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How will green consumers respond to living billboard?

The problem with some green advertising and marketing campaigns is that they are often highly contrived and promote products that aren’t even close to being 100 percent “green.”

I’ll never understand why brands think they can “greenwash” consumers by slapping some sustainability, eco-friendly messaging on their packaging without making any real changes. Nobody likes contrived advertising, especially highly researched eco-conscious customers, so authenticity is key.

Most people are realists; they understand that real change takes time, and will support brands taking the time and effort to truly become greener. I’m not saying everybody should go Coke’s latest route, but this is definitely one way to reach this target audience in a big and highly creative way.

Coca-Cola and World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines have put up a billboard on Manila’s busiest street that they say helps to promote the environment.

The 60-by-60-foot sign uses 3,600 pots of Fukien tea plants, which can each absorb an average of 13 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. The plants are potted in recycled Coca-Cola bottles filled with a mixture of by products and organic fertilizers, and they’re being watered by an efficient drip irrigation system called micro-irrigation.

The plants are currently in the first growth stages, but they are expected to grow quickly and will eventually take over the billboard’s entire surface, where they can absorb 46,800 pounds of carbon dioxide.

The billboard was created by Momentum Philippines, collaborating with McCann Erickson Philippines and Starcom MediaVest Group.

"We are proud that we have brought to life the first plant billboard in the country,” Guillermo Aponte, president of Coca-Cola Philippines, stated in a company release. “It is an embodiment of our company's 'Live Positively' commitment to making a positive difference in the world by incorporating sustainability into everything that we do. With this, we hope to inspire Filipinos to join us in our journey, because we know that together, we can make a positive impact.

It’s easy to be skeptical of large businesses, especially the size of Coca-Cola, when they make claims regarding sustainability, but anything a company of its magnitude can do to get people and other businesses thinking green is a step in the right direction.

Can you imagine seeing a billboard like this in Times Square or even better, Los Angeles? Maybe enough of these billboards could cut down on the smog, while tempting weary commuters.

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