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Global Climate Strike Inspires Brands to Join the Fight

Global Climate Strike Inspires Brands to Join the Fight

Steve Heisler

greta thunberg climate strike

More than 150 major brands, and hundreds more, participated in global climate strikes

On Sept. 20, more than 1,000 companies and websites took a stand against political inaction surrounding climate change. These brands, which included the likes of Ben & Jerry’s, WordPress, Kickstarter and Patagonia, participated in the global climate strikes occurring around the world. This strike, with an additional one coming on Sept. 27, represents a big step forward for the movement and excellent opportunities for brands to demonstrate their commitment to social causes. Young climate activist Greta Thunberg, pictured above, center, is participating in both, and recently urged politicians at the United Nations’ climate conference to take climate change seriously.

The strike included varying levels of disruption. Patagonia closed some brick-and-mortar retail stores, while Burton took its online shopping offline for the day. Sites such as WordPress and Tumblr donated ad space and raised awareness on their own sites and social media. Amazon employees struck out on their own, leaving their jobs in protest of Amazon’s slow adoption of climate-forward policies.

These brands’ involvement stands to make a large impact on consumers. According to the recent Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report, 64% of people are belief-driven buyers who expect brands to play a larger role in society, and 67% say trust is a major factor in deciding whether or not to buy. In fact, in the U.S., brands are trusted more than the government by a margin of 14 points—54% vs. 40%.

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Here are some examples of how brands promoted their involvement on social media, and click here to read a LinkedIn blog post from Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario.

How is your brand making a difference today?

Image courtesy of 350.org

Steve Heisler served as staff writer at the American Marketing Association. His work can be found in Rolling Stone, GQ, The A.V. Club and Chicago Sun-Times. He may be reached at steveheisler@gmail.com.