I think World Wildlife Fund has one of the advertisements that is interesting and gets the message through clearly. Global warming has been a big issue around the world for some time, and we’ve all seen the pictures of a polar bear floating on a piece of ice or permanent snow on top of high mountains significantly reduced from a few years ago. All those advertisements and campaign posters alert us to the situation but it does’t last long. It’s just one moment that we think ‘aww, poor bear,’ but we forget it after a while.

What makes the advertisements of WWF interesting is, I think, that they brought the issue closer to us and displayed it in a way directly relating to our daily life. For example, pictures of cars and factories underwater with the phrase “If we don’t stop global warming, nature will.” show that these activities cause global warming and that the consequences will come back to us. Of course we know this, but these visuals give bigger impact than just knowing it. And because these pictures use themes that are relevant to everyone, it can overcome the cultural barrier that might exist when we use pictures of animals or mountains.

These advertisements contain both cognitive and affective components of attitude. They make us think about the issue right at the moment we see the picture. Thoughts extend to feelings because it’s related to daily life. Those feelings can eventually make us act on it, which will be behavioral component.

WWF’s advertisements gave me a new perspective on environmental issues, and I think they are very effective at fulfilling their purposes.