Earth Day is the day to appreciate what Mother Earth has been giving us. At least, we have one day, 22 April, to thank for it once a year worldwide. Brands try to raise awareness on the planet with their creative Earth day ads and posts.
COVID-19 has given a chance to all the people in the world to stop and think about the earth. People have been forced by nature to realize the importance of the environment. Everyone missed going to the parks, walking in nature, looking at the clouds, listening to the birds outside… It has enabled us to realize one more time that we are not the owners of the earth, but a part of it.
Last year was one of the years that Mother Earth has been speaking to us so loudly to draw our attention. Forest fires in Australia, pandemic outbreak all around the world, locust invasion in East Africa and who knows what is coming next. A lot of organizations have had to move their Earth Day celebrations digital and this makes it Digital Earth Day.
Digital Marketing and the Earth Day
When people are back to their usual life again, it will not be the same. People have changed. They have understood the importance of nature, the relationships, the communication. When people’s perspectives change, marketing campaigns change too. They have to.
Brands and companies have to adjust and update themselves according to customers’ needs so as to survive in the digital world. They have to adapt quickly to consumers’ needs and behaviour. With the environmental concerns being more and more essential, the actions of major companies and brands can heavily affect consumer behaviour. Brands can turn this special day into an advantage by creating smart, impressive and creative ads and social media posts for the Earth Day.
As the world tries to live and stay alive for 4,543 billion years, technology and the digital industry are on the way to help. Therefore, brands and organizations act more sensitive when it comes to environmental ethics, especially during these days. Gen Y and Z are trying to educate into a 100% reusable culture and this triggers brands to create an impression when it comes to green topics.
COVID-19 has caused a significant change in digital marketing. The majority of the companies, brands, and organizations have updated their way of working. It has been an enlightenment to the whole world. They have realized the importance of both the environment and digitalism. Earth Day is where they overlap. So, it is the perfect special day and an opportunity for the brands to display digitally what they can do!
Earth Day Network has published an article depicting what COVID-19 has taught us about climate change.
The brands need to come up with inspirational campaign ideas for Earth Day, but they have to be very careful and delicate as these are unprecedented times for marketing as well as for people.
Hope to see more brands raising awareness about sustainability.
Here we have compiled a bunch of creative Earth Day campaigns, ads and posts by brands to get inspired:
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- Jack Wolfskin| Not My Plastic, But My World – 2021
- American Museum of Natural History| Road to Recovery – 2021
- Google| GoogleDoodle – 2021
- Earth Day Network| #bendthecurve – 2020
- NASA | Earth Day Posters and Wallpaper – 2020
- Apple | Here We Are – 2020
- Microsoft | Earth Day Theme for Windows 10 – 2020
- Hyundai | Dark Selfie Challenge – 2020
- Budweiser Canada | Raise One for Our Planet – 2020
- Apple | Don’t Mess With Mother – 2019
- Nike | Earth Day Pack – 2019
- The North Face | Explore Mode – 2019
Jack Wolfskin | Not My Plastic, But My World – 2021
I really hope this catchy and original song helps us all to take real actions against plastic pollution. Cannot get the song out of my head:
American Museum of Natural History | Road to Recovery – 2021
The Earth Day 2021 ad by the American Museum of Natural History will sound very pessimistic at first as it is speaking about the facts of 2020. Don’t get depressed and watch the video until you see what actions we can and we should actually start taking immediately to keep our planet and our lives safe.
As this Earth Day video also says, the pandemic has shown that we can work together to meet big challenges and save lives. We can decide together and affect what the future Earth Days will look like.
Google | GoogleDoodle – 2021
Probably all of us are visiting Google homepage at least once a day to check something out. I think it is a wonderful way to remind people about special days through Google Doodle. Here is the one they have for Earth Day 2021:
Earth Day Network | #bendthecurve – 2020
Earth Day Network is an organization with the mission to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. They have created a daily micro challenge which will take 22 days.
It’s April 1st, but this is no joke — we’re issuing a daily micro challenge for you to take, every day, wherever you are, to help fight our climate crisis while you might be staying home to #bendthecurve.
Are you ready for 22 days of the #EarthDay #Challenge? pic.twitter.com/LCJDdTUeiu
— Earth Day Network (@EarthDayNetwork) April 1, 2020
Creating challenges are being very popular in digital marketing. Brands and organizations come up with smart challenges to raise their brand awareness as well as the awareness of the subject they are referring to. Earth Day Network has done a great job inventing a creative campaign which everyone can join while staying at home.
NASA | Earth Day Posters and Wallpaper – 2020
When we think about the real pictures of earth, NASA would probably be the first name that one can think of. This year, NASA combines art and science for 50th year of the Earth Day. NASA’s artist Jenny Mottar created posters and wallpaper depicting the importance of our planet. She explains her inspiration and process for creating the 2020 NASA Earth Day posters in a YouTube video.
That is a very creative campaign idea for Earth Day. If you are interested in downloading the posters in different resolution options, you can click here.
However, this is not it. As everyone is at their homes trying to stay safe and healthy due to COVID-19, NASA brings people together through one-week virtual events, stories, and resources to celebrate the 50th year of Earth Day. You can check out the detailed program through NASA’s website and social media posts. They share valuable information and posts which can inspire you to come up with effective ad campaign ideas.
Apple | Here We Are – 2020
Apple releases a short movie on 17 April. There is a 7-year-old boy hearing the details of the planet earth from their parents and an art exhibit. Apple again comes up with a great ad campaign idea by creating a movie that is available exclusively on Apple TV+. This Earth Day ad can be a good reason to start having Apple TV+. Here is the official trailer:
Babies and children seem to be tiny to their parents and their elder ones. The whole human beings are a lot more smaller from the planet’s perspective. Our family house is the first place where we learn the feeling of “being home”. In a wider perspective, our planet is our real home. We should keep feeling safe and secure by taking care of our planet just like we are taking care of our family homes.
Microsoft | Earth Day Theme for Windows 10 – 2020
Microsoft has released 4K theme packs for Windows 10. It includes very beautiful pictures which increases the need to appreciate Mother Earth. There are two themes called Earth Day Living World 2020 and Earth Day Natural World 2020. You can personalize your Windows 10 with Earth Day Themes of Microsoft.
Hyundai | Dark Selfie Challenge – 2020
Hyundai started a challenge on social media platforms for Earth Day. What happens in this challenge is that you show yourself in the dark to shed light on climate change and environmental protection. One small action makes all the difference! Here are the steps to follow if you want to participate:
1. Turn off all the lights and take a selfie with the flash on.
2. Upload your photo with hashtags #DarkSelfieChallenge #EarthDay and tag @hyundai.lifestyle
3. Tag your friends and get them involved for the chance to win an exclusive prize from BTS, South Korean music band. The winners will be announced on 8 May.
Bu gönderiyi Instagram’da gör
Influencer marketing, social media marketing, video production marketing are successfully included in Hyundai’s creative earth day campaign.
Budweiser Canada | Raise One for Our Planet – 2020
Budweiser Canada says:
Even though we can’t celebrate with our friends this year, we can still raise one for our beautiful planet.
Let’s raise one for our planet. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of #EarthDay with a new can. https://t.co/VZfcFmKuOV pic.twitter.com/LZZPhhvxKR
— Budweiser Canada (@BudweiserCanada) April 14, 2020
With their social media posts, Budweiser Canada also announces their new can. Drink and raise one for our lovely planet. However, don’t throw it in the oceans when you are done, but to the recycle bins!
Apple | Don’t Mess With Mother – 2019
In 2019, Apple released a video on their Youtube channel. The post consists of different videos shot on Iphone XS in different parts of the world. The video clearly shows that if you mess with the Earth, you will face the consequences. Karma will find you with the volcano, avalanche, extinction of some animals, invasions, etc. Beautifully depicted in Apple’s inspirational Earth Day ads.
COVID-19 has brought the question to the minds: “Is this Karma?”. Apple warned the world last year with their Earth Day post by saying “Don’t mess with Mother”. Have we listened to them?
Nike | Earth Day Pack – 2019
Another crucial factor was the desire to reduce the environmental footprint associated with leather manufacturing, which not only uses a lot of energy and chemicals but also results in a great deal of leftover scrap material. The mission became not only to invent a better version of leather but also to reinvent the material production process to be more sustainable. Here’s a detailed look at how engineers, scientists, and designers created Nike’s lowest-carbon-footprint leather material ever.
The North Face | Explore Mode – 2019
Earth Day aims to draw attention to our beloved planet. The North face comes up with a great slogan and started a petition saying that Earth Day should be a national holiday. In their video, they explain why:
This shows a great example of inspirational posts by brands. The North Face asks people to take a break from what we are used to doing in our daily lives and go out to explore the nature. While exploring the world, of course, they suggest having outdoor clothes by The North Face in their Earth Day ads. It is a very clever way to find something in common with your brand and the Earth Day. Therefore, you get a great marketing idea for both your brand awareness and for showing that you care about the environment.
We do not appreciate our moms only on Mother’s Day. It should be the same with the Earth Day too, meaning that we should appreciate Mother Earth every day. The planet does much more than our moms if we know how to look for and see it. We should not keep taking it for granted. It has been going through a lot, and it needs our good vibes as much as we need its.
Remember, our mutual home deserves much more sympathy and respect. We are the ones responsible for cultural inheritance to younger generations and educating them in a sustainable future. Happy Earth Day!
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