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Earth Day campaigns are hard to pull off. Number one, there’s the believability factor. Do I think your company actually cares about the planet or are you just taking advantage of eyeballs on a timely story about “how you make the world a better place by allowing telecommuting” even though you produce products that clutter landfills and contaminate the earth? (I’m looking at you Dell circa 2015).
Number two, there’s the “What are you actually doing about it” factor. OK, Foursquare (is that still a thing?? Google says yes, cultural zeitgeist says no; but let’s go with it), you want us to get outside and explore? Captain Planet would be oh so proud.
It is my opinion that most companies do just create Earth Day posts (not campaigns) for timely visibility and general good juju, but some really do put their money where their mouth is.
One such company is Ben & Jerry’s “Save Our Swirled” campaign.
- It’s on brand: They’ve always stood for equality and overall do-good-er-ness. From standing against GMOs to fighting for fair trade ingredients, we all know/believe that the planet means something to them.
- Simple calls to action: I mean, the number one call to action is to buy the ice cream (which honestly sounds delicious) and the secondary CTA is to sign a petition. Just a first name, last name and an email address and you too can help to save the world!
- Big time, super cool partner: Is it just me or are you seeing Tesla EVERYWHERE these days? Well here it is again. The Tesla Model S is powering their SOS Tour and will be bringing free ice cream with it. They are also working with AVAAZ – not as cool or as known, but definitely helps in the street cred department.
One major take away here is to go big or go home. If you want to post about Earth Day that’s cool. Heck, that’s socially responsible. But if you really want people to buy that you care about the planet (and in turn buy your products), you have to go all in.