NEW YORK: Eco-warrior Al Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection, which he helped found, have launched a three-year, $300 million (€191m; £151m) advocacy campaign to persuade the US to lower its carbon emissions.
The campaign will combine advertising, online organizing and partnerships with grass-roots groups such as the United SteelworkersUnion and the Girl Scouts to educate US citizens about global warming and urge solutions from lawmakers.
The first commercial is set to air on television today (Wednesday) and compares the challenge of fighting climate change to the D-Day campaign of the Second World War, the civil rights movement and putting man on the moon.
Comments alliance ceo Cathy Zoi: "We're trying to get a movement happening to switch public opinion so that our leaders feel, 'Wow! We really need to make this a top priority issue'."
Around half the funds for the campaign have come from private donations, while Gore himself has reportedly made substantial contributions, including his personal profits from the book and movie An Inconvenient Truth, plus a $750,000 award from his share of the Nobel Peace Prize.
However, University of Iowa associate professor of marketing John P. Murry Jr warns the campaign is not spending enough on its efforts to change the mind set of the nation.
"Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi spend over a billion dollars each year to promote brand preference for soft drinks. In this light, the $100m per year to change our lifestyles seems pretty small."
The campaign will combine advertising, online organizing and partnerships with grass-roots groups such as the United SteelworkersUnion and the Girl Scouts to educate US citizens about global warming and urge solutions from lawmakers.
The first commercial is set to air on television today (Wednesday) and compares the challenge of fighting climate change to the D-Day campaign of the Second World War, the civil rights movement and putting man on the moon.
Comments alliance ceo Cathy Zoi: "We're trying to get a movement happening to switch public opinion so that our leaders feel, 'Wow! We really need to make this a top priority issue'."
Around half the funds for the campaign have come from private donations, while Gore himself has reportedly made substantial contributions, including his personal profits from the book and movie An Inconvenient Truth, plus a $750,000 award from his share of the Nobel Peace Prize.
However, University of Iowa associate professor of marketing John P. Murry Jr warns the campaign is not spending enough on its efforts to change the mind set of the nation.
"Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi spend over a billion dollars each year to promote brand preference for soft drinks. In this light, the $100m per year to change our lifestyles seems pretty small."
Data sourced from New York Times; additional content by WARC staff
