Customer Reviews

The Gort Cloud: The Invisible Force Powering Today's Most Visible Green Brands

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Early in my career, long before the Internet, I assembled file folders on every environmental organization I had ever heard of -- their literature, fund-raising letters, annual reports, etc. Trouble was, the more information I got on environmental groups, the more there was to get -- looking at lists of board members always led to more organizations. I was unknowingly trying to assemble a portion of what Richard Seireeni is calling, in his new book, The Gort Cloud. The Gort Cloud is named after the Oort cloud, a field of stellar debris that orbits our solar system -- although its mass exceeds that of the earth, it is invisible to us.

If you've worked in the environmental field at any level, you're likely aware of this invisible network connecting millions of environmentally aware people. On one hand, it is the enforcer of credibility standards -- a watchdog against greenwashing. On the other hand, it is a partner, providing insights into consumer preferences, linking manufacturers to distributors to retailers, and being the ultimate sounding board for anyone marketing a product or service to the highly focused audience of the green consumer.

While huge consumer products companies rely on advertising (what Seth Godin calls "shouting at strangers"), start-up green companies reach out directly to the Gort Cloud, using one-on-one relationships with green academics, NGOs, certifying organizations, news outlets, trendspotters, distributors, and eco-conscious consumers to build their brands. Because everyone is connected by the common goal of sustainability and powered by the currency of transparency, start-up green companies can gain an edge over the titans whose advertising strategies are less effective every year.

The Gort Cloud has aspects of Web 2.0, viral marketing, crowdsourcing, and social media, but more than that, it is an amazing business resource for honest green companies. It delivers a market (and marketing partners) at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising and with greater credibility.

In his book, Seireeni explains how 23 successful green companies built their brands using this invisible marketing force to reach the green community.

A few years back, when I was completing my MBA, Lean was all the rage. While I do not discount its value, it is clear that Green has gained great importance in the business world. The Gort Cloud is a collection of case studies of the Green movers and shakers.

I was impressed with the collection of companies included in the book. Some I have used (Seventh Generation, Stonyfield Farms) and others I had never heard of (Portfolio21, Tesla). Each chapter is a case study of one or two related companies. I think that no matter what your business, you will find at least one idea that you can apply to your own life.

The book is an easy read, sure to capture the attention of business executives, business school students, and casual readers alike. My one beef (which may not bother other readers) was the repeated use of the f-word in one chapter of the book. The word relates directly to the company and its story, but its repeated use could be offensive to some readers. Be aware, if this issue may concern you.

The publisher has gone to great lengths to assure the reader that the book is published on post-consumer paper with soy ink. Do them one better, and borrow a copy from a friend or the library (or download it to your Kindle if you're lucky enough to have one!)

The Gort Cloud is a perfect read for our company. Being that our company is geared toward the surplus and salvage industry. It was an eye opener with a refreshened insight of our industry and will give us the opportunity to reevaluate our current structuring.

Our main purpose is to reduce landfilling of retail goods, in which we can name several major offenders who claim to be "Eco-Friendly" or "Green". We're always on the lookout for new resources to network with, and Richard Seireeni gives us that opportunity.

If your a green conscious business or looking to become one, this book is a wonderful insight to this industry. 5 Stars!

We've recently launched a socially responsible business and hoped that this book could be a great 'guidebook' for us. It's proven very helpful in several ways. The case studies are inspirational, and even more importantly, the visual 'Gort Cloud' has proven to be a useful roadmap to our viral marketing campaign! However, even though it's a fairly recently released book, several of the companies listed on the visual display are already defunct! Guess they weren't such an important part of the 'green movement' after all? That said, the ones that are still going strong have really helped get our business off the ground! So overall, if you're hoping to use this book to assist you in business, by all means, buy!

Through profiling over 20 emerging and established "green" companies, Richard Seireeni provides practical advice on how to shape communications and develop a credible public relations strategy within the active green community. Make no mistake, Seireeni does not offer advice on greenwashing, but rather provides a blueprint for environmentally responsible companies to follow in establishing credibility and brand in an increasingly crowded marketplace. As a nonprofit professional with a limited budget, I found his advice on developing grassroots PR strategies particularly helpful. This is a great read for anyone seeking to understand the green marketplace.

My only complaint is I wish he interviewed more companies! Like Organic Valley, Eden and The Alternative Baking Co. etc.

The author takes you on a journey through many different & mostly well known Green Brands like Stonyfield, Dr. Bronners and Seventh Generation etc. You discover how they started, the trials they had on their path to success & their fight against non green brands. The incredible growth the green industry has had despite our economy. Peoples increasing awareness of the need for safety not only in what we eat, but where our energy comes from and what is in our cleaner exactly? Why the skull & crossbones? He compares how these different types of companies grew in their particular green area. What type of customer certain products attract and do not attract. At the end of each chapter he gives a summary of his personal opinion about why a company got where it is.

The emphasis of the book is how all these green brands are linked to one another what the author coined "The Gort Cloud" (personally I don't care for the name). This cloud is what keeps these companies alive or what kills them (don't make a green claim if it's not true or they(the Gort Cloud) will be all over you). This cloud is word of mouth, the Internet, the companies themselves, customers, advertising, even negative press.

If you have any interest at all in what makes these green companies tick or are just more curious about the companies you make purchases from, I think you will really enjoy this book.

This well-narrated book focusing on a self-sustaining and evolving eco-system that focuses on "green" branding is apt to be a major hit to anyone remotely interested in environmentally conscious businesses. The well-chosen case-studies (the best part of the book)are quite instructive in itself. The case studies provide a wide range of segments ranging from cosmetics, apparel makers, moving supplies, cleaning supplies, auto, and home energy. Each case study is attempting to highlight some key aspect of this "Gort cloud".

Herein lies the problem of the book - The summaries for each case study is mostly superficial and doesn't even attempt to capture a few salient points from the case study that can directly relate to some of the key issues raised in the initial chapters. The reader is left with a lot of trivia regarding a company told from a "green" perspective. The summaries, which make or break, any case study-based approach of narration, are not the best thought out part of the book. The authors approach of "letting my subjects speak for themselves because they are the most convincing evangelists for their story" is noble, but not very effective with the case studies. This disappointment gets amplified since the author(s) do an excellent job in positioning the book with respect to the crowded market in green consciousness and green investing.

A very engaging narration and the overall theme of the book will sustain the reader's interest and attention very well, but one wishes the case study summaries were more thought-out and clearly articulated in the context of some overarching themes (from the initial chapters). Overall, a good read.

First, I had high hopes for this book. As a bit of a green freak myself and someone with an MBA from one of the better biz colleges this seemed like the book I had been searching for...sadly, while it is very PC - it is not as complete as I had hoped. The profiles are brief at best and lack the type of useful content needed to take action of any type.

Serious minded individuals looking for depth of coverage into the green revolution or business minded individuals searching for unique or up-and-coming initiatives will not find it here. However, the book does a good job taking a snap-shot of the current market as it exists today in all of it's disruptive and fragmented parts.

I suspect this book will become more popular in the future as a historical commentary regarding the development of the rise of green brands - a brief but brisk overview that will allow future leaders to know what worked, what didn't and what was simply ahead of its own time.

Obviously, given the overwhelming positive reviews for this book to date my opinion is in the minority. It is well written and easy to read...at over 300 pages the author did not scrimp on content....in fact, there is a tremendous amount packed into this book - albeit briefly. Yes, the book would have been huge to have gone into depth for each and every topic but for the first time in ages I found myself wishing the author had actually written several in-depth books rather than just one. It is refreshing to be left wishing for more in an era when most authors 'pad' and 'fluff' their books with useless content and for that reason alone I nearly added a star to the review. However, the lack of extensive notes, references etc detracted one...once again, serious readers would certainly benefit from the inclusion of a much more thorough reference section than the few pages devoted to it at the end. Given the amount of content that is a major flaw in my opinion.

So, in summary...green buffs searching for a general overview will be satisfied. Business executives, investors and others searching for in-depth insight into the green era are likely to be let down.

What makes a company green? How are green companies different from mainstream companies? This is what the authors of The Gort Cloud set out to discover. The book has over 30 interviews with leaders of the green business movement, including Seventh Generations Jeffrey Hollender and Stonyfield Farms Gary Hirshberg, among many others.

What is The Gort Cloud? It's what the authors call the 'green network' of companies, educational resources, green business news, etc. that form to help the green movement and green companies thrive. Each case study has detailed information on how each company made it's way to success.

A great book for anyone interested in starting a green business, making their business more green or just reading about how other's have done so.

The Gort Cloud is, as the author explains, is a collection of bloggers, ecopreneurs, NGOs, GOs, newsletters activists, ezines, news websites, social networks, etc. Hundreds of various sites (certainly more than I ever dreamed existed) all discussing green products and businesses. Some of these sites tend to be more influencial than others & can make or break a start-up. And don't try faking Green........

The book also has many case studies i.e: Burts Bees, Seventh Generation - all of the businesses are discussed in some detail, showing how & why they've succeeded in the Green

Overall interesting book