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Mother Nature deserves some attention more than just one day each year. In honor of Earth Day, we wanted to take a look at five successful and sustainable PR campaigns. These companies have gone beyond the usual Earth Day Facebook, Instagram or TikTok posts, and they are setting the bar for others to follow when it comes to actionable change. It’s safe to say these campaigns would make Mother Earth smile year-round.
1. Patagonia: Don’t Buy This Jacket
Via Patagonia
A mastery of reverse psychology or a failed attempt at eco-friendly consumerism?
In 2012, Patagonia launched one of the most ironic Black Friday advertisements of all time. The outdoor clothing retailer placed a full-page ad in the New York Times featuring one of its jackets with the unusual call to action, “Don’t Buy This Jacket.”
The ad listed statistics on how clothing manufacturing negatively affects the environment. For example, manufacturing an R2 Jacket creates two-thirds of the jacket’s weight in environmental waste. The goal of the campaign was to bring awareness to the effects of overconsumption and make people think twice before purchasing.
When Patagonia said don’t, the consumers did, and sales rose 30% as a result of this ad.
The jacket itself is created with 60% recycled polyester and is meant to last longer than other leading brands, meaning it won’t have to be replaced as often. Despite the increase in consumption, a more environmentally friendly product was purchased. Even better, the ad brought attention to the global problems associated with mass production.
2. WhatsApp and World Wide Fund for Nature: The Tree of Hope
Via Hello Charles
The World Wide Fund for Nature Deutschland teamed up with WhatsApp in April 2023 to use technology for a greater good: teaching people the importance of nature. In an effort to protect and grow nature in Germany, the WWF created The Tree of Hope, a fully online game powered through WhatsApp.
The Tree of Hope game is an interactive, digital adventure that gives players choices to help save the forest. This game made people appreciate the natural world, with the goal of changing people’s values for the benefit of the environment.
The success of this campaign rested largely on the WWF’s understanding of its audience. The WWF met people where they were — on WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app in Germany.
People are constantly checking their messages. (We speak from personal experience, based on our cell phone screen time reports.) Hosting the game on WhatsApp guaranteed engaged consumers.
3. Ben and Jerry’s: Cow Seaweed Diet
Via Unilever
Who would have thought cow burps would bring environmental change? Ben & Jerry’s is making headway in decreasing the carbon footprint created from the dairy industry.
Half of the company’s carbon footprint is attributed to its dairy purchases. To address this problem, Ben & Jerry’s teamed up with Blue Ocean Barns in 2022 to implement a solution that starts with the cows: seaweed.
The companies began introducing a red seaweed supplement into dairy farm cows’ diets, which was shown to reduce the carbon emissions produced by cow burps by up to 80%.
Ben & Jerry’s also has financially supported the farmers who are making the transition between unsustainable farming equipment to new technology that reduces the amount of methane produced.
The beloved ice cream company is continuing to MOOve to positive eco-friendly changes. We might go so far as to call it the company’s greatest idea since its Jimmy Fallon Tonight Dough collab flavor. If you know how much we love cookies ‘n’ cream, you know that’s saying something.
4. Lacoste: Logos for Conservation
Via: Spot.ph
During the 2018 Paris Fashion Week, Lacoste collaborated with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to launch a campaign titled “Save Our Species.” The campaign drew attention to 10 of the world’s most critically endangered species.
Together, Lacoste and IUCN created 10 limited-edition designs, replacing its classic crocodile logo with new critters, including the Northern Sportive Lemur, Burmese Roofed Turtle and Sumatran Tiger.
The quantity of each shirt design mirrored the remaining population in the wild for each species — with 350 Sumatran Tigers remaining in the wild in 2018, Lacoste made 350 shirts with the Sumatran Tiger logo.
Lacoste drew attention to the campaign by leveraging social media. A catchy Instagram reel where Lacoste animated its logo being replaced accumulated close to a million views. Lacoste posted its Fashion Week designs dedicated to threatened species, following up with a video at Paris Fashion Week. Lacoste and IUCN’s campaign was covered by media giants like CNN, Adweek and The Independent.
On top of that, Lacoste donated 100% of limited-edition shirt sales to the IUCN so that it could truly save the species sewn onto each shirt. The Mexican government wrote to the companies thanking them for raising awareness about the Vaquita, a type of porpoise featured on one of the ten shirts. That’s how you know they meant well — and meant business. After all, Lacoste sold out of its limited edition shirts within 24 hours!
In 2019, Lacoste and IUCN repeated the campaign with another ten species, this time urging consumers to submit project proposals so T-shirt profits could go to three chosen projects. To this day, Lacoste’s and IUCN’s team effort represents effective action for the company, nonprofit and most of all the environment. It effectively got audiences involved and proved the funds were going to a good cause.
5. National Geographic: Planet or Plastic?
Via: The Shorty Awards
Known for its documentaries, articles and movies, National Geographic launched a multi-year campaign dedicating its various platforms to showcasing the effects of single-use plastics.
In June 2018, the media company released its issue titled “Planet or Plastic?” depicting a plastic bag enlarged to look like an iceberg above the water. The dichotomy of the image was impressive, as was the issue’s deep dive into the consequences of single use plastics on the environment.
Additionally, National Geographic launched an international ad campaign putting the issue’s cover into motion. The camera panned from the tip of the “iceberg” to reveal the plastic bag underneath with the message, “Planet or Plastic? It’s time to choose.”
National Geographic also published a series of informative videos on YouTube and livestreamed “Planet or Plastic? Explorer’s Fest,” which brought scientists together to discuss how to create a sustainable future.
When it comes to the success of National Geographic’s campaign, the metrics speak for themselves.
National Geographic’s YouTube videos pertaining to single-use plastics garnered more than two million views altogether. The campaign was recognized by D&AD for its focus on sustainability, and the hashtag #planetorplastic amassed over 200,000 posts on Instagram alone. Across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, “Planet or Plastic” content has an estimated 881 million impressions.
Additionally, the company pledged $10 million to Sky Media’s Sky Ocean Ventures, an investment fund supporting companies and entrepreneurs helping fight plastics pollution. Currently, National Geographic has a dedicated “Planet or Plastic” web page that continues to be updated as part of the campaign.
Ultimately, each company had its own ways of increasing sustainable practices while staying true to its brand. From gaming it out, to creating one-of-a-kind shirts, these campaigns span an impressive range of what can be done to make commerce more environmentally-friendly. After all, let’s be real — we all need Mother Nature to protect us as much as we need to protect her.
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