one little cog

I was hiking in Rouge Park (Toronto) over the past couple of weekends including this one and I was suddenly struck by the thought that nature is one of the most prominently marketed item no matter where we go. This is likely not the most original idea, and by no means am I at all a fanatical environmentalist, but I am definitely a nature enthusiast and as I gave this idea some more thought, I realized that in front of us was one of the largest marketing campaigns that we’ve seen and most likely the longest run as well.

Some may suggest I am stretching my imagination a little here but I would disagree by pointing at the fact that marketing despite the rather rigid dictionary definitions, is the action(s) taken to inform, promote and serve the citizen/client/customer with regards to the product that is being provided.

When we walk down the street, when we go for a swim, when we go camping, or simply when we breathe … we are using a product of nature(tm!). Of course, just like all products everyone has their subjective point of view.

i.e. I walk down the street –> spot a tree –> brain responds with a memory/fact/other –> person’s own reaction/response

Maybe a little over-simplified, but it gets the point across (hopefully). Not only do trees planted throughout the city provide a constant message to the people living within the area, the message that the trees provide changes based on the season. Just think of autumn. Now just a warning that I use the equal sign very liberally and no that does not equate to any political leaning

• Autumn + Trees = Beautiful and Vibrant Red, Orange and Yellow Leaves

Sometimes we can even add on to the equation with, say … winter.

• Winter + Trees = Potentially snow-covered trees? = Christmas

This of equation of course can be reversed or you may even consider a negative product … like smog.

• Smog = Pollution + lack of Trees = Tree Planting Policy

My general point with all of these funky and weird equations is that nature had implemented its own marketing campaign since the beginning of time. There is of course customer immunity … do people really automatically think about nature and the trees when they walk by? Doubt that many do … with the possible exception of outdoor excursions such as hiking and camping (without alcohol).

Nature of course depends on its evangelists, people who have taken it upon themselves to push forward particular goals that may or may not benefit nature as a whole. Of course this has created a storm of discussion and debate by having evangelists of all kinds — some of them being the citizen, the corporation, the politician, the environmentalist, the activist, and the individual. Oh! Almost forgot our friends at the zoo. Everyone one of these evangelists keep nature within the attention span of the general public.

Then you have word-of-mouth, or quite often when it comes to nature … scene-of-eye (aka. the photograph). Ever since the camera was invented, the photograph has helped spread the word (sorry, scene) about nature and its beauty. Tourists love taking photographs and what better way for nature to promote itself than to pose with tourists? Some corporations even use nature stock photographs in their advertisement!

So next time you look for shade under a tree, breathe the air (or smog), kick the leaves on the ground during autumn, look up in the sky and admire those big white clouds, have a lion as a company mascot, drink a glass of water, or pose for a photograph with a great scenic view behind you … remember that you are part of a greater plan — that is … a marketing plan.

Ask yourself how you think of nature and how it is connected with everything in some way or shape. I gave it some thought and put together a word cloud to just illustrate how messed up creative my thinking really is. Make one of your own!

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