Mercedes-Benz Ads Inserting Its Logo Into Nature Get Parodied For ‘Greenwashing’
Mercedes-Benz is being called to pull the brakes on “greenwashing” after releasing some posters that align its brand with nature.
The automaker’s Nature or Nothing campaign joins the circle in its symbol to vibrant aspects of nature like a leaf, honeycomb, and rose. These graphics have gained considerable positive attention on LinkedIn, but have since come under the scrutiny of sustainability review platform Wherefrom.
The optimistic series is being run concurrently with an ongoing lawsuit that Mercedes-Benz AG is facing in Germany for not doing enough to protect the environment.
In response to the prints, Wherefrom has enlisted 10 Days, a London advertising agency founded by three brothers, to capture the logo under a new lens.
Fully pulling a reverse on the Mercedes-Benz project, the rebuttal is called Nothing or Nature and integrates the logo with symbols of climate change, such as an oil spill, a wildfire, parched land, and cracks in ice.
The only analogy Wherefrom has decided to keep is the one of the Mercedes-Benz emblem with a bolt of lightning. The organization interprets it differently—“The electrical storm image remains the same because it actually demonstrates the increased frequency of storms associated with climate change,” says a representative.
The new posters also rewrite the original sub copy—“The new electric vehicle generations… it’s already here”—to read as “Climate change. It’s already here.”
The movement isn’t necessarily taking aim at the Mercedes brand but the advertising industry on the whole. Wherefrom cites a recent European Commission report stating that 42% of “green” claims made by companies are exaggerated, misleading, or downright fake, and that many brands haven’t been able to justify them.
George White, strategy director and co-founder of 10 Days, condemns the original campaign as “greenwashing 101.”
“Creative agencies should take a hard look at themselves and take responsibility as the originators of the greenwashing ideas,” White asserts.
