May 2006

Effective green marketing to improve sales
If you think your customer isn't concerned about environmental issues, or won't pay a premium for products that are more eco-responsible, think again. Research shows people are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of the products and services they use, as well as a willingness to pay more for "greener" products.

But is it enough to have green product or put a green spin on your existing offerings? Not in this media-savvy world! To be successful, your target market must:

• Feel your product will work as well as non-green alternatives
• Care about the environmental issues your product addresses
• Feel that by using your product they will make a difference
• Believe your claims
• Be able to afford price premiums

Get Web traffic with new Yahoo! ad links
Regular Sparks readers are familiar with pay-per-click search engine links. Your site shows up at the top/side of search engine results in response to selected keywords. You pay the search engine only when someone actually clicks on the link. The result is highly targeted traffic and excellent return on investment.

Unfortunately, the pay-per-click system is confusing and complicated for many businesses. The process requires selecting keywords and bidding on each one, plus setting setting a cap for bids.

In response, Yahoo! has introduced flat-fee pricing for text ads. The listings are available at the top of the page on Yahoo Local, for monthly fees starting as low as $20. This provides targeted traffic but without the level of complexity that pay-per-click often creates.
Learn more about Yahoo! ads

This month's winner: Kenn Macy!
First-time VisoVerbo winner Kenn wins a digital print featuring this one-of-a-kind design. Have a favorite quote or saying? Send it in! If your quote is chosen, you'll receive a digital print of your custom design, suitable for framing! Check out your competition here.

See the creative process for the design above

WS Homes
For over fifty years, Wininger/Stolberg Homes has created beautiful living spaces for residents of Bloomington, Indiana. This year, Wininger/Stolberg Group, the parent organization of Wininger/Stolberg Homes, decided to re-launch the company with a re-vamped name, look, and focus. WS Homes is the result, focused primarily on development of the paired villas in Renwick, Wininger/Stolberg's hot new residential development on Bloomington's eastside.

Working with WS Homes president Aaron Stolberg, we developed the new website for the company. Because WS Homes' current identity is so closely identified with Renwick, our goal was to create a site which instantly created a visual connection with Renwick's print and web materials but stood out on its own as well.

The new WS Homes site bases its layout on the Renwick site, but its bolder color palette adds vigor to its identity. Adding Renwick's signature burgundy to WS Homes' green and gold creates a warm, clean palette.

Whereas the Renwick site relies entirely on illustration, we feature a range of warm and inviting photos on the WS Homes site to create an emotional connection with the visitor and add energy. Links between the WS Homes site and Renwick ensure that visitors to either site make a strong brand connection between the two entities. We also used design elements from WS Homes' print materials to make the brand look consistent across media.

View the WS Homes site designed by Cairril.com