To bring
about a speeder change to a sustainable life style. a tool at our
disposal is marketing which, because it is very expensive, hasn’t been fully
exploited to our advantage. However I have worked with marketing people and
studied the books so here are my ideas for consideration.
- Keep it simple – focus
on the single most important issue. From reading Greta’s Climate book I think this
is “stop burning stuff” All other issues are secondary and whilst important,
distract. These can be dealt with after people have accepted the priority
issue. So “Ban the Burn or its going to be hotter and hotter and hotter" or more positively "Electrify your life".
- Answer the Why question – “just because smoke is clear these days, does not mean it’s not dangerous” or “We’ve made a good job of clearing up all the dirty smoke we can see – now its time to tackle the important stuff we can’t see”. This last statement is a positive one showing its not all doom and gloom. ( Living in Sheffield, it annoys me when we forget UK rivers and air are the cleanest they have been for over a century).
- Make the message personal – answer the question “What is the benefit to me?” This can be addressed by saying “Show you are caring, smart and love life, by going green”. The implication is that if you don’t, your selfish, dumb and nihilist – but this must never be stated.
- Always Stress the positive, not the negative, - “were making progress, the world is cleaner, so help to do more”
- Show that changing your choices or vote is not pointless - other people are rapidly changing too – “people all around the world are joining us”, Get celebrity endorsement. Show Green thinking is now mainstream – the other parties are making promises too, but will they implement?
- Address the doomsters – would you rather live in a hot house or a comfortable house?
- Stay focused – don’t get distracted, dismiss deniers with a simple, “ you still think that” or “your behind the times mate!” sort of attitude.
- Be humorous - For Celeb
endorsement I would love it if Sean Kelly the world famous cycling champ
and thoroughly lovely man stood up and said “go green – or its going to
be a real killer!” , which is what he always says just before the cyclists
have to pedal up some steep mountain in the Alps.
If you are working for a sustainable future, I wish you success with your endeavours. You have the whole world of science saying that what you are doing is correct. If you just pull on the holds you can reach, and after that reach for the next ones, you will reach the top of the mountain!!!
