I had a great call this morning with a client with whom I’ve always enjoyed working. We talked for a long while about the large number of consulting, marketing, and research-focused firms that are able and willing to provide services without deep knowledge of client markets. Many of these firms are still maturing or don’t have the internal resources to understand the needs of particular clients—while others believe that they can learn about their clients’ needs through Google and a few phone calls.

I advised her, as I have many clients of late, that deep and rich knowledge gained over many years and with much experience will win the day. The bells and whistles of Facebook and Twitter, albeit often sonorous and lovely to behold, are mostly treats for those who want to behold the latest thing. Despite instant search and the lazy Web, I believe that a consulting firm that offers considered, thoughtful and knowledge-based ideas and advice—whether creative, quantitative, or qualitative—will drive better results to their clients.

In a highly connected yet fragmented world, strong and long-lasting communications really requires depth of experience, a history of success stories, and a repository of old and new ideas. I say this as someone who has seen the likes of AOL, Flash, and Friendster take off then fizzle, flail, fail—but good design and execution consistently sail.

We’ve been privileged to work with Natel Energy, a company developing new (and fish-friendly) technologies for generating electricity across water drops. The company built a reputation for commercial innovation, challenging the perception that hydropower products must be large and energy consuming in order to be valuable. With its products distributed widely across many agricultural and other localities, Natel’s products have the capacity to offer truly low-cost and emission-free energy to the grid throughout the world.

Their website describes their compelling vision:

The design [of the SLH system] originated from a desire to create technology that would work efficiently and at low cost in large flow, low head settings. The natural analogue used in the design process is the beaver dam. By creating hydropower efficiently from dams that are the height of beaver dams, we add a novel tool to the hydropower developer’s toolbox—and the ability to truly think big picture about managing water resources. Our vision is to enable efficient, cost-effective utilization of water to produce energy, while maintaining conditions that sustain or improve water resources for ecosystems, for human consumption, for agriculture and for recreation.

In fact, U.S. Department of Energy awarded Natel a $1 million dollar grant to validate the performance of its SLH product in Oregon in September 2011.

In January 2012, we completed an upgrade of the Natel site, making it more interactive and engaging. We added a project calculator to allow prospective customers to see how much power could be generated from a specific site. The tool provides instant feedback to customers and provide initial lead capture to the company. We also added a photography gallery to illustrate how a particular project, the Buckeye South Extension Canal works. The images tell the story beautifully.

Manoverboard wishes Natel and its fantastic team many future successes.

Although I’m very saddened by the death of Václav Havel, it’s nevertheless inspiring to hear his words repeated over the past few weeks.

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald today finishes with this:

Before the eastern bloc collapsed, few people imagined it would happen. But history can be surprising. In 2012 Australians have a choice. We can use our wealth wisely, reduce carbon emissions, make an imaginative effort to stand in the shoes of an asylum seeker, set a wholesome example for our children.

We will be resting our minds (well, for the most part) until January 6, 2012. Wishing you and yours a very, very happy, hopeful and prosperous 2012.

Starbucks along with its partner, Opportunity Finance Network, recently launched a campaign to help create jobs in the U.S. Entitled Create Jobs for USA, the goal is to create new financing for local businesses to help create and sustain jobs. It’s an innovative framework that deserves consideration. Starbucks is donating $5 million to OFN, which will in turn provide low cost loans to small businesses in underserved communities.

Some critics have charged Starbucks, with its deep connections to many American neighborhoods, could be providing more funding. While $5 million is, indeed, a drop in the bucket for a company with Starbucks’ vast leverage, I would assume the company is testing the model and would provide new seed financing if some successes are demonstrated. Triple Pundit’s Raz Godelnik writes in How Starbucks’ Jobs Campaign Missed the Point that there the larger strategic misalignment between the company and local businesses.

Starbucks could do it here by collaborating with local businesses and encouraging customers to buy local goods, announcing the addition of a local purchasing minimum goal, and so on. Instead, it chose a program that at best is an add-on, but does not create a real sustainable value.

I agree. If Starbucks seeks to fund strong ties between the company’s stores and franchises and local businesses throughout the country, CEO Schultz might encourage their stores to develop partnership opportunities, co-branding, or other tools to help small businesses. What would happen if each store was provided with a small grant to hire local businesses to provide milk products, in-store signage, or even cleaning services? What if Starbucks decided to create an initiative called “Starbucks Creates Local” in which small, home-based businesses were brought in to learn about the company’s marketing strategies and to provide small advertising and promotion campaigns for their products in-store? Moreover, what if those businesses got free promotion on local Starbucks’ websites for six months to power those campaigns.

These local and highly-focused practices would leverage the ideas and knowledge of local Starbucks workers, promote deeper ties with the community, and even maybe create sustainable small businesses.

What does any of this have to do with The Muppets? In the recent movie, our fuzzy friends, like many in North America, have fallen on hard times. Each of the characters have essentially given up hope that their dreams will ever come true. Kermit is living a secluded life while Fozzy Bear has become a sad lounge singer rehashing old tunes in Reno. In order to rebuild their show and save the old, dilapidated theater from a rapacious oil baron, the group attempts to raise $10 million. But the Muppets struggle with getting funding, despite their past successes.

I saw the film with my daughter this weekend and it was entertaining and joyful. It also struck me that the furry friends indeed needed a shot of capital—but would have also benefitted from a warm dose of advice and a platform promotion.