eROI NYC Interactive Agency

I have been supporting Greenpeace for almost 2 years now. I actually converted with one of those Greenpeace guys on 23rd Street. I know, how could I right? Most people hate those guys, but he camped right in the spot where I used to smoke cigs and thus we got to talking. And isn’t that always the trick…just communicate. (communication means listening too).  At any rate I signed up to give them 5 bucks a month. A drop in the pan but in the world of micro-giving not bad. So I get their usual messaging….an email every month…oddly enough a DM piece every once in a while (doesn’t seem very Greenpeacey to send out junk mail…but for the 60+ crowd direct mail still works)…but I got an email from them this week that raises some issues with me. Although I applaud their effort to engage…the overall effort is weak and outdated.  I will let it speak for itself:

“Help us get started by putting up “wanted” posters for Mr. Tillerson in your hometown!”

The idea is a simple one: download our short one-page toolkit and print out a few copies of the “wanted” poster we have created for Rex Tillerson. Then, take some time over the next couple of weeks and put them up around town. It’s as easy as that and should be a lot of fun.”

OK…so let me get this straight….Greenpeace wants us to print out a bunch of flyers to get the word out? I mean seriously? Does it really make sense to have one of the  ”greenest” orgs condone printing out a bunch of wack flyers that won’t have any impact. I know I know they’re supposed to be looking “big picture”…but that is exactly my point. If the goal is to get the word out about this horrific CEO let’s get the word out. Any organization/non-profit, whatever it is, no matter what you are trying to do or push, should fear the same thing….being irrelevant. Once your message and how you deliver it become obsolete so does your mission. I think the most frustrating part is that they are almost there…the idea is like flirting with something that can have legs.  So let’s examine this thing and see how they could have done better.

First of all I do like the whole “wanted” theme. Its catchy, it makes sense, its provides a nice motif to work with. Where the mission goes astray is the delivery and the overall design of the campaign. You are telling people to put up flyers around their town? What good will that do? No one can share that info easily….you maybe get 5-10 seconds of the person’s time, if that, as they are passing the flyer…there is no incentive to take any action. Rather than using the 1945 approach to marketing they should have gone to where the conversation is…the internet. Why not push Greenpeace supporters to use the Wanted Poster as their profile picture on social networking sites. Why not use twitter to create a digital “America’s Most Wanted” of sorts. I would also create a micro-site that functions as both a petition and a billboard for the movement. People like to discover things….so give them stuff to discovery. On the micro-site I would include as many videos and links as I could that could that illustrate why he is on the “Most Wanted List”.  I would provide incentive for singing up and spreading the word.  Currently there is only a blurb about this on their Facebook wall with pretty much the same messaging as the email. It is paramount that GP engage the users on their level. Give the people something to talk about. Give them something to do besides print a bunch of paper flyers.

In today’s world causes are like little badges people where to help differentiate. Making the “Wanted” movement a part of the current vernacular would create evangelists out of people who never would have otherwise reach. For instance…remember when the Iran elections were going on last year? I can’t tell you how many people changed their profile pictures to reflect the green hue indicative of the opposition candidate. That created curiosity…”why is your profile picture green? Oh…that’s because I support democracy in Iran.”

Get the conversation started Greenpeace. You are falling behind. Call me…we can help.