Step-by-step presentation by Farida Fotouhi, president of Reality2 about branding a cleantech company

1. How to Brand your
Cleantech Company
to attract partners, investors,
licensees and customers
Farida Fotouhi Farida@reality2.com
© Copyright 2009 Reality2 LLC

2. www.reality2.com
This is
your time
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You have a new champion. A stimulus
package. And more to come!
Reduce dependence on foreign oil
$15 billion in clean tech initiatives
“Our survival depends on finding new sources of
energy” (Address to Congress, Tuesday Feb 24)
Solar, wind, biofuels, storage, smart grid, fuel cells--
“Answers are in..our laboratories and..the
imaginations of our entrepreneurs.”..
Reduce greenhouse gases
Clean energy economy: funding, green jobs
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Water
Energy
ood
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Cleantech is the place to be today.
But, to reap the rewards you need to:
 Build a brand
 Align yourself with the big picture vision
 Define the roadblock you remove
 Educate
 Demonstrate a good business case
 Show a clear benefit for each audience
 Keep it simple
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6. Your brand = the sum of experiences
at every point of contact.

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You have a brand whether you know it or not.
Take control and make it work for you.
“What X stands
for”
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A brand is both facts and feelings.
Pain relieved? Credible?
Why is it better? Market savvy?
Market traction? Cutting edge?
$ Potential? Am I in love?
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The Reality-Based branding and
positioning triangle.
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Your customer.
 Customer POV by segment
 Greatest pain / greatest opportunity
 Change: drivers & barriers
 Why choose you
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Your competition.
 What do they say they do?
 What do they really do?
 Who knows this?
 Be sure you’re different
 Monitor competitive sites
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Your value proposition.
 Customer-focused
 Simple and clear
 Differentiated
 One brand/target segments
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How should you define and express
your brand personality?
 Helpful?
 Friendly?
 Compassionate?
 Businesslike?
 Solution-focused?
 Cutting-edge?
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14. Align yourself with the big picture
vision and be specific about the
roadblock you remove.

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ALIGN WITH
BIG PICTURE
SPECIFIC
ROADBLOCK
YOU REMOVE
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EDUCATE
(SIMPLE, CLEAR)
OLD WAY
NEW WAY
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18. Paradigm shifters: educate!
Own the solution as thought leader.
Change perceptions and behavior.

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EDUCATE: CHANGE
PERCEPTIONS
BE A THOUGHT
LEADER
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OWN THE SOLUTION
AS THOUGHT LEADER
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21. Make a good business case.
Sustainability alone isn’t sustainable.

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Businesses buy sustainability when it also
adds value and impacts the bottom line.
1) Sustainability
2) Affordability
3) Quality 22

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THE BUSINESS CASE
THOUGHT
LEADERSHIP
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THE BUSINESS CASE + GREEN BENEFIT OLD WAY - NEW WAY: QUALITY
OWNERSHIP OF SOLUTION (IP) OLD WAY - NEW WAY: SAVINGS
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25. A value proposition for each target
audience (within unified brand)

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The early stage target audience.
 High-profile customer(s)
 Strategic partners
 Licensors
 Potential buyer
 Investors
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Early Stage Branding: the key
components.
A branding strategy
Clear market-focused value
Name/logo
proposition for each target
Website
Professional startup package
(not home-made) Brochure
Presentation
See http://www.reality2.com/early_stage_branding.html 27

28. Keep it simple.

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You’ve developed a clean tech
breakthrough.
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Commercialization, branding and selling
involve an entirely different skill set.
Ours is better!
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Can you explain your product to
a six-year-old?
 Simplify
 Educate
 Show clear benefits
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32. Whatyou guys
is it
do again?

33. So
what?

34. How to Brand your
Cleantech Company
to attract partners, investors,
licensees and customers
Farida Fotouhi Farida@reality2.com
© Copyright 2009 Reality2 LLC