environmental Pro-Active Advertising

The Huffington Post just posted an article about how Coca-Cola put up a 60 ft squared billboard in Manila, Philippines. This would not typically equate to a whole lot, but I find it to be extremely interesting.

I affectionately call this a form of environmental Pro-Active Advertising. The billboard is covered with thousands of Fukien tea plants. These plants are only seedlings now, but will eventually consume the board and process 46,800 pounds of carbon dioxide.

This draws my attention because it is an excellent example of the multitude of ways there are to advertise something. Coca-Cola is the most recent example of doing it conscientiously in a medium that actually helps the environment even if it is in a small way.

So reasonably, similarly to how we all can lower costs and increase our quality of life by turning of lights, saving water, and carpooling, so too can companies set an example by doing quality advertisements like this. It should be almost second nature to advertising at all.

Imagine a future world wherein people are part of short term advertising (previous blog post) and the environment is sculpted with advertisements. Imagine forests, rivers, prairies, mountain ranges, islands, coral reefs, wild-life preserves, parks, endangered species, and more all rebuilt or sculpted or managed in the likeness of any company.

What if Google planted a forest in the shape of their Chrome logo?

What if BP developed its own barrier reef in their logo?

What if the Nike Swoosh was a golf course?

What if Nintendo (Wii) sponsored a bike path in the shape of Mario to promote fitness?

What if Prudential insurance was an actual mountain wildlife preserve/resort?

It is one thing to simply clean up the problems we have created and throw money at environmental groups who hope to revitalize once prospering regions of the globe. But if a company were to reshape the earth so that they are a natural part of the earth as growing organism, visible for everyone as a clear indication of where they stand, then I think that speaks louder than any television ad or printed material out there.

I believe the majestic and awe-inspiring feeling when you see something incredible - Yellowstone, Grand Canyons, Waterfalls, etc - can be renamed and marketed as any other company as a form of advertising. A name is just a name to me. I wouldn't mind if Microsoft bought purchased Lake Michigan, cleaned it, and then put the Windows Logo at every picnic area because their work and dedication to making it better for everyone would be worth the annoying little advertisements boasting that they own the lake (or worked for it). Grand Canyon can be Apple's Pit for all I care, it is just as beautiful even if the name doesn't make sense.

Think about it.

I also feel that it would be these incredible works of an organization to do things like this that would prompt the new focus to developing space colonies. Sort of like Wall-E, where Buy-N-Large becomes a world company that sends everyone to space while the Earth is being cleaned - except instead, we use it as a vehicle to put people on the Moon: Permanently. Or Mars (I want to go to Mars).

Just some thoughts. It all came from a simple billboard for a product I don't really buy.