Bonus gem

Are you ready for one of the worst CR thought leadership initiatives I've ever seen from a large corporation? Well, you're probably not, but here it is, courtesy of Emerson:

The campaign is titled 'It's Never Been Done Before' with the accompanying slogan 'Consider It Solved'. If that wasn't bad enough to cause you anxiety, fear and despair already, consider it in context. This is an ad which I encountered in Amsterdam airport recently:

"Turn the frigid waters of the North Sea into heat for an entire city with zero global warming impact. It's never been done before. Emerson: Consider It Solved."

Now, the company is pursuing a range of sustainability issues which it frames for this campaign as 'innovation stories'. They all seem decent enough--converting food waste to electricity in the US, reinventing heat pump technology in China.

It doesn't take much insight to notice the imagery Emerson is using in the above ad is total greenwash--a pure mountain scene with no evidence whatsoever.

But what really makes this campaign mind-blowingly destructive is the idea of saying everything is solved. And not just suggesting the problem has been solved--actually instructing public audiences to sit back and relax, because Emerson is at the wheel.

So can I go home and sip an iced tea now, Emerson? Are you on it? Sounds great, thanks.