I hope most of you have heard about Greta Thunberg – she is a 16 year old environmental activist and famous for her speech at United nations. She did a school strike for the climate (“Skolstrejk för Klimatet”). She has received immense support specially from the teenagers who identify with her due to similar age. The Internet is already abuzz with leadership lessons from Greta. However, i am more concerned with marketing.
Recently, i have written about severe pollution at Delhi. Brands are using this issue either to sell their product or just lend a voice (news jacking). But, the issue to save climate/environment/future generation goes way beyond selling air purifiers.
The whole problem invites a careful scrutiny of overall PR activities which include advocacy marketing and corporate brand building. Global warming has already got its share of some excellent advertising. I think this is the right time to put creativity and passion about the issue into some real work. Firm may follow a typical AIDA (awareness, interest, desire, action) framework. Firms can use fear appeal to ensure that people understand the severity of the issue, similar to single use plastic ban. For air pollution, typical media is creating an image that it is due to burning of parali, which is not a complete truth. Brands can use the education strategy to educate customers about small steps that can save the climate. For example, having small plants inside home which help in purifying air to using car pooling or public transport. There has to be a revolution, where like air bucket challenge, people should come forward and share their good deeds to save the environment.
I believe this is an excellent opportunity for brands to join the cause and do something not only for money but for survival of gen next.
PS: Planting a tree while you ride a cab won’t help much. Or, reducing cracker use by 10%. Like swacch bharat abhiyaan, this requires behavioral change and building a habit to avoid damage to environment – so every time, we should be able to say no to plastic, don’t allow burning of garbage on every corner ….etc..
It’s time to awaken the own Greta Thunberg in each of us.
Also, look at this amazing ad by not-so-popular brand Tata Pravesh about green earth.