Intro

Think about just today. How many advertisements have you been exposed to? Let me recount my own. In the morning, I sit down for breakfast and read The Economist, a newspaper with full-page ads. Then, say, I watch some YouTube and am forced to watch two unskippable ads in a row just to watch this [[Never Gonna Give You Up Plays]]. I take my dog for a walk and see advertisements everywhere. I chill in my bedroom with Spotify ads blaring in my ears. And the thing is, I see comparatively few ads. I have ad blockers on my computer, phone and iPad. I don’t take public transport regularly (a common vector for advertisers) and I don’t listen to much Spotify. Despite this, my brain is infected many times a day by people trying to get my money and attention.

Hello listeners and welcome to Fighting Failure, the podcast where we discuss solutions to the climate crisis. This is Episode 39, all about advertising. I’m your host for this episode, Hisham Kanaan.

And I’m your co-host, Oscar Archibald.

Let’s start with the problems.

Problems

• Advertising creates an artificial want for a product or service.
  • If there was a product or service that you actually wanted or needed, you would seek it out. For example: “I need to get to the airport. Let me see what a taxi costs.”
• Capturing our attention, taking up our time
• Even for sensible people such as you and me, advertisers’ psychological tricks can force their messages into our brains!
  • ‘Any publicity is good publicity’
  • Nudge theory
  • Subliminal messaging
  • Brand recognition & positive association
• Advertisers have become the de facto moderators of the internet
• Advertisers lie to us
  • Greenwashing
  • Humane-washing
  • ASA /eq. are not doing enough to assure the truth of advertisements
    • Corporate interests
• Fossil fuel advertising within the news media
  • Using the same tricks as cigarette companies used to use, fossil fuel companies pay trusted news media to produce paid-for articles that promote their message.
• Adverts clutter cities
• Advertising in general promotes consumerism and growth-based economy

Interlude

Music Plays

You’re listening to Fighting Failure.

This is episode 39, all about advertising and its negative environmental implications.

If you’ve found this insightful, please consider sharing it with someone who would appreciate it too.

Now, on to the solutions.