Some weeks ago Arnold Schwarzenegger showed up in Vancouver for photos and handshakes in an apparent effort to “raise awareness” of environmental issues. The Governator even signed a non-binding deal with the Premier to let everybody know the importance of going green. (At one point Arnold praised members of a local First Nation as the world’s “original” environmentalists.)
Now photo opps are fine and dandy, but let’s not kid ourselves — raising awareness and affecting real change are different matters. From a marketer’s perspective, the only importance of any issue is how can it be channeled to serve the sales objective. What’s fascinating is that this doesn’t have to make sense; it just needs to sound good.
Today’s ad for the Legacy condo tower in Burnaby provides an excellent example. The marketer has jumped all over the green issue, transforming the pitch for an ultimately lame condo into a call to action for the hip and aware:
It’s easy going green when SkyTrain’s right outside your door. Save on gas and save the environment at the same time while skipping the congestion of rush hour, gridlock traffic. Living at Legacy means commuting to downtown and the rest of the Lower Mainland is effortless since you’re a mere half block from Holdom SkyTrain station in the Brentwood area of North Burnaby.
Legacy’s luxurious and spacious homes offer a lower price per square foot compared to its competition, proving that making less of an environmental impact can also mean getting the most out of life.
It is interesting to see how the marketer tries to connect the buying of a condo to a form of social activism by saying that taking the train works to “save” the environment. Of course, by save they mean “making less of an environmental impact” as a clarified by the last sentence. I give credit to the copywriter for being honest in that final line, notwithstanding the crap about getting the most out of life. That’s just the usual condo spin.
To learn more how you can let go of your green (ho hum) to purchase a piece of this landmark, go to www.legacytowers.ca.
Condohype 
June 27, 2007 at 1:23 am
Yeah, I’m sure the condo was made with LEED standards, has rainwater collection, solar paneling, geothermal heat, green roof technology, composting, no undeground parking, biowaste collection., locally sourced materials…
June 27, 2007 at 11:07 am
Love the blog and read every post voraciously.
I should like to say, in all fairness to copywriters, that credit should be given not so much for being “honest” as for convincing the client not to overrule the honesty. That, in my experience, is the true accomplishment here.
Looking forward to the next ad and the lifestyle it assures us all.
June 27, 2007 at 8:21 pm
“Yeah, I’m sure the condo was made with LEED standards”
No need for such trivialities, think of how much greener YOU can be by taking the Skytrain. You won’t be able to afford to operate an automobile anyhow.
And say, isn’t there a helmet law in this province? Facial recognition software ought to be used to fine those cyclists, and those rotten parents should have a visit from CFS regarding the wilful negligence that they display for their helmet-less child.
I hope that place isn’t on a flight path – it looks eerily like the WTC.
June 27, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Drove past this development today, you would need a car to do anything other than do into downtown, I am quite sure this isn’t the wisest green choice one could make. Green will be hugely exploited over the next few years, Rennie Green has already kicked off. Anything for a buck, nothing for the earth….