Global Warming

We’re past the middle of April.  Spring has sprung, flowers are blooming, and it was snowing this weekend.  Snow.  In April.  Doesn’t that mean it’s getting colder, not warmer?

What many of you don’t know is that, before I decided to focus on business, marketing, and branding, I completed a degree in physics.  My specialties there included quantum physics (because it sounded cool) and atmospheric emissions (i.e. greenhouse gasses and global warming).  I’m proud to say that this means I understand certain concepts, like global warming, fairly well.  It also causes me to shake my head when I hear comments like the one above.

“Global warming” is a term coined by scientists, not marketers.  As such, it’s incredibly difficult to understand and even harder to explain.  “Global warming” refers to the average temperature of the entire planet increasing over time due to increased greenhouse gasses.  As a consequence, temperature extremes get worse – cold gets colder, hot gets hotter.  On the whole, though, the total temperature is going up because the colder colds can’t balance the hotter hots.

Confused yet?

You’re probably asking why I’m talking about global warming on a branding blog.  I want to talk about the term, global warming.  Like I said earlier, the term was coined by scientists who over-thought the phenomenon and failed to explain it properly.  In the beginning, there weren’t any problems – people noticed increased drought-periods, warmer summer temperatures, and record-setting hot days.  “Global warming” seemed like a great term and the idea gained popularity in the press and in casual conversation.

As spring days begin to feature snow warnings and our flower garden investments go up in smoke, people have begun to doubt the “warming” idea.  My own friends have argued with me about whether global warming actually exists or if it’s a political ploy to raise taxes.  I hear people on the radio criticize public figures for holding on to such an “inaccurate” idea about the climate.  It seems that linking your brand to such a weakly formed one as global warming is sapping brand equity.  Look out Al Gore!

Nowadays, people talk more about “global climate change” than “global warming” because they want to avoid debate and confrontation.  Politicians are distancing themselves from used to be a popular brand association.  It’s very similar to American students who travel abroad claiming they are Canadian to avoid the negative brand association.  Sad, but true.

Scientists, however smart they might be, tend to not think things like brand management through before they create a new idea or, in this case, internationally branded concept.  How thorough is your brand management team?  Have you ever created a product or message platform that has turned into a liability?  What can you do to proactively avoid the fallout from brand misunderstandings?