Post Originally Written February 12, 2010
This week, the eco-circles on and off the web have been all the chatter on Audi’s Super Bowl “Green Police” ad. If you haven’t seen the ad yourself, check it out here.
For some, they believe the ad has set the green movement back by implying that living a greener lifestyle is something you are being forced into. For others, they find humor in the ad and say that it connected with a group of consumers that are traditionally “non-green”.
As the owner of a business that strives to help businesses and homeowners become greener, I understand both points of view. I’ve taken the week to listen to the thoughts of others and now I want to share my own view.
My final thoughts are based on how the ad made me feel and the emotions that it stirred up right when it ran during the Super Bowl. At that moment, I was a me – a mom doing what she can to make her lifestyle greener and a businesswoman striving to help companies become greener. And, what did I do on Sunday night? I smiled, I laughed, and I remembered that Audi was the brand that created that spot. Remembering the brand is huge in itself – many of the brands and commercials from Sunday night I don’t remember.
However, aside from remembering the brand, I think it’s important to know why I smiled and laughed. First, I loved the original song from the spot so it conjured up great memories – it was catchy and drew me in to the commercial. What I loved more was that, for me, the commercial wasn’t about others imposing their beliefs on me. Rather, it was what the song said “The Green Police going on inside of my head”. I don’t know about the rest of you out there, but for me, every day is a new “eco-journey” I embark on. Some days I do really well. Other days, I feel major guilt for doing non-green things….drinking from a throwaway cup, staying in a warm shower much longer than my water conservation mind thinks I should, leaving lights/TVs on in rooms I’m not even in, etc.
So, for me, the Audi spot was a funny reminder of the “police” in my head every day. The beauty is that they tied that guilt to a significant product benefit of the Audi. If you are in the market for a car right now, the commercial would have you believe that the Audi would make your conscience feel better that you are making a good green decision. Would it be better to walk….or bike…yes. However, that may not be feasible for many. If you need a car, the Audi is a green choice – that is the message.
The idea of “green guilt” is not just something in my head. Tiller, LLC had a press release (link below) in December 2009 that stated about 1/3, or 34% of all Americans say they’ve felt guilty in recent years about not living a greener lifestyle. Women, at 41% are much more likely to feel that guilt than men at 27%. I am apparently a part of the 41%. From my vantage point, Audi drew a significant insight from their target customer base and created an ad that spoke to that insight. For that I applaud them. I will let the debate on the ad continue and keep listening to all the points of view out there.
However, I will also continue to enjoy the ad when I see it and take note of the song “the green police I hear inside of my head…the green police come to me in my bed….”. It’s not about others imposing their values on us, but rather the standards we now setting for ourselves everyday.