectively communicate your green messages and add those (appropriate) emotions.

Book your front row seat now!

https://sustainability-storytelling-webinar.eventbrite.co.uk

02/10/2023

Would you give a friend a birthday present bought second-hand in a charity shop? Could you reduce your consumption by 90%? Is your sense of self and status embedded in buying new? These are some of the thorny, yet fascinating, questions explored in the latest podcast from 'Can Marketing Save the World?'.

Simon Garnett set himself the challenge to not buy anything new for a whole year. Apart from two occasions, he succeeded and discovered a world of recycling, reuse, resale and preloved he never knew existed (did you know that if you type into ebay, Facebook, Vinted etc, you'll find clothes that are brand new, haven't been worn, still have the label on and are for sale? No, neither did we. It stands for 'brand new with tags').

But when marketing has spent decades persuading (some might say brainwashing) consumers to buy new and buy more, how do we change the story and make second-hand and reuse seem as sexy and gratifying? Especially when it takes more effort to find what you want.

We do give second-hand stuff as presents to friends, and make no excuses for that. As long as it's in perfect condition, why not? How would their reaction if they knew affect your decision to buy second-hand?

“Being sustainable is a story of assumed negatives, but it’s actually a story of discovered positives.” We were joined in this episode by Simon Garnett who has been on a personal journey with consumption, one which he started when he realised his own habits were unhealthy, a journey he continu...

20/09/2023

🎺 🎺 They did it! Stroud Brewery won the title of Best Sustainable Pub in the Great British Pub Awards 2023! 🙌🥳

Huge congratulations to founder & MD, Greg Pilley, and all the team for this well deserved award. They put sustainability and their local community at the heart of all they do.

Not only is this recognition for them, it also shows to other businesses how it's possible to run a successful business whilst doing what’s right for people, local community and the planet.

Let's hope more businesses are inspired by their example! 💚🍺

It can be a win-win all round!

And also a big shout out to The Plough Inn at Prestbury in our home county of Gloucestershire - they won Punch Pubs & Co.'s Pub of the Year. Congratulations! 🥳 👏

19/09/2023

We're delighted to say that our client, Stroud Brewery, is a finalist for the title of Sustainable Pub of the Year in the Great British Pub Awards 2023. The awards ceremony is tonight from 7.45pm and you can watch it live!

Since the early days, founder & MD, Greg Pilley, has wanted to reduce the brewery's environmental impact as much as absolutely possible. It was the first brewery in the UK to be certified as both organic and a B Corporation.

Its latest carbon footprint report shows that the brewery side has done virtually everything it can to be responsible and sustainable:

💚 it uses 47% less water than the industry average
🍺 88% less gas than the industry standard
💚 the brewhouse efficiency is 5% greater than the industry standard
🍺 it uses 100% renewable electricity

Hopefully, this - and plenty of other sustainable activities such as 70% of suppliers being local and being awarded Plastic-free Champion status by Surfers Against Sewage - will enable it to win the title.

This is a national award so it'd be such an achievement if they won.

Keep your fingers crossed - and tune in, if you can!

26/06/2023

Massive congratulations to our client, Stroud Brewery - a certified B Corporation, for winning the title of Business of the Year in Stroud News & Journal's inaugural Community Heroes Awards. OK, so this is not some prestigious, national award but does that make it any the less valuable?

For Stroud Brewery, the local community is at the heart of what it does and the brewery only exists because local people have faith in the vision of its founder, Greg Pilley. They provided the investment to start the brewery and then, when the pandemic made finances precarious, they raised >£114,000 in a crowdfunding appeal to keep it going.

Every day, the brewery is venue to community-led events: from lego-making sessions for kids, board games' nights and dance classes to live music, singles' evenings and art classes. The brewery's taproom is full of families, friends meeting and people popping in for a quick drink, such is the convivial atmosphere that makes everyone welcome.

The Stroud News & Journal's finalists had to be nominated by its readers so, for the Brewery, this award is a sign of how much they value the brewery. Meaning this award will take pride of place on the trophy shelf.

Stroud News & Journal Stroud Brewery

19/05/2023

If you're involved in sustainaibility in the Cheltenham area of Gloucestershire (as volunteer, business owner or paid staff), you might be interested in the FREE Sustainability Communications Workshop next Thursday, 25th May, 9.30 - 1pm.

During the morning, you'll explore how language, psychology and marketing can help us better communicate and share our sustainability journey.

Green Spark's Creative Director, Caroline Aistrop, will be one of the speakers at this event, sharing her tips for how to craft your sustainability story and make it resonate with your target audiences.

Thanks to Cheltenham Net Zero for organising this workshop.

To book your place, visit the Eventbrite page:

This FREE workshop will explore how language, psychology and marketing can help us better communicate and share our sustainability journey.