Recently, there is an increasing focus on advertising to advocate greener living. Some of these campaigns are created by agencies for organisations like Greenpeace and the WWF; others for governments and NGOs; and then there are the ads for corporates highlighting their efforts to go green.
This is really refreshing, and gives an industry often associated with ‘manipulation’ and the ‘evils’ of commercialism a better reputation. Using the very same techniques used to get us to buy what we don’t necessarily need – these adverts play on people’s emotions and conscience to get them to consider the environment.
In November last year, Draftfcb launched its social marketing division, with the goal to aggressively drive behaviour change campaigns, working with clients, partners, stakeholders, business, government and the broader community to change lives and to shape and preserve a better life for all in South Africa. Social Marketing applies commercial and innovative marketing technologies in behaviour-change programmes with the aim of influencing the voluntary behaviour of target audiences for the greater good of the individual and society. Although not solely focused on the environment, but rather social good in general, this is important and interesting in that typically, the messages conveyed in these sort of campaigns are in conflict with the majority of advertising messages – spend more; consume more; spontaneous action versus considered action etc.
Here are some ads by prominent agencies that have recently caught my eye.
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Copenhagen, Denmark
www.ibelieveinadv.com/2007/10/wwf-paper-dispenser/
Water conservation ads from Denver Water…inventorspot.com/articles/green_inventive_marketing_6092
Winner: Best Press 2007 Green Awards in the UK, Sustrans
