Speaker.

Profile:

John is author of The Green Marketing Manifesto (07) Brand Innovation Manifesto (06) as well as several other books.

His background is in brand, innovation, web 2.0 and new marketing - rather than being a career 'environmentalist' - although he has made various efforts over the last two decades to do a little good and not too much harm.

He is a former co-founder and planning director of socially aware ad agency St Luke’s.

John's recent 'bigger' consulting clients include the BBC, Cisco, Forum for the Future, IKEA, innocent, LEGO, Microsoft, O2, Sony Ericsson, The Guardian, Unilever. He has also advised all sorts of smaller social ventures including (they are all great so do check them out): canvassyourmp.com, dothegreenthing.com, horsesmouth.co.uk, onzo.com, schoolofeverything.com, thenag.net, unchainedguide.com.

John is a frequent conference speaker, media commentator, writer, founder of networks (like londonunited.org , and theglasshouse.net/content/greenshootsdec07 ), think tanker and also a prolific blogger at greenormal.blogspot.com When he isnt doing any of this, and when his family (Cosmo aged 5, and Yong) are fast asleep, John is generally to be found in his old fashioned analogue music studio making strange electronic blips and snarls.

What I'm talking about:

Love and Greed

I've been involved in a number of social ventures over the last 20+ years. They are always a mixture of love (social purpose) and greed (capital, investment, equity and personal ambition) I'm putting it this way to make it clear that there is an inbuilt conflict at the heart of every such venture.

New age writer and activist Starhawk described love vs greed as the great conflict of our age, It has played out many different ways in my experience. Sometimes the people involved can put up with it (and each other) and find ways to grow in every sense.

Sometimes - as the poet Raymond Carver said of his first marriage - "surely, we diminish each other". I'd like to draw some general lessons out of these experiences (a list of reflections, even maybe 'rules'). As well as (speaking privately among friends) talk about some examples that went horribly wrong.

If there is an overall point it is make sure you have a really deep, honest and early conversation about this. Dont assume that everyone wants, expects or needs the same things that you do.

Some of the key innovations happening are in ownership, equity, commons, social production, IP & so on (because they address this exact issue, and come at it in new ways)

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