All things green are proving to have such a solid audience now that for many larger companies, "green" properties are proving to be tasty and timely acquisitions.
Adrian Grenier, EcoStiletto Launch Party Guest
Case in point: Rachel Sarnoff, CEO and Founder of EcoStiletto just re-branded and re-launched her weekly online newsletter offering consumer tips on eco-friendly fashion, beauty and good life iltems. When she started her online newsletter about a year ago, she called it the Green Girl Guide. Her site was humming along and she had all the right people on her board, such as Christopher Gavigan of Healthy Child, Healthy World and Amy Brenneman, the actress. "People are really excited about freebies and learning about new green stuff," said Sarnoff.
Then came the blow. The Green Guide, which had been around for about ten years, was bought about a year ago by National Geographic, who then published the book The Green Guide:The Complete Reference for Consuming Wisely, to accompany their newly acquired online The Green Guide site. So, they sent Sarnoff a "cease and desist" letter alerting her to their assertion that her GreenGirlGuide sounded too similar to their own property.
"They are definitely the Goliath and we are definitely the David," admitted Sarnoff. "But there were no blows thrown. We basically just saw the writing on the wall and realized it was better to re-brand. Honestly, EcoStiletto just resonates with a lot of people...A couple of people have said to me, 'You know, I'm not a girl - as opposed to a woman - and GreenGirlGuide was great but EcoStiletto is an awesome name!'" said Sarnoff.
Christopher Gavigan, who is the author of Healthy Child, Healthy World, Creating A Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, an eco-friendly parenting guide, chimed in: "I think EcoStiletto is a much better name. It speaks to people through its name who want to be incentivized to be part of this lifestyle. They want to have luxury. They want to have health. And they want to be sexy. But they also want to be ecologically conscious. So that is kind of the essence of this new brand. And I feel it just fits. The message is so much better."
Kelly Rutherford and Baby at EcoStiletto Launch
Sarnoff credits the successful turnout for her WeHo launch party with word-of-mouth. She certainly had the celebrity draw.
"It's so refreshing to be in a room full of people who are so willing to be helpful to one another," said Randi Ragan, owner of GreenBlissSpa. "I've never been so intellectually stimulated," she added commenting on the wide range of professional backgrounds people bring with them to their eco-conscious lifestyles.
Ragan's company, GreenBlissSpa, provided manicures for the attending guests. GreenBlissSpa is a mobile, eco-friendly spa that provides, "eco luxury spa experiences for everyday and special events." Water-based nail polish was provided by Acquarella, which is dubbed "water color" and is a chemical-free nail polish that comes in fun colors, such as "mahalo" a sky/ocean blue. A GM Fuel Cell vehicle was on hand for test drives by the guests, provided by GM's Tim Powers, Western Regional Marketing Manager. Complimentary makeovers were provided by Josie Moran cosmetics.