Apple's chat with Mother Nature - storytelling gold or greenwashing?
- Amusing
- Creative
- Informative
- Controversial
- Amusing
- Creative
- Informative
- Controversial
US multinational technology company Apple sparked mixed reviews for this ad in the format of a corporate meeting with Mother Nature. "In 2020, Apple promised to bring its entire carbon footprint to net zero by 2030 — through innovations in materials, clean energy, low-carbon shipping, and restoring natural ecosystems," says the maker of iPhones and other popular devices. "Now Mother Nature needs a status report from Apple’s environmental team. And it better be good". Hm, yes, we can probably all appreciate the extended metaphor, but no matter how slick, marketing can get on the wrong side of consumers very easily if it dumbs things down. Viewers were quick to point out: the unattractive irony of touting environmental credentials when obsolescence is built into every device; the sheer contempt implied in ignoring worker conditions and the planet's resources; the tone deafness of bragging about a 63 billion gallon reduction - not use, reduction - in water. If you are a proponent of reduced consumption, product longevity, and a more circular economy respecting both people and planet better, you may not want to spend five minutes watching the whole campaign. But hey, it's also gaining plaudits as great storytelling and loads of people love it, so take a peek and see what you think.
Keywords: Apple Mother Nature ad 2023, corporate sustainability, net zero, clean energy, ESG, technology and environment, greenwashing
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