Creativity in Current Events: A Grounded Tanker in the Marketing Mix
28 June 2007
A few weeks ago when the tanker Pasha Bulker ran aground in wild weather in Australia the thought of using it as part of a brands overall marketing mix wasn’t probably on anyone’s radar. Last night, however, the environmental group Greenpeace used the grounded tanker to conduct an extremely effective high profile protest. The words “coal causes climate chaos” and “this is what climate change looks like” were projected on the tanker with a red laser, protesting against Australia’s continuing use of coal as an energy source.
Greenpeace Australia CEO Steve Shallhorn said, “This coal carrier is highly symbolic. We know burning coal causes climate change and,
consequently, extreme weather impacts such as the fierce storms that lashed NSW
causing the Pasha Bulker to run aground. Yet very few commentators have made the
ironic link between the coal carrier and climate change.”
A powerful and relevant message in the ongoing global conversation of global warming comes to life in such a unique and memorable way through this activity. Greenpeace is known for always pushing the envelope with in-your-face protests which can upset some and shock others – all generating news to deliver their messages. This one is less on the shock side and more on the clever side – reminding us that if you take a different look at anything and everything happening in life around us you can find opportunities for creative ways to further engage people in a new way.
The Power of Mom Marketing, Blogging and Life… — Wii Store
28 June 2007
4:10 am
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I love that they used red laser! When I first saw this I thought, "it’s gonna be paint, it’s gonna dissolve in the water, there’s gonna be a backlash", but they were ten steps ahead…
Adam Sparke
28 June 2007
4:29 am
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There was also a further creative effort last week to move the tanker from the beach in Newcastle… (see link)
A Transformers enthusiast created a short clip and posted it on YouTube. The clip even appeared on the evening news on 7 and 9, 7’s Sunrise and other regional broadcast programs.
The timing of the clip tied in nicely in the short lead up to today’s movie release of Transformers.
It poses the question of will we be able to identify in future whether clips like these are from passionate enthusiasts of particular brands, or have been cleverly developed or encouraged by PR and marketing teams seizing an opportunity…
Ryan's View
4 July 2007
6:09 am
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Similar to Greenpeace taking advantage of current events (in the form of the previously grounded Pasha