This Comes From Awesome Advertisers

Admittedly, I’m not the most environmentally-friendly person. I mean, it’s not like I’m walking around campus emptying bottles of hairspray or throwing trash on the ground, but I haven’t put as much effort as I probably should into the whole “green” thing. However, this latest example of marketing changed my perception on this a little bit.

The subject of this blog begins in a bathroom. Yes, a bathroom. Don’t worry, it’s nothing gross (although with three brothers I could probably come up with a story or two). After washing my hands in a Marquette bathroom, I went to go get a paper towel to dry them. On the towel-dispensing machine was a sticker that read: “Remember: These Come From Trees”. Underneath this message read: “This sticker will save up to 100 lbs. of paper every year. Help spread the word. Get yours at: TheseComeFromTrees.com”. 

Immediately I thought: “What a smart way to spread a message.” The stickers, dedicated to helping the environment through the saving of paper, were located at one of the roots of the problem: people taking too many paper towels after washing their hands. Plus, the stickers are asking people to do something relatively easy, as often we take too many paper towels not because we need them, but just because we don’t think about it. This campaign makes people think about it at the exact time that they need to be, without being too pushy.

Visiting the website for this environmental campaign makes it even more impressive (These Come From Trees). The header reads: “Welcome to the world’s first guerrilla public service announcement! An experiment in environmentalism, viral marketing, and user interface design with the goal of reducing consumer waste paper!” With tons of information, an impressive Facebook following, the cheap price of the stickers, and the undeniably awesome results, this advertising campaign makes even people like me want to make the environmentally friendly decision. Visit the website and look at all of the blogs documenting the progress of the stickers!