Green Media or Greed Media?
As the self-proclaimed office hippie, I felt it appropriate to contribute a post related to the ‘Green Movement’ currently sweeping the nation. Whether you like it or not, you have probably heard about the movement. Lately this campaign has been everywhere from movie theaters to website wallpapers. The expression ‘Think Green’ has been shoved down our throats so much that it has become a catch phrase in everyday conversations.
There has been a lot of controversy regarding the seemingly positive campaign. Is this campaign really a movement to clean up the earth and make our country a better place to live? Or are its critics correct when they point out the underlying hypocrisy of the movement’s promoters?
I don’t want to dig too deep into the politics involved in this debate. Accusations that Green Movement leaders - such as Al Gore - don’t necessarily practice what they preach are growing louder. Even caller’s on WFLA’s Schnitt Show ridiculed NBC for some of their ‘hypocritical’ promotions. Rather than spending time repeating these accusations, I’d like to explore this concept from a different angle; focusing on promotional strategies and advertising ethics.
One of the major supporters of this campaign has been NBC-Universal. Much of its programming has allowed time for personalities to discuss certain ‘green’ topics. If you watched Sunday Night Football last weekend, you witnessed a component of the Green is Universal campaign that is leaking its way into many media vehicles. The NBC icon was no longer multi-colored, but completely green. Personalities touched on certain energy saving techniques, drove traffic to the Green is Universal website and even demonstrated how much energy could be saved by turning off their set lights for a minute or so.
This blackout technique is one of the promotional elements that backfired on NBC. Instead of inspiring viewers to conserve their own energy, it made the TV programs seem hypocritical. Viewers asked why they should go out of their way to conserve energy when these TV sets were using ungodly amounts of energy. If you think about it - NBC was indirectly telling viewers to turn off their TV sets. In this sense, I don’t believe NBC really promoted the Green Campaign in an effective and inspiring way.
I read and heard several reviews that called NBC ‘hypocritical’, ‘uninspiring’ and ‘unwatchable’. I think it is really unfortunate that NBC is getting such negative feedback over this. In reality, they are promoting this movement to inspire some good. Maybe they are using huge amount of energy by broadcasting football games and other programming, but at least they are spending some of this camera time to promote a positive and proactive cause. Other stations have similar programming that does nothing more than entertain and sell products/services. NBC is incorporating a huge pro-bono campaign into its primetime schedule while other stations are just looking to improve ratings and ad income.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that NBC is a flawless company. I just don’t agree with the negative publicity that they have received over the past few days. In the end, they are backing a good cause. Whether they really believe in it, or if it’s simply a big PR stunt; the fact of the matter is they are promoting a positive movement. You may not agree with the specific messages they use, or the strategies they use to demonstrate them, but at the end of the day, the least you can do is respect them for their intentions and public service.
To check out the Green network online, go to www.greenisuniversal.com. You can check out the Green network, read up on the philosophy and even calculate how much energy you consume. I’d like to say that no trees were harmed in the production of this post, but I’m sure in some round-about way a scientist could disprove that statement.
