Is the climate crisis adland’s greatest communications challenge?
Jessie Nagel and Julian Katz, founders of Green The Bid, a volunteer organisation promoting sustainability in production, explore the burning issue of environmental breakdown and the language we use – and
need to use – when we talk about it.
)
In October of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, Green The Bid was founded. We had delayed our launch, originally planned for March of that year, for obvious reasons.
The intervening seven-month gap was a bellwether. We spoke with industry friends around the world who all seemed to be asking themselves versions of the same questions: What will our future look like? Where do we go from here?
The climate crisis is, literally, the brief of a lifetime.
Today, following a series of climate catastrophes, including the Palisades and Altadena fires, and in the face of governmental climate denial in the US and other countries, those questions have become a roar.
While much is uncertain, we must remind ourselves that our power comes in the form of communication and action. We are an industry built on strategy and persuasion. We identify problems and craft solutions. We tell stories that shift perspectives, establish narratives, and embed new language into culture.
‘Climate Change’ lands on the ear like summer all year long. We need a new lexicon – one that is both accurate and urgent
Effective advertising is built on a few key principles: understanding the audience deeply, forging an emotional connection, clearly articulating benefits, crafting a compelling call to action, creating a sense of urgency, personalising the message, leveraging visuals, and ensuring consistency with brand identity.
The climate crisis is, literally, the brief of a lifetime. And we are both the strategists and the audience.
Climate action is an opportunity for unity, innovation, and a reaffirmation of life. This is about well-being on a global scale.
Language matters, and much of our current vocabulary falls short. ‘Sustainability’ suggests maintaining the status quo rather than progress. ‘Offsets’ imply a transactional balance, as if harm can be undone with a simple act. Even ‘Climate Change’ lands on the ear like summer all year long. We need a new lexicon—one that is both accurate and urgent.
Hope is essential: People respond to optimism, not fear. Yes, behaviour must change, and priorities must shift, but this does not have to mean sacrifice. Climate action is an opportunity for unity, innovation, and a reaffirmation of life. This is about well-being on a global scale.
During the pandemic, our industry adapted overnight… What if we treated the climate crisis with the same urgency?
The call to action is not one-size-fits-all. Our spheres of influence, resources, and expertise vary widely, and each contribution matters. Calls to action must be tailored to different roles within the ecosystem. In advertising, we do this instinctively—every campaign is structured to fit its medium, audience, and goals. We should apply the same principles here.
Innovation thrives under pressure. During the pandemic, our industry adapted overnight—remote production became the norm, while scientists developed vaccines in record time. It was a matter of survival. What if we treated the climate crisis with the same urgency?
The fear is real, but inaction is far more terrifying. We cannot look away.
A widely shared quote warns, “Climate change will manifest as a series of disasters viewed through phones with footage that gets closer and closer to where you live until you're the one filming it.” The fear is real, but inaction is far more terrifying. We cannot look away—we must envision and build the future we want to live in.
Following the fires in Los Angeles, the outpouring of community support was extraordinary. It was a testament to the fact that when faced with crisis, people act. The advertising industry must harness this same energy for climate action.
The tools we use to sell products can and must be used to drive real solutions.
We must go beyond hollow promises and surface-level messaging. The tools we use to sell products can and must be used to drive real solutions—ones that lead to a liveable future. The time for hesitation has passed. The time for action is now.
