The truth about advertising

This is a huge opportunity to shape societal norms. By demonstrating appropriate behaviours, advertising can send signals that motivate people to join them. This, in turn, can challenge existing perceptions and encourage positive behaviours.

“Buzz” the bee went missing from the iconic Honey Nut Cheerios’ cereal boxes. Burt’s Bee’s erased the letter “B” on their limited-edition lip balm packaging, advertising and from social media posts. These two advertisements were designed to put the focus on the serious global decline of the honeybee population and other pollinator species facing extinction. The “Buzz” advertisement intended to create an ad for an issue — the plight of the bees – not for a brand. The advertisement’s goal is to reshape the way we think about bees.

Advertising serves as an indicator for what society considers to be socially acceptable and desirable. This is a huge opportunity to shape societal norms around sustainable and healthy behaviors. With this, we can challenge negative perceptions and encourage positive behaviours in a way that benefits our health, our communities, and our planet.