When Andrea Sreshta and Anna Stork were challenged to come up with a product to help the Haitians immediately following the earthquake, a light bulb went off.
Food, water, and shelter were the obvious areas that help was needed. But what about light? How could they come up with a way to produce a low-cost light producing invention that could give hope to the victims from the earthquake?
They created an inflatable solar-powered lantern during their time as graduate students in architecture at Columbia. This light weight, flat square that contains an LED solar rechargeable battery. It is inflatable and has a high and low setting. A ten-hour charge can provide fifty hours of light. Their company, LuminAID is truly enlightening and inspiring.
Being in the dark is a problem that much of the world faces. How could their invention bring light and hope to a population struggling for twelve hours a day, to find their way? You can’t read and learn in the dark or even feel safe from the outside world.
The two have successfully raised funds from Mark Cuban from Shark Tank and From Tom’s Foundation. They too give away a lantern to someone in need for each one purchased.
Marketing into the Light
By being able to imprint on the inflatable, plastic square, they have opened big markets for giving the LuminAID as a premium. They sell through camping stores and online. They partner with NGO’s like Doctors without Border and use the give light/get light program.
- They started their business by solving a specific problem
- They have wrapped their story around the product and it’s a story everyone wants to share
- Their give a light/get a light program like Tom’s is a wonderful way to share not just the story but the product with those in need
- Selling one product concept to multiple market segments gives them multiple revenue paths for growth
Check out this video to learn more and get enlightened.
Could you use a spark to turn on your creative marketing lights? Text me at 919 720 0995 and let’s talk.
Image credit: LuminAID | Facebook
