Advertising and brands must challenge inaction on climate change: Opinion

Stories are the engine that power the world. And what has become painfully clear is that we are missing a new story. The story of how we overcame the problem of climate change. To put it another way, the problem of climate change is no longer a problem of science. The science is settled. The scientists have done as much as they could to warn us. Climate change is now a failure of storytelling. And therefore what is needed in this moment is for the storytellers to get involved on an unprecedented level—storytellers in the form of advertising agencies and the brands they serve. This failure of positive storytelling has led to what is called “The Hope Gap,’’ in which the media pumps out depressing images of the effects of climate change, leading people to feel anxious and terrified but paralyzed and powerless to do anything about it. It’s led to a phenomenon known as “climate despair.’’ It’s even led to a decline in people having children, so worried are they about bringing a new life into this chaotic, turbulent world. In our 2016 book “Good is the New Cool: Market Like You Give A Damn,’’ we issued a stark warning to business: “If you don’t help fix the problem of income inequality, there won’t be anybody left to afford your products. If you don’t help fix the problem of climate change, there’s not going to be anybody left to buy them.’’ As Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard said, “You can’t do business on a dead planet.’’ Today, we issue not a warning but an invitation to brands and their advertising agencies to step up and help fill the story gap—and in doing so, to help fill the Hope Gap for humanity. Together, the collective creative firepower you bring to bear is immense. You have shaped culture and society for decades. Witness how advertising got the American economy humming after World War II; how it changed attitudes towards drunk driving or helped create new tolerance towards the LGBTQ+ community—as with Absolut since the 80s and, more recently, Oreo. It’s time to use this firepower in service of future generations who need us to take urgent action to avoid a climate apocalypse. Advertising has the power Advertising during COVID has created incredibly powerful stories of hope and optimism recently, whether it’s Squarespace’s uplifting work around entrepreneurship, Coca-Cola’s tribute to our collective spirit or Cadbury’s work reminding us to stay human and connected even after the lockdown is over. We are missing stories of hope and positivity that challenge the paralysis and inaction on climate change, that show how companies are making massive bets to help solve the issue, such as Apple going carbon neutral by 2030, that spur other companies into action. We are missing stories of change and innovation happening that show humanity is shifting its behavior—whether through changing to fossil fuel-free transportation or plant-based diets. Perhaps there is the opportunity to tell a new story. One where we have not only solved the climate crisis due to our technological prowess and sheer human determination, but one where we usher in a new era of human flourishing? If this sounds preposterous, ask yourself why. Those who tell the stories can change the world. A new story about humanity We need the advertising agencies of the world, the creative directors and the copywriters, the planners and the strategists, to rise to a new challenge: telling humanity a new story about itself, one powerful enough to propel us into a new world. We need the media agencies of the world to challenge the news corporations of the world, which are funded by their advertising dollars, to imbue their reporting not with endless doom and conflict, but with constant stories of advice and innovation and encouragement as to how we can—and are—taking collective action. And we need "storydoing," not just storytelling. We need agencies and companies to create new products and services, new regenerative and circular models, new approaches to doing business that re-boot capitalism in service of solving the problems of the world, not creating new ones. Where is the American Express Small Business Saturday equivalent for climate change? We need a storytelling mobilization of the likes the world has never seen—a Manhattan Project of hope. We need a story equivalent of the Kennedy space challenge to create a Moonshot of an idea. Only it’s an Earthshot: a last-chance, no-holds-barred effort to help us see that this fragile planet that we live in is the only rocket ship we really need to survive—and what we must do to save it and ourselves.

Advertising and brands must challenge inaction on climate change: Opinion

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