Do The Green Thing: Plane Stupid or Plain Stupid?

What do you make of this cinema ad by Mother for grassroots anti-aviation activists Plane Stupid with polar bears tumbling out of the skies to smash into concrete and cars with sickening, blood-spattered thuds?

Of course we agree with the issue - flying is extremely damaging to the environment and has a massive GHG impact (much larger than people realise on an individual level). That's why Green Thing tries to inspire people to Stay Gounded.

Plane Stupid are into non-violent direct action - like storming award ceremonies and onto runways or sliming politicians like Peter Mandleson:

This is fine and their choice as a means to an end - more power to them for following their beliefs and so on.

It's just not really our world because we think it turns off the majority of people and re-enforces their perceptions of environmentalists on the lunatic fringes raging against the system - which makes the issue itself easier to dismiss.

In terms of communications, this is familiar territory of fear and guilt and shock. I guess I don't think this really works for the masses. Research tends to show people turn off/tune out of that stuff. It's not really a message that connects to what it means for their lives.

Shock tactics are good for awareness but not necessarily engagement or advocacy. In terms of the film's visual references to 9/11, Bin Laden may be famous but he's only popular in very small circles.

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In: plane stupid, planes, aeroplanes, runway, aviation, activism, mother, advertising, polar bears, shock, 9/11, bin laden, stay grounded, Heathrow

ADD A COMMENT

8 comments

Air travel has to become as politically incorrect as smoking or drunk driving. With the age of webcams and interactive media, there is no longer a need to fly to meetings all over the world - and Copenhagen is an excellent example of an opportunity lost to break ground in that regard by haveing a 'virtual conference' that the entire planet could watch from their homes or offices - and take part if qualified, or invited. I suspect this will be the last conference of its kind.

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rickmit 2 months ago.

The Plane Stupid ad works at grabbing attention, but I doubt it is going to encourage many in the mainstream to change.

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mattprescott 2 months ago.

I agree with andyh and sarah - a well done film but presumably it is addressed at those who fly all the time, and it won't stop them - as Greenthing says, it'll just turn them off -- it is indeed a bit "lunatic fringe"

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moderngreenollie 2 months ago.

It's a great ad. The prissy and ingratiating manners of old-fashioned social marketing - manipulate person X to inch them from A to B - are not just fundamentally unethical but simply aren't up to dealing with climate change, an issue that is far too urgent and far too big. We will need to jump from A to Z (and jump ourselves, not just make other people jump). And that involves the kind of profound internal transformation that occurs when one is faced with heart-stopping realities that go outside one's normal experience - like living in Senegal forced to live your 'normal' life kneedeep in floodwater, with no end in sight; or, in the absence of such compelling real-life experiences, being confronted by metaphors that sweep you beyond the pale. But if this ad is too bloody and too elliptical for your taste, here's a very gentle alternative from the Huffington Post: http://bit.ly/19SYNc

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anuradhavittachi 2 months ago.

A well made film, but not a patch on reality. That's the problem we have here, reality, for the polar bear and for us, is a whole lot worse than this clip. If you want to save the polar bear, plant wind turbines in the arctic and use them to draw heat out of the ocean (refrigerators). The heat can be removed as energy and ice will form... starting the important job of reflecting the sun's heat back into space. Replant the Rainforest like Bill Liao and grow clouds or ptrotect the forest that is still standing like Jonathan Wild (UBoC). Make change, not movies.

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hostuniversal 2 months ago.

it's hard to judge the effectiveness of this piece of communications without knowing what it was intended to do. Get publicity and raise awareness - clearly successful. Make people uncomfortable and outraged by the truth? Hmmm, I'm less certain it succeeds on that level. My hunch is the people who get the 'truth' of this are already converted/believers, I worry that for the average person this wouldn't shock them into behaviour change but rather push them away from thinking about/confronting this issue and making it easier to dismiss.

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andyh 2 months ago.

I agree with their message, but I can't agree that this is the way to get it across to the average person. Fear and guilt will make people turn away, make them feel unempowered to change anything, make them less likely to try. The message is a strong one, but this is really not the right way to get it across; the average person needs to be able to feel empowered and able to make the right choices to change the way they (and we) live. Time and time again people are bombarded with messages, but they aren't personal, it's easy to say 'it's not my fault, it's not my problem' people start to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the problems we face - activists might not like it, but there is a need to make the message personal and 'manageable', then people will start to see the need for action. Splattering polar bears across a city is eye catching, and it's certainly got them publicity - but will it change people's thoughts, actions and lifestyles? Unfortunately I doubt it.

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sarah_cole 2 months ago.

Unfortunately people are uncomfortable and outraged when the truth confronts them, which probably makes this one of the best commercials ever made... Michael Smith www.buynothingday.co.uk

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bndpress 2 months ago.

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