#150) Climate Balls: Who’s Got ‘Em?
August 11th, 2011
It’s been a feisty week for tough talk about climate action and examination of the President’s masculinity. Which is nice.
Gore talked trash in Aspen, Dave Roberts says to kick a conservative white man’s ass for the planet, and Drew Westen thinks Obama’s a wimp.
WHUPPIN’ ASS AND TAKIN’ ACRONYMS
Having whined earlier this year about what I called “The Nerd Loop” (the tendency of overly-cerebral communicators to try and fix their problems by being even more cerebral) it’s refreshing to hear some profanity and taunting coming from the climate community. Is it an instant cure that will suddenly right the capsized climate ship? Definitely not. But it’s good to know there are still some humans like Al Gore and Dave Roberts up in the pulpit.
The first big visceral spasm came from Al Gore who used such horrifically offensive terms as “bullshit” and “crap” in a speech in Aspen in reference to the climate skeptics. The immediate result was climate skeptic cheerleader Marc Morano doing backflips of joy on his website, Climate Depot, using it (once again) to paint a picture of Gore as madman. Whoopdee-do. Good that Gore showed some life. I’m becoming a bigger fan of his with each year that he keeps his nose to the grindstone of this issue (even if his nose is long gone).
Then Dave Roberts of The Grist opened up his own little fire fight by taking on CWM’s (Conservative White Males — though I prefer AGW’s – Angry Grayhaired Whitemen, as someone in Colorado told me is their version for the Anthropogenic Global Warming acronym), saying we need to, “kick their asses.” I have mixed feelings on this. I grew up in Kansas with absolutely the type of guys he’s talking about. When I think of the fathers of my junior high school friends I think they need something more than ass kicking. But still, I’m with Obama overall when it comes to the confrontation issue.
Which leads to the very powerful (but I think ultimately off the mark) article written by communications guru Drew Weston (author of “The Political Brain” and major communications consultant to political groups) in the Sunday NY Times Magazine titled, “What Happened to Obama?” Lots of people were talking about this article on Sunday afternoon. He concluded the piece with this concise and powerful assessment of Obama:
A final explanation is that he ran for president on two contradictory platforms: as a reformer who would clean up the system, and as a unity candidate who would transcend the lines of red and blue. He has pursued the one with which he is most comfortable given the constraints of his character, consistently choosing the message of bipartisanship over the message of confrontation.
That’s a great distillation. But I don’t think it’s emotionally true. Obama knows what he’s doing when it comes to confrontation. Westen doesn’t fully grasp the enormous complexity of the political process. And that’s probably because in the end … he’s still a scientist (i.e. professor of psychology).
And by the way, how many boxing commentators said, “What’s he doing — why is he floating like a butterfly instead of tearing his opponent to pieces?” back when Muhammud Ali was destroying boxers with his, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” style of boxing. Obama’s got the same instincts.
#149) TV COMMERCIALS: It’s still about Likeability
August 9th, 2011
Let’s say this all together now, “People listen to voices they like. People DON’T listen to voices they don’t like.” Most of communication really is that simple.
.
THERE’S “FUN WEIRD” AND THEN THERE’S “WEIRD WEIRD”. I kinda think Rip the Drip — the poster boy for a water conservation campaign — unfortunately steps across the line into “I really don’t wanna see this guy again” territory, which is not good for communication — just ask the Digger the Dermatophyte people. Regardless, kudos to the folks behind the “Wasting Water is Weird” campaign for at least experimenting with something different.
#148) Shifting Famine-lines
August 2nd, 2011
There is no more powerful element in communication than storytelling. When things happen quickly they create tension, making for a good story. When they happen slowly they don’t. It’s that simple. Create a good story and everyone will get interested. But if you don’t have a good story to tell, then you end up with what’s currently happening in Somalia, as discussed today in the NY Times.
Sorry, we can’t get interested in your famine because, let’s face it, it’s just not that good of a story.
Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been nearly a decade since we began Shifting Baselines. As expected, many of our early performers have gone on to become substantial stars in film and music. Here’s another great one.
.
JELLYFISH AND BACTERIA: Long before Ty Taylor was busy leading one of the hottest bands this year (opening for Bon Jovi and Rhianna in the U.K.) he was singing his heart out for the oceans and Shifting Baselines.
At a time when the nation appears to be unraveling over it’s inability to achieve political unity, it’s unfortunate that climate skeptic Marc Morano is waging such a vicious campaign against the spirit of compromise.
CRUCIFIED. Political compromise is perhaps the most desperately needed quality right now in this beleaguered nation. When Gore’s WE campaign was launched in 2008 as the first and only major manifestation of the $300 million he had raised to communicate about climate, it seemed pretty weak. But still. To now come after the politicians who got talked into posing for their lame couch commercials is to make a loud statement against the entire notion of political compromise, which at this point really should be considered to be anti-American given our current dire financial straits.
Read the rest of this entry »
#145) My Favorite Video of the Year: The Naming of the Skinks
July 27th, 2011
It’s “the feel good movie of the year”! How can you not love it. This is why everyone dreams of living in New Zealand..
SPOILER: They named them “Moonlight” and “Kate” (sorry, had to break the suspense — you still need to watch the video)
.
#144) Plastic Idiocy is Gonna Get You
July 25th, 2011
Is this not the height of “green” marketing self-delusion?
BUSTA CAP. With definitions like this for “green” we can all feel much better — Yay!
Three very clever and brave individuals at the Centers for Disease Control spent a grand total of $87 on a mass communication campaign that has so far generated over $3 million in free media coverage. These people and this project are exactly what I was talking about when I wrote my book, “Don’t Be Such a Scientist.” They have combined creativity with courage and now have validation — the latest of which is being selected as finalists for FIVE Platinum P.R. Awards (Blog, PR on a Shoestring, Word of Mouth/Viral, Wow, and Social Media Campaign). Truly amazing. Climate communicators please take note — THIS is how it’s done.
.
THE CDC ZOMBIE PREPAREDNESS CAMPAIGN: A textbook example of creative thinking and risk taking. People talk so much about “innovation.” This is a genuinely innovative effort involving smart, courageous people taking chances.
Read the rest of this entry »
#142) CDC I: The Nicholas Kristof Outside Article and Public Health Communications Campaigns
July 18th, 2011
The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta have some of the boldest, most innovative communications programs and resources in the entire field of science and medicine communication. In a workshop last week we delved deeper into Nicholas Kristof’s powerful 2009 article in Outside Magazine. There’s more wisdom per paragraph in that article than anything I’ve ever read on the mass communication of health issues today. Everyone interested in the subject MUST commit the article’s contents to heart by reading it repeatedly. It’s amazing.
.
NICHOLAS KRISTOF: A one man antidote to the Nerd Loop — someone who has lived and breathed public health communication in Africa like no one else these days.
.
#141) Go, Gore, Go!
July 13th, 2011
He made a less-than-perfect movie, but so what. It’s about persistence. Ask anyone who’s ever succeeded in Hollywood. He initially tried to ignore the climate skeptics, but he’s clearly learned a few things and is now coming back with a more enlightened and mature approach. Go, Gore, Go!
There remains only one clear voice of leadership for climate. He’s taken his lumps, but he’s still on the job. If enviros have half a brain they will throw all their resources behind him this time.
.