Corporate America is listening to Al Gore.

[ThomCat]

I work for one of the largest Ad agencies in the world. The president of the NY division just sent around an e-mail to everyone which included the following:

.......

I think we should take on Gore’s open challenge to use advertising to heighten awareness about global warming. Why don’t you all review the guidelines below and send your ideas to _________. He, along with ________, ________, The Green Team and me will pick our submission.

1. Contest calls on individuals or groups to create a -60, -30 OR -15 second “eco-spot,” about “Taking Action” (“Showcase how you, or someone you know, is taking action to alleviate the climate crisis in their own small or big way”) OR “Motivating Change” (“Create an original, persuasive message that will open eyes, inspire change and empower your audience”).

2. Submissions are due Sept. 12th and the spots will be evaluated by a panel of celebrities who are environmental activists.

3. 20 semi-finalists will be announced on Oct. 24th; those 20 spots will be featured on the Current TV website and visitors on the website will vote for their favorite spot.

4. The top four spots will be announced on Nov. 13th. They will all be featured in the full-up ad campaign for Alliance for Climate Change and on the Current TV website and a MySpace page. The winner gets a Toyota hybrid and the 3 finalists get other prizes. (I’ll see if I can find out whether they already chose an ad agency to handle the campaign).

5. The spot can be created from scratch (as long we get release forms/rights to songs, etc) and the website also provides video clips and music which entrants can use.

.......

Given the past response to open calls like this, I expect we'll see a lot of submissions coming in from the various departments and subsidiary agencies. :)

[MatrixEscape]

1. Corporate America + Celebrities + MSM? Heheh ... OK then! /eom

[ThomCat]

2. Very okay. If the corporate executives are getting behind this

then there's traction here.

Go, Al!

[MatrixEscape]

4. OK ...

So you are good to go with corporations?

They get on the bandwagon altruistically for... ummm ... ah, yes ... solely for the good of the people and the planet ;) I forgot.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Corporations/KnowEnemy_ITT.html

"Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
John Maynard Keynes

[ThomCat]

5. Hell no. I'm very anti-corporate in my political views.

But I also recognize that once corporate money and publicity gets behind a cause it reaches a hell of a lot more people, and takes a lot less flack.

We'll need to work to make sure grassroots activists keep getting the support and recognition they need, but I'll happily take the publicity the corporations are paying for too. :)

[Uncle Joe]

6. I second this post, and thanks for the thread ThomCat.

Kicked and recommended.

[eppur_se_muova]

12. Thanks for reminding me of that quote (in your sig line)! nt

[RestoreGore]

11. As long as their motives are pure and they aren't doing it just to sell product

They then have to show that their videos show how they actually do business.

[NYCGirl]

3. Wonderful news, ThomCat! NT

[flyarm]

7. great news Tom!! ...sounds exciting..go get that car!!.lol...oh how i love Gore!!

Run Al Run!!

think how he could get all American companies to do this if he was pres!!..it would be a new industrial revolution!!..only green!!!!!!!

thanks Tom for that exciting info!!

fly

[SammyWinstonJack]

8. ...

:bounce: :woohoo:

[Californian Dreamer]

9. Lo and Behold, Corporations are made of people

People that breathe air, drink water, eat food, and live on this big rock flying through space. And just enough of them are coming to realize that screwing it up might not be in their best interests.

I'd prefer wisdom and benevolence from the powers that be, but I'll happily settle for simple sanity at this point. :)

[RestoreGore]

10. This was also announced on Larry King and at Live Earth

And Cameron Diaz couldn't even announce it properly when she was on the stage at Live Earth. But it's good to see companies taking it seriously. Though, I don't think Cameron Diaz ( who is one of the judges of this) is an "environmentalist" if it is true that she was quoted as stating she didn't want to give up her gas guzzler. If they really wanted an environmentalist celebrity as a judge Ed Begley Jr. is the epitome of environmentalist, but of course he doesn't look as good in a bikini. I suppose even Current tv is succombing somewhat to the media perceptions Mr. Gore has criticized in his book.

I believe the other celebrities judging this are Orlando Bloom (Lord Of The Rings and the Pirates Of The Caribbean) and George Clooney. I don't know how green they really are, but they too are popular with the ladies. I think it is a great idea to get ideas out here and allow young people, corporations, and anyone with a camera to bring out solutions, but this still has the flavor of the same old sex appeal catch, as if to say environmentalism is now sexy. This is a crisis, so shouldn't James Hanson and other scientists be judging these videos as well? And while I love Current, I noticed one of the prizes was a television... you know, the one thing Mr. Gore stated we sit in front of too much? Oh, the irony. :)