One of the keys to effective marketing today is a great hook and at Fall Market in Highpoint, there were some great ones! The first I saw was featured by Ellen Gefen of thehome.com when she shared what custom upholstery manufacturer C.R. Laine has done to support the honey bees. In case you've no clue what I'm talking about, let me share a short snippet from their recent press release.

"The number of managed honey bee colonies has dropped from 5.9 million in the 1940's to 4.3 million in 1985 to only 2.5 million today.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the name given to the alarming die-off of honey bee colonies across the country, was first reported in the Fall of 2006. Since then beekeepers around the US have reported the death of hundreds of thousands of bees without cause. Otherwise strong colonies are being devastated with the loss of their entire workforce in a matter of a few weeks or even a few days. Should this trend continue, honey bees could cease to exist in the US by 2035 forever changing our circle of life.

Not only are honey bees the only insect that produces food for humans, the honey bee pollination is responsible for more than $15 billion in value to about 130 crops, particularly specialty crops like berries, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. One mouthful in three of our diet directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination."

This is incredibly sad and will have a profound impact on our diet in years to come. And with so many news stories hitting us every day it is easy to forget this one, or at least let it get buried by many others. C. R. Laine is out to make sure that doesn't happen by keeping the honey bees at the forefront of home decorating and design in a well thought out campaign of awareness and beautiful design.

By tying one of their top trends to a cause, they create a unique buzz (yes, pun intended!) And they developed a truly memorable promotion that can be leveraged by their retailers nationwide. Take a look at some of the original designs they feature from honeycomb fabric patterns to graphic bee images on pillows, from displays including familiar bee hive, honey bee, and honey products to tree branches fashioned with wire and fabric crafted bees.

This is fun, interesting, and supports our environment and the creatures in it. In October 2008, C.R. Laine became the first company to achieve Sustainable by Design certification from the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA).

For FAQs about CCD, visit: www.ars.usda.gov/is/br/ccd.