So the Department of Energy and Climate Change has launched its first ad campaign. Here's my story on it. Opinion is mixed here at Haymarket, the publisher of Marketing. While it's not going to win any awards, I quite like the AMV-created ad. It's no easy task communicating the total annihilation of the human race but simultaneously offer the chance of possible salvation.
However over at Marketing's sister website, brandrepublic, readers of its story on the same subject are told that:'Given global warming is not accepted as scientific fact by a large and usually silent part of the scientific community fearful of a backlash, the campaign could provoke anger that the government is broadcasting political messages with taxpayer's money.' This is not attributed to anyone, by the way.
If you can ignore the blantant editorialising and, in my opinion, inaccuracy inherent in the assertion, I think this story shows that the ad has the potential to give the Advertising Standards Authority a major headache with climate change deniers.
However the indications are that ASA gives these types short shrift and has taken the policy position of believing that climate change is happening. While the ASA doesn't always get things right, on this point I'm 100% behind them.
