Signature
PHOTO: LEANDRO CHAVIRA
Effective, authentic marketing is about much more than just a catchy slogan or a slick ad campaign. It’s about telling the world your story
and why they should pay attention to it. It’s about communicating the
essence of who you are as a brand and the values that brand stands
for. Ultimately, it’s your direct connection to each and every consumer. Marketing is your voice as a company.
With all this, marketing is more than just a necessary expense; it is one of the biggest investments you can
make for the future of your company. As an investment, however, the best marketing “returns” usually
come from gut intuition combined with lots of research and strategic planning. Effective, authentic
marketing is part soul, part science.
To provide data to help guide marketing decisions,
this issue’s cover story presents key findings from the
first-ever marketing benchmark report for the organic
and natural products industry, created by Pure Research, a division of
Pure Branding. This report offers insights into what tactics your peers
have found to be effective in communicating with our unique, grow-
ing audience of conscious consumers. It also points out some key
areas where the organic industry needs to invest more resources.
Inside this issue, we also bring awareness to Non-GMO Month and
Fair Trade Month—both of which take place in October. In Dialogue, I
chatted with Megan Westgate, executive director of The Non-GMO
Project, and a founding sponsor of the upcoming Right2Know
March—a demonstration to demand GMO labeling. This historic
march starts in New York at the United Nations Headquarters on October 1st, and ends October 16th, at Lafayette Park across from the
White House in D.C. While it may be too late to take two weeks off to
participate in the entire march, Westgate says that the big push is to
get as many people as possible to the two main rallies in New York and
D.C. so we can get as much media coverage as possible and spread
awareness on this issue. Even if you can’t make it yourself, sponsor
employees or customers to attend! It’s time to stand together to protect our food supply.
Fair trade is another cause where working together can drive
awareness and create change on a whole new level. This issue’s
Enterprise story highlights two companies—Canaan Fair Trade and Dr.
Bronner’s—that are helping create hope for farmers in the West
Bank. In addition to inspiration, this story also offers a real life model
of how to build a fair trade, organic supply chain.
Whether you are in the midst of creating your story, or looking for
ways to effectively and authentically tell your story via marketing, or
both, I hope that this issue helps you on your journey. Looking forward to seeing you at Expo East. I’d love to hear your story too!
Chief Executive Officer Don Meeker
Publisher Stacy Atchison
Advertising Manager Bobby Meeker
Editorial Director Kathryn Schuett
Art Director Craig Van Wechel
Circulation Manager Andrea Karges
Administrative Manager Allison Demmert
Publishing Office 1945 W. Mountain St.
Glendale, CA 91201
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kat@organicprocessing.com
Production Office 1113 Ellis Street
Fort Collins, CO;80524
Phone 970.484.4488
craig@organicprocessing.com
Advertising Sales
Stacy Atchison 424.298.8542
stacy@organicprocessing.com
Bobby Meeker 818.842.2829
bobby@organicprocessing.com
Adam Haas 407.601.5440
adam@organicprocessing.com
Printed on recycled paper.
Organically Yours,
Kat Schuett
Editorial Director
Organic Processing (USPS 024-104) is published
bimonthly by The Target Group Inc.,
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MISSION STATEMENT:
Organic Processing
provides an independent forum for
the exchange of practical and
relevant information, ideas and
experience that will promote and
sustain the growth of organic
processing from seed to shelf.
