Did you catch the commercial that Audi aired during the Superbowl? 
At $2.5 million an ad Audi is hoping to generate a whole lot of discussion and based on what I am reading it seems that they have been successful in doing so. Check out the teaser commercial introducing the Green Police. The campaign is both a satire of the pressure we feel to go green and yet flaunts their new environmentally friendly car, confusing message.
My thoughts are broken into two camps:
1. Audi did a stellar job capturing what many Americans must be feeling – the pressure of doing the right thing and the often cumbersome responsibility to do our part. They parleyed the negativity into the ultimate positive – having your cake and eating it too when you buy their car. Kudos to Audi and their advertising team on the creativity.
2. Is Green so ‘in-your-face’ that most people just want some space? Do most people feel hampered by having to recycle? Is there a fear that Big Brother will soon enforce proper disposable of batteries?
3. How many products are jumping on the Green bandwagon?I immediately think of the “We are Green” labels I saw at Banana Republic labels a few months ago. Those labels mean that the article of clothing consists of 5% organic cotton. Have we gone totally Green crazy that a measly 5% of the preferred cotton is enough to advertise a sweater as “eco-friendly”?
How do we get this movement under control?
SUBSCRIBE
February 9th, 2010 at 5:14 am
In my opinion, to get it under control, I have two opposing thoughts.
1. We need a consensus on what is green and natural, and some governing body (unfortunately) to enforce it. The NPA may be on the right track, but they don’t have the power to force companies to change without incentive.
OR
2. Consumer pressure will dictate the types of products in our stores based on the demand for what consumers want. The problem with this, as I am finding out, is twofold: higher prices and confusion over if it is worth it (due to label/natural/green confusion).
I like option #2 myself and that is where I am now – sorting through labels and ingredients and making smarter choices at the point of sale. I spend alot of time on Abe’s website due to the ingredient list postings and all the wonderful products I didn’t know were available! The only thing that would make this site better is more education on ingredients and going green. It’s really a long, difficult process for those of us that are knee deep in non-natural.
February 11th, 2010 at 10:01 am
There is a wonderful web site by the Environmental Working Group, where you can check product ingredients (food and personal care) by both their chemical and popular names. The info provided includes hazard levels (from 0-10), studies performed, and common products containing the particular ingredient of your inquiry.
The site stays in operation through public donations, so if you use it often, you might want to consider supporting them. It’s a great resource and a good way to stay informed: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com