Marketing for Hippies comes to Lancaster

Tad Hargreave eyes up other
ways of marketing

(Updated 4/10/11, new afternoon session announced) Are you a holistic and idealistic person, trying to make a living doing stuff you believe in, who doesn't want to get involved with traditional marketing because you think it's too commercial? Then a workshop being run at the Dacrelands Health Centre in Skerton this month may be for you.

The workshop is run by Tad Hargreave, a Canadian who founded www.marketingforhippies.com, who describes himself as "a hippy who developed a knack for marketing."

Despite years in the non-profit and activist world, he finally had to admit he was a marketing nerd and, in the end, he became a marketing coach for hippies. Maybe it was because he couldn’t stand seeing his hippy friends struggle to promote their amazing, green and holistic projects. Maybe it was because he couldn’t keep a 9-5 job to save his life.

Whatever the reason, for almost a decade, he has been touring his marketing workshops around Canada, bringing refreshing and unorthodox ideas to conscious entrepreneurs and green businesses that help them grow their organizations and businesses (without selling their souls). And, over the years, he has become recognized as a leader in the wider movement towards green and local economies.

He’s also considered a pioneer and leading thinker in the field of ‘Hub Marketing‘ (and is puttering on a book about it’).
The two-hour workshop is for you if you're a Holistic Practitioner, or in the Healing Arts, perhaps you are selling a natural, eco-friendly, cruelty-free or otherwise healthy product, or maybe you're a local business owner that just plain cares deeply about your community, nature and social justice?

In this workshop, you'll get the chance to learn...

• the underlying principles of how marketing works (don't worry, it's not pushy or gross or expensive).
• an overview of the top ten, foundational marketing things every practitioner must have (and they're not business cards, brochures, fancy logos or ads in holistic magazines).
• the biggest two blunders that practitioners make when trying to describe what they do (and a simple, fill in the blanks phrase you can use to have people immediately 'get' you).

Tad spent his early marketing days learning and applying some very inauthentic, high pressure, extremely gross and pushy marketing approaches. This has made him "suuuuper allergic" to these kinds of approaches because he discovered they made him feel slimy (even in personal friendships), he didn’t sleep well and he’s very sorry to all those people he spoke with back in the day.

After a decade of unlearning and unpacking that whole scene – he now feels ready and able to help other people find ways to market that feel wonderful.

• Marketing for Hippies! runs on Wednesday 5th October 2011 at Dacrelands Centre for Health, Aldrens Lane, Lancaster LA1 2DU (but if it gets oversubscribed, it may move). Pay what you can/pay what it's worth to you/ from Free to £20.00. The morning session has sold out and there will be an additional afternoon session in the same venue, 2-4 p.m.

• Reserve your place: contact Dawn Keyse dawnkeyseATgmail.com or phone 07515 426670