We are all going to die.

Friends, I fear death.  I’m not going to dance around it, ok?  If I was given the choice between dying at some point and living forever, I’d most likely choose the latter.  Granted, most of that choice is motivated by my desire to see the Chicago Cubs win the World Series, and I’m expecting that to happen around 2137 (mark your calendars!).  With that in mind, I made the crucial error of watching this video a few days ago:

This was a colossal mistake, but it did intrigue me on how companies are responding to one of the most discussed and worrisome possible ways we might all die: Global Warming.  My search on how marketers are approaching this angle led me to the image below.

c/o http://www.allbusiness.com/wild-crazy-marketing-ideas/15677076-7.html

This image was part of a marketing campaign by Canadian organization, Offsetters, to demonstrate how global warming would lead to the flooding of coastal cities like Vancouver, where the campaign originated (Kiley, 2014).  In addition to the life rafts hanging from buildings, Offsetters placed lifeguard towers in parks, and placed life vests, along with operating instructions, under park benches.  This was a cheap, eye-catching campaign to raise awareness on how global warming will directly impact coastal residents.

With this image in mind, I wondered whether corporations were doing anything to stem the tide (pun…sorry) and roll back the damage we’ve done to the planet. Already public sentiment has fallen in line with the belief that global warming is a reality – research shows that 74% of Americans believe global warming is affecting the climate in our country, and 54% believe humans are the primary cause (Aarons-Mele, 2012). The same research also shows that corporations should begin leading the charge to reduce carbon emissions and footprints, and, fortunately, it seems that corporations are getting the message. Accoring to Aarons-Mele, clean energy is becoming the standard for many large corporations, including AT&T and General Motors (2012).

Even more encouraging, though in a slightly weird way, is that corporations are beginning to see that demonstrating environmental responsibility is good for business and their brand. This stems from companies realizing that global warming is directly impacting their ability to produce cost-effective products, and that companies must scramble for market share within the environmentally-friendly segments of their industry (Ritholtz, 2014). So, let’s just think about that for a moment…

Companies are realizing that becoming environmentally responsible is good business. Sure, they may not be trimming down on emissions for the “right” reason, but at least they’re doing something. Hopefully, the trend continues, but, in the meantime, I am going to go buy a lifejacket.

References:

Aarons-Mele, M. (2012, December 12). What can marketers do about climate change? HBR Blog Network. Retrieved from: http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/12/what-can-marketers-do-about-cl/

Kiley, D. (2014). 10 wild and crazy marketing ideas that worked. All Business. Retrieved from: http://www.allbusiness.com/wild-crazy-marketing-ideas/15677076-1.html

Ritholtz, B. (2014, January 27). Global warming battle is over market share, not science. Bloomberg View. Retrieved from: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-01-27/global-warming-battle-is-over-market-share-not-science