With the financial and business worlds being turned on their heads in the US in the past 12 months, small companies are now picking up speed and familiar giants are tumbling.
One industry which has been poised to grow rapidly over the coming years, however, has been the renewable energy
sector.
And it is this reason that Green Alternatives has gained recognition in the online media this week for its own business plan likely to ensure that the company is one of the leaders in the green revolution.
Green Alternatives is a business situated in Kokomo, Indiana, which manufactures compartments for wind turbines.
Founding partner Chris Rohaly spoke to CNN Money
about his new venture: "The next wave of renewable energy has a lot of parallels with what we've been working on in auto electronics for a long time.
"It's not a big stretch from a technological standpoint."
From a future-standpoint, however, the renewable energy sector could not be further from the doom-laden automotive industry.
The media is interested in renewable energy stories for a number of factors but primarily because investing in individual energy generation technologies can save businesses money in the long run, and saving money is a particularly hot topic at present.
Sustainability and ethical sourcing are also factors becoming increasingly important to consumers, and businesses proving their own green credentials can often charge a premium for their goods and services.
Bloggers begin branch out
The power of online marketing has proven itself once again as fashion blogger Rumi Neely recently begun work at surf and skate clothing company RVCA, a CNN Money report states.
Originally studying political science, Ms Neely began a fashion blog
named fashiontoast.com, in which she uploaded photos of what she was wearing each day.
The blog became a great success, with 35,000 hits logged daily, and photos earning hundreds of comments.
Eventually, as industry leaders began to pick up her blog larger companies were able to co-operate with Ms Neely, inviting her to fashion shows in Paris and New York.
Such interaction between existing companies and new media is an issue of focus for the mainstream press at present, and small businesses with an innovative online presence should also be able to make the most of the chance to tie their interests in with larger companies.
The aim of this kind of co-operation would be joint promotion, as in the case of Ms Neely's fashiontoast.com blog, American Apparel would benefit from promotion in the form of a mention in the blog and Ms Neely would benefit by gaining validation as a writer.
© Adfero Ltd
