A environmental activist group that calls themselves Clean Creatives is “once again calling out ad agencies that have contracts with fossil fuel companies in a series of billboards across New York.” The strategy behind this makes sense: shame creative professionals to pressure them into not taking work with certain companies and create a talent drain. The problem is, it is a tough sell.
The main reason is because when you work on these sorts of campaigns, your brain manages to find the nuance that allows you to believe that you’re not actually doing evil. From my days working in major global agencies, I remember that this usually comes down to one of four justifications:
- There are others doing more evil than us.
- The only way to make a change is from the inside.
- The truth is more nuanced and people don’t know the whole story.
- The evil is coming from a different group than the one we work with.
The insulating effect of these mental arguments cannot be underestimated. The human brain will refuse to allow us to see ourselves as an immoral villain. The end result is that good people willingly continue working on communications for less ethical brands to tell the story they already believe.
The good news is, the team at Clean Creatives seem to understand this. After talking about how fossil fuel companies are making the world worse, their billboard ends with this call to action: “It’s not your fault. But you can fix it, and we can support you.” It’s a message that doesn’t force someone to confront their own sense of self. Instead it aims to inspire big and small acts of rebellion — which does have a chance of working.
