Andrei Petrik

John Wanamaker once said:
“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”
In new Al Gore’s $300 Million climate awareness advertising and media campaign we finally get an answer to that Mr. Wanamaker’s statement. Both halves are wasted.

On April 1st 2008 Al Gore announced 300 Million Dollar consumer advocacy and advertising spanning for 3 years that will create awareness and educate the public about the effects of Global Warming and Climate Change.

I personally do care about the environment, and the issues we’re facing are clearly evident and are not being ignored, but this ad campaign must the biggest waste of advertising and marketing dollars. The $300,000,000 can be more wisely spent.
First and foremost, there is no guarantee that this will have any major impact on the general public. The public already ignores most of the ads. Second issue is the fact that this campaign will run only for 3 years. In order to have a meaningful impact and curb the environmental issues we’re facing today the project must last indefinitely.

If Mr. Gore is aspiring to be a leader in promoting issues associated with climate change, I think he’d be more effective if he led by example. Instead of burning through $300 Mil, the money could be spent more wisely on projects that would have lasting effects and higher ROI.

Try these:
• Build a solar farm
• Build a wind farm
• Clean up the lakes
• Invest into renewable energy research
• Provide tax rebates to homeowners that use alternative/renewable energy source
• Provide tax rebates to businesses that use alternative/renewable energy source
…this list can go on and on.