Welcome to HY-brid, Hoffman York’s new division dedicated to helping our clients launch their environmental and sustainability messaging. As an agency, we have been working with clients in the energy efficiency and sustainability marketing realm for nearly 10 years, but the concept of HY-brid started (in name at least) a few years back as we were helping some of our customers understand a few things about what they were doing as it pertained to “green” efforts in their offices and facilities.

What came of the work we did with those clients is what this website is all about. 


HY-bridgreen.com is an open means of communication, an information exchange about what we are doing to help our customers figure out what they are doing that is green, what they could be doing and ultimately how to communicate that to all levels of their end customers. It is also a way for you to tell us what you are doing that is green, what you would like to do and ultimately, a way to figure out if we need to work together to help you communicate your green message to your end customers.

That’s what we’re here for really — to guide our clients through the state of green and how it affects their business. Speaking of the state of green, I recently attended the State of Green Business Conference in San Francisco (Feb. 2, 2009). I heard a lot about what companies are doing to be green, a lot too was discussed about the way businesses would be working hard in 2009 to better their environmental impact (carbon footprint). One glaring miss though, from all that was discussed, was how these businesses were going to share what they had been doing or planned to do with the end customer. How you communicate what you are doing to better the environment—global and local, both in product and in process is an essential part of any marketing communications effort. At this point, even in this economy, it has to be.

To find out more about HY-brid, navigate the space you are in right now. See how we can help you figure out what your state of green is. We hope to work with you soon, and we hope to see you back here often. Have a question or comment? I encourage you to let us know what you think.

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According to Merriam-Webster Online, a hybrid can be a variety of things, including “a person whose background is a blend of two diverse cultures or traditions,” or “something (…a vehicle…) that has two different types of components performing essentially the same function.”

“hybrid.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. Merriam-Webster Online. 24 February 2009
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hybrid>

Based on that definition, what is HY-brid? 

It’s Hoffman York’s (HY) more than 75 years of traditional advertising experience blended with its growing, in-house expertise in green marketing and messaging. 

What does this mean for our clients? 

HY offers an extensive range of services, from public relations to media placement to research, in addition to a team of people—HY-brid—who understand the delicate and evolving nature of green messaging. 

What does this mean for Hoffman York? 

It’s a really exciting time. For years, we’ve been helping clients promote their environmental efforts. However, what we recently realized is that green isn’t a standard knowledge set at many other agencies. 

Ah-ha moment: Our green expertise is a unique strength. 

Now known as HY-brid, this green expertise is the foundation for a new category of services being offered to clients. Since we began communicating this expertise, the level of interest has been eye opening. Suddenly, our knowledge of green is a competitive advantage. 

Basically, we’ve done for our agency what we’re promising to help prospective clients do: Recognize the ways your organization is already green. Learn how to be greener. Communicate your honest, green efforts/strengths to internal and external audiences. Turn your environmental awareness into a competitive advantage. 

I guess you could say Hoffman York (HY) was the first, full-fledged HY-brid client.

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I recently attended the 2009 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas. Although attendance was down, green messaging for exhibitors was up.

Building products manufacturers are beginning to realize the importance of communicating their commitment to the environment, whether it is what they are doing now, or what they plan to do in the future. Communicating environmental responsibility is becoming as important as communicating products and services.

Overall, demand is being driven from consumers becoming more aware of everything they are buying to the materials they are putting in their home to the cleaning products they are using.

In looking at and assessing all of the environmental messages at the show, I realized that green products can’t come from companies that have “un-green” processes. I think it is important to help educate consumers on this clear distinction and that sometimes what a company does to manufacture the product can be more important than the end product itself.

Even though there is much pessimism about the economic environment, it was great to see the growing consideration in the building industry taking a more environmental approach to business.

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