Learn to create persona frameworks that clarify motivations and opportunities for engagement, and how to translate into effective outreach.
Melanie Adamson's presentation will explore how effective marketing and communications start with a deep understanding of your audience. Mel will walk through the full journey—from defining what marketing truly is, to building a strategic marketing plan grounded in research and audience insight.
Participants will learn how to create persona frameworks that clarify motivations, barriers, and opportunities for engagement, and how to translate those insights into meaningful outreach strategies. Whether targeting consumers, communities, or partners, the session equips teams to communicate with clarity, authenticity, and measurable impact.
Key Takeaways
Clarity on what marketing really is — understanding it as a strategic, audience-driven function rather than just promotion or outreach.
An understanding of the Brand to Scale™ philosophy—how authentic, insight-driven storytelling accelerates growth and impact.
A framework for building an effective marketing plan that aligns brand strategy, goals, and measurable outcomes.
Tools to conduct meaningful audience research and translate findings into actionable insights.
How to create audience personas and frameworks that go beyond demographics to capture motivations, values, and barriers to engagement.
Value of community and consumer outreach that build trust, inclusion, and long-term connection.
After Melanie Adamson talk, Mel and Tom Jensen, founder of EFN, will have a fireside chat to talk about challenges that clean and climate tech startups and scaling companies face in this moment in time and how effective marketing and communications is critical to keep up their momentum.
Examples will be used to illustrate concepts and topics. There will be plenty of time for questions.
Melanie Adamson is the CEO of Alder & Co., a climate tech and clean energy marketing agency, and founder of Tofu, a climate tech marketing community, and mentor and guest lecturer for various climate tech accelerators and universities.
Mel has worked tirelessly for over twenty years to shape marketing strategies and storytelling for energy and climate tech. She is passionate about making climate technologies universal while ensuring climate justice for all, which drives her leadership, innovation and mentorship. Mel envisions using Alder and Tofu as a platform to extend the climate message, activate complacent norms, and influence a new generation of climate heroes.
Alder & Co. is a leading woman- and minority-owned growth marketing agency focused on energy and climate tech. Tofu is a climate tech marketing community of more than 1,500 subscribers who share marketing insights, jobs, events and opinions. Connect with Mel on LinkedIn.
Thomas Jensen has advised over 100 climate and energy companies on commercialization and fundrasing. These companies have raised over $200M and enjoyed several exits. Tom is the founder of EFN and Formatics, a venture backed circular economy startup. He is the co-creator of Empower Innovation, a leading US online cleantech community with over 5,200 members that is managed by Tom's firm, ICatalysts, Connect with Tom on LinkedIn.
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