As we all know, the deep South is full of wonderful, warm, intelligent people. As a whole, though, we’re not the most environmentally conscious group in the country. So, when my client Knoxville Utilities Board wanted to launch a Green Power renewable energy option for businesses and residents to purchase in 2001, I suspected that traditional approaches to marketing earth conservation would fall flat.

Instead, I researched what was important to residents of Knoxville (God, family, football, and local natural features like the Great Smoky Mountains and the Tennessee River), and from that created a brand value called Eco-Patriotism that we used to develop marketing messages.

Eco-Patriotism was the concept of being environmentally responsible because it was what a good citizen would do, to protect the beauty of the area for children and grandchildren. It was neighborly and patriotic to do your part. It was part of being a good steward of the earth.

To communicate this idea, we used traditional advertising pieces, including a newspaper insert with testimonials from local grandmothers, church and business leaders, and University of Tennessee football players talking about why Green Power was important.