A week or so ago the ‘climate-gate‘ story began simmering with the illegal publication of emails from the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit. It started in the scientific and specialist news sections but is only this week really starting to boil across the mainstream.
The essence of the story is that Climate Change Scientists have been rigging the way data is reported to support their argument: that the impending climactic catastrophe is man-made and we have the power to do something about it – provided we all do something together.
I’m not going to dwell on who’s right and who’s wrong in that argument – it’s about as futile and ferocious as the Mac/PC debate.
Much more interesting – from a communications and marketing perspective – is the condescending attitude of experts and authorities telling us to reduce our carbon footprint. And I can say that with authority – because I used to be one of them. Government – for almost all of these kind of public information campaigns – says behaviour change as what they are out to achieve. What they really mean is motivating people to do something differently.
Motivation is the key to behaviour change. ’Fun and easy’ are the motivating factors that most people seek in their day to day. Sadly most of the Climate Change behaviours that we are told we need to adopt seem set to make things less fun and harder. Fair enough – fun and easy are highly subjective – but if you can’t grasp what motivates people you’re on a hiding to nothing.
Take Act On CO2. It was created to provide a single cross-government* campaign with joined up messages to influence the habits and decisions of the populous. When it was launched in 2007 it was a big improvement over it’s predecessor – Tomorrow’s climate, today’s challenge (which was woolier than the jumper my Mum will inevitably put under the tree for me this christmas).
Sadly though it still isn’t quite up to the job – much of the content is still instructional and doom-laden. Seen the latest TV ad? - we’re back to scare tactics that vilify how we live our daily lives. Whoever came up with the creative for that is stuck in 1998.
Then there’s the logo itself: it uses BIG SQUARE CAPITAL LETTERS.
In text/email/blog speak everyone knows that’s shouting. Shouting at adults who aren’t under the instruction of a disciplinarian regime usually results in you getting punched on the nose. Telling people they need to do something only works when they are given a positive motivation for taking part.
There are plenty of specialist ’world-saving-eco-terra’ agencies doing sustainability communications that talk a very good talk. Many have had a lot of success in the commercial and third sectors but it seems none – yet – have really cracked it advising government with truly motivational creativity for government sector communications.
So come on – motivate me – I’ll do more if I feel good about the actions I’m taking - not like a villain for the ones I am not.
*(thanks to devolution this cross-government campaign isn’t UK-wide, Wales and Scotland aren’t currently running ACT ON CO2)
[...] to yours does not make it invalid. As in all communication you have to look at the issue from the other person’s point of view and address their arguments against. I found myself agreeing with the ‘blond bombshell’ Boris, [...]