Transforming Cultures

Sometimes ads do more harm than good: like this energy saving ad that encourages consumerism.

Should people pool funds to buy ads for social change? Or should they simply co-opt them to get their messages out?

Zombies are now promoting the CDC’s disaster preparedness guide. But not as well as they could be. Here are a few tips for the CDC’s newest henchmen to reach even more eyes, hearts, minds, and of course, brains of the American people.

“You Shall Not TRASH!” So sayeth Gandalf in the newest epic, “Lord of Recycling.” Watch it at Transforming Cultures and see a great new eco-parody of “The Lord of the Rings” and a powerful example of viral social marketing.

The U.S. is finally catching up with the rest of the world with its new cigarette labels, and Australia is leaping ahead with its new very restrictive labels. But who will be the first to take the next bold step of legally changing the name of cigarettes to “cancer sticks?”

Annie Leonard’s newest Story of Stuff Project video just came out—a decent critique of the electronics industry. But here’s the highlight: at one point she jokingly suggests sending all of our closeted electronic junk to the CEOs of the companies that manufactured the stuff. But joking aside, I say let’s do it! And let’s organize this effort now, so our packages arrive just in time for Christmas….

Typically, you hear me railing about inappropriate marketing, particularly to children, but here’s an effort I can get behind. A bunch of farmers of “baby carrots” have gotten together and applied the lessons of junk-food marketing to their tiny carrot offerings. While not perfect, it’s a great start. And if refined, it could play an important role in transforming children’s dietary norms.

A new social marketing campaign by the American Legacy Foundation shows how zombies—and smoking—are hazardous to your health.

Miami, Florida, recently approved construction of two 50-story electronic billboards designed to market the wares of the consumer society. Forget Times Square, these two towers, if built, would become leading symbols of consumerism and bombard people with ever more encouragement to buy, buy, buy. In fact, it feels like something right out of The Lord of the Rings, but instead of the Towers Orthanc and Mordor, we’re building the Towers of Mindblank and Buymore.

Good news! The Story of Stuff Project has come out with a new video—this time targeting cosmetics. And better news: the cosmetics industry called it a biased “shockumentary,” which must mean it hit too close to home and they’re concerned it might influence the political debate. Hopefully the industry’s fears will come true and the video will help people push for better regulation on cosmetics while taking off some of the toxic products they currently smear on their bodies.