Climate Change Advertising – Effective?

“One idea can change the world.” (tumblr.com) What’s the first thing you see in this work of art? The green scheme perhaps? The text and the message? It’s clearly promoting the awareness of global warming and the green colour scheme incredibly supports the concept. But when we think outside the box, isn’t it ironic that somebody would be promoting climate change awareness through using aerosol spray cans (spray cans are aerosol, contribute to the metaphorical ‘blanket’ that is enhancing the effect of global warming and climate change)? Though it is evidently a piece of artwork and it obviously communicates an artist’s intention, it’s debatable to whether this method of promotion/advertising is effective or ideal. What was your initial response?

Of course, many expect more intellectual posts on this blog about subtopics relating to climate change; and yeah, probably many of us are going to use statistics to suffocate us, telling us about how bad global warming is; but I want to talk about something different – it’s Art.

We live in a world of constantly evolving art; from Greek Art to periods such as Neoclassicism, from Romanticism to Pop Art and culture, the products and outcomes are infinite. I was browsing a couple of blogs one day and something struck me: it was a light switch sticker promoting the prevention of intensive climate change. Essentially, the sticker is an add-on to an already existing light switch, with creative designs to promote the awareness of climate change.

I think that the sticker speaks for itself and is self-explanatory – turning on the light switch leads to electricity use, leading to factories burning more fossil fuels, and in turn more carbon dioxide emissions and the enhanced global warming and climate change. The purpose of the sticker would be always remind the user of climate change every time he/she uses electricity, also allowing the user to have second thoughts about the necessity of turning it on. Here’s a link [www.hu2.com] to more stickers if you want to check them out, I must say they’re pretty cool and they’re for sale as well! There are many designs (10-15+) in total and all of them are well designed. Another one is attached below; the hamster is running to supply you with electricity!

Advertising is everywhere. Adverts are constantly shoved in your face when flyers are given, when they’re on big billboards, and they’re what make us purchase their product, which in turn makes the world function as it is.  It’s just as important as the others because it revolves around us, just like business, economics and the life sciences driving the world. It seems that people need to be reminded of concepts and products, which leads to the subject of advertising as well. I found a website with a blog post that is named “The most creative climate change ads you’ll see”. In all honesty, all of them are quite effective, and also reminded me to be eco-friendly as well. Some of the more striking ones are posted just below:

“I’m sorry. We could have stopped catastrophic climate change… we didn’t.” (creativebits.org) This ad works with a more universal approach, where it looks into the future and foreshadows (to the target market) the effects of global climate change. The aim of this advertisement is to make people become more aware of the future and the potential dangers it may have on us, reminding us of the importance of our planet.

“You can’t afford to be slow in an emergency. Act now for the planet.” – WWF. (creativebits.org). This advertisement works in a way where it targets you and refers to your actions contributing to the world. In “Psychological Science” by Michael Gazzaniga (Gazzaniga et al, 2007), an article is written and is titled “Culture and Advertising” (pg. 695-696). The article highlights the differences between East Asian advertising and advertising in America, where it reads:

North American ads frequently emphasize independence, personal benefits, personal goals and freedom… North American ads were more likely to provide information cues and logical arguments.

This quote reinforces the two previous ads, regarding “logical arguments” because of the thinking process involved in interpreting the ad correctly as intended, and emphasizing “independence” in figuring out that “you can’t afford to be slow in an emergency” is advising you as an individual to act and to take initiative in protecting the planet.

This is probably one of my favourite advertisements from some related sites:

“World’s drinkable water supplies are running out. Stop global warming.” (graphicdesignjunction.com)
Of course, advertising still has its good and bad, and people certainly have different opinions about it. For example, a user from the site (creativebits.org) commented on the blog post, saying:

I’m so over the whole “shame on you” approach most of these organizations are using. Instead of saying “you’re destroying the planet!!” how about providing the public with positive messages on how they can do better for the world? Images of people using reusable bags, using mass transit instead of their own cars, buying local produce and products, planting gardens and trees, helping in animal shelters – hype up the positive actions you wish the world to take instead of bombarding them with doom and gloom.

Perhaps the user has a point, saying that the cliché of the “shame on you” approach has had its time already and maybe must move on to promote the awareness of climate change through a more positive note. Any comments?

BBC posted an article that was titled “Climate change ‘exaggerated’ in government adverts“, it talked about a video that exaggerated the effects of climate change (“Please help stop climate change, Act on CO2” Television Advertisement – YouTube). Aside from this, the article also mentioned that two posters were put next to each other, with one saying “Rub a dub, three men in a tub, a necessary course of action due to flash flooding caused by climate change”, and the other with “Jack and Jill could not fetch a pail of water because extreme weather due to climate change had caused a drought”. Advertising clearly works by common connections with the content portrayed and hopefully through a common culture and understanding; from the basis of that observation, these statements or play on familiar nursery rhymes should be a shared experience, therefore making it effective. But indeed, from another point of view, there is the counterargument that “the text accompanying the rhymes should have used more tentative language in both instances” as written in the article. The nursery rhymes, although familiar, are modified to become seemingly vague in its intention where there is no concrete evidence or claim of the supposedly drastic effects of the enhanced greenhouse effect as well as climate change. This perhaps reflects back to the ‘style’ of American thinking where logical reasoning and cues are used, and in these three examples (the video and the two posters), are maybe used a little ambiguously.

However, no matter how much time and effort is put in to advertising the awareness, it doesn’t necessarily motivate people to become more eco-friendly. There is always the one person who is still golfing on a course that “sucks away 15,000m³ of water” (graphicdesignjunction.com) in its lifetime, the few factory workers who need to do ‘dirty jobs’ for money to support their family, and the many business people who debate between their personal wealth and the welfare of our planet. Nevertheless, the advertisements shown on creativebits.org (also featured on other websites) are arguably incredibly creative and motivational.

What are your views on this type of art or advertising? Are you thinking “hmm, this is working for me”, or are you agreeing with the user’s comments about how the “shame on your approach” is simply getting old and isn’t working? What do you think about the effectiveness of advertising using logical reasoning? And more importantly, are companies and the government trying hard enough to sell their ideas and push forward the fact that we are currently undergoing intensive climate change?

Here is a master list of the direct links to the website I referenced before, some references, and a list of many other websites with creative eco-related art products!

• http://adsoftheworld.com/media/dm/tbwa_carbon_neutral_challenge_bags?size=_original – Creative reusable bags by TBWA, Philippines.
• http://creativebits.org/inspiration/climate_change_advertising_revisited – The most creative climate change ads you’ll see, by creativebits.org
• http://graphicdesignjunction.com/2010/07/40-most-creative-wwf-global-climate-change-ads/ – 40 most creative WWF global climate change ads.
• http://hypemuch.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/eco-friendly-light-switch-stickers/ – The creative light switch design ideas!
• http://www.hu2.com/store/eco-reminders.html – Light switch eco-friendly stickers and more eco-friendly reminders for sale! By hu2.com
• Gazzaniga, M. (2007). Psychological Science. New York, USA: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8571353.stm – Climate change ‘exaggerates’ government advertisements – BBC article.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD2WTK94c1U – Television advertisement “Please help stop climate change, Act on CO2” – Youtube.