You are the business organizations that help communities tap into their own power to build a more democratic, equitable and sustainable future. We are champions of local economies that are innovative, strong and capable of serving the needs of their communities and of networking with other local economies around the world. Our “preferred clients” are the businesses that operate within these economies and we’d like to introduce you to:

 

So what is Lower True Cost all about? It’s about increasing your sales and increasing the value of your brand in the minds of the 75 million Millennials in the United States, as well as a lot of Boomers.

Lower True Cost Positioning is about increasing sales and increasing the value of your brand in the minds of Millennials… and a lot of Boomers too.

There are uncountable reasons that  customers/citizens buy things, and even more reasons why they choose one product or service over another. We all choose brands that reflect our personal values and for Millennials a central value is sustainability. Millennials also are more promiscuous with their brand choices than previous generations, and more demanding. In their eyes, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is just “table stakes,” and is, in fact, no where near enough to save the planet. In the coming Lower True Cost movement citizens will be considering the true costs of their purchases to themselves, their families and the rest of the world. If you’ve observed how Millennials have followed the Sanders campaign, then you shouldn’t be surprised that for Millennials shopping Lower True Cost parallels that political revolution.

True Cost  definition: Unfortunately, the true cost of business has never paid within our current economic system. True Cost business is done in a way that requires we pay for the TOTAL costs incurred.  In economic terms it means no negative externalities.

A negative externality occurs when an individual or firm making a decision does not have to pay the full cost of the decision. If a good has a negative externality, then the cost to society is greater than the cost consumers pay for it. It is also a negative externality when the consumption or production of a good causes a harmful effect to a third party.

True Cost business also requires business to have completely open value streams (production processes) so that citizens have the information they need to “vote with their pocketbooks.”
 And it requires completely open and true product labeling and truthful advertising.

Lower True Cost Movement definition:  The Lower True Cost movement is communications effort to convince citizens to do a cost to value comparison when they purchase products and services. Although we are far from attaining the goal of True Cost Capitalism, the movement reminds citizens that there is the price and then there is the true cost associated with the act of “buying” — to their own health and well-being, to their democracy, to the working & middle classes and to the planet.  Currently our economic systems focus on lower prices and higher profits, but not on true cost.  The Lower True Cost Movement helps citizens calculate the true cost and persuades them to consider choosing Lower True Cost products and services. Brands that offer lower true cost attributes will have a tremendous advantage with a new generation of customers.

Can your brand be positioned as Lower True Cost “top-of-mind,” or “leader of category?”

Lower True Cost Positioning definition: If your brand possesses Lower True Cost traits (attributes) and they are important to your customers, then communicate it to them!  Positioning is presenting your brand in a category and then communicating attributes, characteristics and emotional traits in order to gain differentiated advantage over your competition. Lower True Cost could be a new category for your brand to occupy, a category where you could dominate, and at the very least, a whole set of attributes that you could use in your marketing communications.

Lower True Cost brand attributes don’t supersede your brand’s primary promise, but they can be integrated into your brand definition and serve as communication points for positioning and communications strategy.

Find out if your brand or business has Lower True Cost traits. Take this audit!

Reasons a business would consider Lower True Cost Positioning?

• It can increase your bottom line.
• It IDs usable marketable differences with your competition.
• It increases your visibility with Millennials and connects you with their personal values (which include sustainability and social and economic justice).
• It most likely matters to your customers now.
• It paints your brand as forward-thinking.

We specialize in Lower True Cost Positioning. Today, customers are starting to “shop” more than price; they are shopping “true value and true cost.” They are making decisions based on whether products and services “cost” society and the environment more than their price. Millennials (and a lot of Boomers) are doing their research and they are purchasing products & services that they perceive to be lower true cost, even if they must pay a premium. When doing their research they appreciate full & true labeling, visibility into the brand’s value stream (production process) and any lower true cost information – like third party endorsements – that a brand can provide. That’s where Lower True Cost Positioning come in.

Lower True Cost Positioning allows you to communicate your brand’s value with a new generation (and a lot of Boomers too) who shop with sustainability, climate change, democracy and social justice in mind.

If your brand possesses Lower True Cost traits (attributes) and they are important to your customers, then communicate it to them!

How we help you “Shout It Out!” We create communications content — internal and external, inbound and outbound — that builds brands by inspiring employees and engaging customers. Content that gets people talking by breaking through the media clutter with unique creative. Content that keeps the conversation going with targeted, distilled and lean communications. Renga means smart conversations. Connecting in the marketplace now means creating real conversations that inform and inspire. People have never been more connected and content from renga helps you talk and listen to your audiences in creative, streamlined ways.

We help you communicate with the right audience at the right time in the right place with the right message and we get you RESULTS.

How do we get you results?

• Our Lower True Cost and Creative Processes.
• Our focus on Breakthrough Creative.
• Our Passion.
• Our Team.
• Our Services & Experience.

Whether we work with them or not, we’re rooting for ANY Lower True Cost business to win the battle within its product category.

renga communications is also involved in the Shopulist movement which exists to inform and persuade citizens to shop with Lower True Cost principles in mind. It’s a media opportunity for Lower True Cost businesses.

Can marketing communications have a “higher purpose?” Perhaps. We believe audiences want something beyond hip design and clever copy. They expect — from the brand and its communications — something believable, and more important, something to believe in. We all do. And when we believe, we join up, we buy it, and we buy into. Our job at renga communications  is to help brands discover higher purpose, and then to help communicate the value they offer. We tell stories through the content we create. It’s always uniquely targeted and it breaks through the clutter.

Renga is classical Japanese linked verse requiring subtle, strategic connections. It’s conversation at its most targeted and distilled and it’s fun at parties. A renga consists of at least two ku or stanzas. The opening stanza of the renga, called the hokku, became the basis for the modern haiku form of poetry. How to renga!