Green Partnerships, the New Marketing Normal

Live on Zoom - Wednesday, May 5th at 12:00PM PST

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Corporate Social Responsibility or Green-washing?

More than ever, sustainable and ethical business practices drive most organizations to conform to environmental, social, and governance tenets such as transparency. Millennials are investing in and working for companies that have embraced visible sustainable practices.

Do you know which generation is the largest today? Millennials, or people born between 1981 and 1996, make up the most significant portion of the world population and have different traits than other generational cohorts. Millennials are committed to implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including equality, climate change, peace, justice, poverty, and prosperity. They have unique consumption trends that make SDGs goals more attainable. Their tastes and preferences support creating sustainability and equality for all.

Boxed Water’s unyielding commitment and support for the NFF’s tree-planting program has resulted in the reforestation of thousands of acres of National Forests. A leading NFF corporate partner since 2015, this partnership began before our 50 Million For Our Forests campaign and was critical to its successful launch in 2018. Their unique approach, committing to plant two trees from every social media post with #BetterPlanet, has been a driving force for good. Now, in our seventh year of the partnership, the company’s reforestation investment will reach more than 1,275,000 trees planted on National Forests by the end of 2021.

Join Boxed Water’s CMO, Rob Koenen, and the National Forest Foundation’s Director of Marketing, Colleen Coleman, to discuss how the partnership created a brand-authentic movement with powerful results.

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Featuring

Rob Koenen

CRO / CMO

Boxed Water Is Better

Rob Koenen is the Chief Marketing Officer of Boxed Water Is Better®, the first national company to offer a sustainable alternative to plastic water bottles and aluminum cans. Rob is charged with expanding Boxed Water’s core message that “sustainability matters, now more than ever…and small changes make a big impact”. Boxed Water Is Better® is quickly becoming a model for purpose-driven companies leading with values that extend beyond their category. Before Boxed Water™, Rob has held leadership roles, building and re-contextualizing brands at UGG, Timberland, and Wolverine Worldwide. Rob lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife, Elizabeth, and three children.

Boxed Water™ is the leader in pure, sustainable Water; while not only offering an alternative to bottles, they have led the way in cause-related efforts: from reforestation to beach cleanups. To date, they are responsible for planting 1,000,000 trees in our National Forests based on social posts and their “You Post. We Plant.” program. Boxed Water™ has found a way to use digital, traditional, and partnerships to build a robust community. From leaders in fashion, universities, tourism, and fitness—along with several celebrities, Boxed Water™ has become a connector-brand in the marketplace. Along the way, they have created strong connections with millennial consumers. Boxed Water is proving that sustainability is a meaningful business solution for today’s consumers.

Colleen Coleman

Director of Marketing & Communications National Forest Foundation

Colleen Coleman joined the NFF in February 2019, pivoting to a career focused on sustainability, impact, and engagement. She provides strategic and practical leadership on corporate social responsibility, marketing initiatives, and cause-related marketing programs to strengthen the NFF brand with the public, donors, funders, partners, media, and others and build awareness broadly about the National Forest System. Previously at REI, she led the national “Opt Outside” campaign, where her work as a campaign integrator resulted in more than 1.4 million people getting outside on Black Friday. Colleen’s experience includes B2B/B2C marketing, strategic planning, go-to-market strategy, product launch, key partnership management, process optimization, fundraising, meaningful communication, and team leadership. She has an extensive understanding of retail and product marketing and has worked in the outdoor industry for more than seventeen years. When she’s not in the office, she enjoys trail running, skiing, stand-up paddling, and adventure travel. She lives in the Greater Seattle area with her husband Alex and dog Arrow.

Working on behalf of the American public, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) leads forest conservation efforts and promotes responsible recreation. They believe these lands, and all they provide, are vital to the health of our communities. The NFF, chartered by Congress, engages Americans in community-based and national programs that promote the health and public enjoyment of our National Forest System and administers private gifts of funds and land to benefit the National Forests. We exist to improve and restore the health of our National Forests while inspiring millions of Americans each year to experience and protect these lands through natural climate solutions.

Moderated By

Sarah Ward

Executive Producer

The Frame Theory

Sarah Nix Ward is a founding partner and executive producer at The Frame Theory, a creative production studio that specializes in branded, commercial and original content that explores the human experience.

Drawn to the study of Art History in college, Sarah fell in love with the story behind images and how the curation of images can affect feeling & action.

At The Frame Theory she takes an active role as a creative producer, especially within story finding and story producing.

Sarah has produced work for brands such as US Bank, KEEN and AT&T. The Frame Theory has gained recognition from awards such as Emmy, ADDY and TELLY.

She has served as chapter president of the American Advertising Federation as well as a founding board member of the non profit, Random Acts of Flowers. In her off hours, she enjoys time with her husband, director Brandon Ward, 2 crazy boys and yellow lab, especially at the lake or in the woods.