EconEcos Press Release

Economic Ecosystems Inc.

409 Lake Rd, Charlotte VT, (802) 734-0126

News Release                                                                FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                Anna Dow

April 24^th, 2017                                                                          Communications consultant, EconEcos

(845) 825-9173

ardow@uvm.edu

EconEcos Announces Great Auction of 2017

            BURLINGTON, Vt. – Economic Ecosystems Inc. announces the Great Auction of 2017 on Saturday May 6^th, 2017, in Charlotte, Vermont, from 4:00-8:00 PM. The Auction will feature art produced by EconEcos founder, Ezra Mount- Finette, food by Yak It To Me, and music by Phineas Gage & Pat Finn and the Bad Table. This event is open to the public and no tickets are necessary.

            The Great Auction of 2017 is to promote the idea of creating a right to a sustainable future by generating ideas, gathering public opinion, and earning money for local organizations. The event will celebrate the participants of the movement, while featuring local food, craft beer, and original works of art. The art displayed will be auctioned off with 60% of the proceeds funding the Common Pool, and the remainder to EconEcos and local organizations of the buyer’s choice.

            EconEcos will be hanging art around downtown Burlington and the University of Vermont in leading up to the event. Ezra Mount-Finette explains, “the idea is to gather individuals’ opinions to create policy that reflects what the populous desires. We are trying to use a market incentive to strengthen the resilience of our community.”

About EconEcos

EconEcos’ mission is to create the right to a sustainable future in focusing on creating inclusive economies that function harmoniously with the environment by taking a stakeholder approach using the principles of systems thinking ecological economic to build community resilience and sustainability.

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4/17 meeting minutes

1) April 17, 2017
2) 6 PM
3) Kalkin
4) Trey, Anders, Anna

6)
a. accomplishments:
-logo
-executive summary
-press release
-asset mapping report
-promotional video
-facebook event
-website improvements

b. long term
-finish video/seed it out
-print materials-- posters
-continue gathering support
-brochure

c. challenges:
-finalizing budget

d. rewarding:
-seeing the mobiles up on campus

e. CAT doing well:
-continuing to work together well
-building momentum

f. CAT needs work:
-continue to implement communications plan
-need more posts

EconEcos/Great Auction Executive Summary

Econ Ecos Deliverable- Visual Brand Identity

Communications Asset Map

MISSION:

The mission of Econ Ecos is to collect public opinions about how Vermonters live in the 21st century for the purpose of gathering qualitative data that can be used to impact policy decisions.

Unresolved Issues:

• Econ Ecos is ultimately driving towards promoting sustainability, not just data collection.

CLIENT:

ECON ECOS INC is the facilitating organization behind the movement for data collection, the common pool, and the Great Auction of 2017.

CONSULTING PARTNERSHIP:

The CAT 224 group will help Ezra to facilitate and promote the data collection, media management, brand development, and Great Auction of 2017.

Scope of work:

March 2017: Create and implement a communications plan across multiple media. Develop a visual identity and brand presence. Populate social media with content. Promote the Great Auction.

April 2017: Produce and release a promotional video. Host the Great Auction. Continue social media avenues. Drive responses to data questions on the website.

May 2017:

SWOT ANALYSIS: Econ Ecos

Econ Ecos STRENGTHS:

• Located in Burlington which already has a strong sustainability culture
• Being in a small state makes access to policy makers easier
• Providing incentive ensures high participation rates
• Driven largely by visuals which easily engages audiences

Econ Ecos WEAKNESSES:

• Unclear/ unfocused overall goal/message
• Multiple different avenues lending the movement to disorganization
• Lack of well-established media venues to promote events/ movement

THREATS to Econ Ecos:

• Promising funding to contributors through the common pool but ultimately not being able to procure it, or being forced to pay the money out of pocket
• Not generating enough buzz about the Great Auction to meet goals
• Hanging the art is subject to regulation/ vandalism

OPPORTUNITIES for Econ Ecos:

• Burlington population is more ecologically aware than most- could take interest in our movement
• Burlington has a large amount of nonprofits per capita-- shows a socially responsible culture
• Burlington is a picturesque place- easy to get good shots for the video
• Being college students, we each have a network of opportunities to recruit for the Great Auction
• Easy and practical to hang mobiles on campus. Lots of foot traffic in certain spots.
• No cost of materials for production of mobiles, but can be sold for profit at the Auction.

COMMUNICATIONS ASSET MAP:

Existing Channels – March 2017

"Econ Ecos" NAME:

Current: EconEcos and Ecological Ecosystems Inc. Both are the same organization, yet sound like opposing organizations

Recommendation: Brand using one name consistently. Refer to the two names as the same entity from the beginning as interchangeable to avoid confusion.

WEB SITE:

Current: Econecos.org

Recommendation: The text on the website could be more succinct, easier to follow. Adapt from Executive summary descriptions to keep everything consistent.

FACEBOOK:

Current: N/A

Recommendation: Create and immediately populate with content.

TWITTER:

Current: None

Recommendation: Would not recommend utilizing Twitter; dying social media platform for our generation.

INSTAGRAM:

Current: None

Recommendation: Create immediately as a business platform. Populate with content of the art, promotion of the auction, etc. Promote important posts as sponsored posts to gain traffic, create buzz around art and auction