Show, don't tell...

On flicking through the Economist "World in 2008", I come across no less than 9 adverts on a 'climate change' theme, and I wonder if I'm the only person who's now heard enough about the issue to treat them with a deep scepticism. Much like the January bombarment of 'Build Your Own Taj Mahal/Orient Express/life-size Eiffel Tower in 3 million parts" magazines, the sudden flood of such adverts seems predictable, boring and pretty lacking in credibility.

That's not to say above-the-line is necessarily ineffective. A couple of pieces in particular struck me. One: Chevron's 'letter style' advert, in which the brand proposition ('human energy') is clearly outlined in an aspirational and emotive style:

"Join us in tapping the most powerful source of energy in the world. Ourselves."

Shell and Zurich also scored brownie points with their attention-grabbing pieces. Shell's white page ("The blank page, still the most challenging environment there is.), followed by Zurich's 'spot the difference' style spread ("What if you can't find the 32 hidden risks in this picture?").

The moral of the tale? Environmental promises alone don't make a particularly compelling ad. Agencies need to consider the credibility which can be gained by incorporating such messages into the brand proposition of their clients and advertising them as such, rather than leaving environmental sentiments as a topical, product-specific add-on. Equally, an environmental promise alone won't make an advert interesting. Customers want to belive that this is more than just a company fad.

No-one likes it when their magazine goes out of print half way through the Orient-express's undercarriage...