Ubiquitous Marketing

Rob Walker is exactly right in this post, where he talks about sustainable clothing manufacturer/retailer Nau. Nau is now closing operations. Although he clarifies later. This point should be taught and taught and taught in all journalism, business, and marketing classes.

Obviously, I’m glad I didn’t decide to write about the brand in Consumed. But that’s not why I bring this up. I bring it up because as far as I could tell, Nau got nonstop love from every “influential,” “tastemaker,” “thoughtleader,” blah blah blah blog you can name.

I thought that was the secret sauce? I thought if you win over the blognescnenti, then you flat-out win? Because the MSM is irrelevant? And stuff? So, what’s up? Could it possibly be that the whole bloggy-buzz thing is, oh, I don’t know … bullshit?

So we featured Nau on the cover of our green issue (free link here). My intro seems pretty interesting now.

As the green movement gains even more momentum, many companies are encouraging their customers to live a more eco-friendly life - and are offering the tools to do so.

If judged by traditional promotional means, the short film that outdoor clothing manufacturer Nau created, though it eventually led to a mention on Good Morning America, would’ve been deemed a failed opportunity.

The four-minute film, which detailed the transformation that “friend of Nau” Dee Williams underwent when she moved out of a regular house into an 84-square-foot house on wheels, was originally posted on a portion of Nau’s Web site called “The Collective.”

[snip]

There was only one problem: The video made no mention of the company, aside from a “Nau presents” at the beginning and the word “Nau.com” at the end.

Maybe that was the issue. Or maybe people care about sustainability. In my apartment, currently, are three people from Portland, OR. One didn’t know the company. One said, “Those clothes are expensive.” One said, “How could it close down? It was featured in every magazine.”

Nau could be the tipping point for expensive green companies. It could be something completely unique. But I think it needs to be explored. I think Nau is a really compelling case study. More to come, I hope.