Save Species to Eat Them

The creativity behind social marketing can be alarming. A recent television ad depicted water disappearing into a storm drain as a voice warned that lawn fertilizer in the spring can wind up in the Chesapeake Bay. "No crab should die like this," the announcer opines. Later, the announcer appears on screen with a small tub in hand, exclaiming "they should perish in some hot, tasty melted butter!" This promotion by the Chesapeake Bay Program, a subsidiary of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, promotes the Maryland region's seafood as a reason to protect the bay. One ad proclaimed: "The lunch you save may be your own." The designer of the ads explained that he intended to reach people who had not been reached in twenty years of traditional environmentalism. As s creative people enter the social marketing arena, humor will be evident in the ads that break through to register awareness, change behavior, and stimulate action on behalf of the cause.

Newt Gingrich, Terry Maple, A contract with the Earth (2007-09-24)

• communication
• conservation
• environmentalism