Climate change. A controversial subject, one that threatens friendships, family dinners and divides opinions as if it were a political topic. Sadly, it is a political topic, but just like a misplaced book in a huge library, climate change should be in the science aisle instead. You might think this is an off-topic post for my blog, especially given that I have not written a single word here since over two years ago. Strangely, this is related to marketing AND product. Read on.
There are more than just two camps, the pro or vs Greta Thunberg; it’s not all black and white. It’s more like a spectrum of opinions. Even within the science(pseudo)-believers side of the spectrum, there’s a huge debate on whether Greta Thunberg has a point or not; whether she is in the right about skipping school to make a statement; whether she deserves to be heard or is really making a difference; whether she is an insane person hungry for attention and with a driven desire to lash out on older generations and high-profile personalities from around the world.
By now you’ve surely seen posts of people comparing Greta to young scientists and inventors that have come up with wonderous solutions on how to clean water, collect waste, recycle and manufacture eco-friendly straws. “This kid invents the best water purifier in the world for 50 cents a pop. What has Greta done? Skip school and cross the oceans in a boat worth millions of dollars?”
In reality, both the young scientists that invent these ways to combat climate change AND Greta are making a difference. Why? This is just like the well-known product fallacy: “Build it and they will come”. You may build the greatest, most amazing product in the world, but without a go-to-market strategy or product-market fit, your shiny new product is worth niente, zero, nothing.
Same thing happens with these great inventions and eco-friendly behaviors – if the billions of people from around the world don’t adopt them, they will not produce the change they are meant to make.
What Greta is doing is spreading the word around the world about how imminent it is for world leaders and the general public to adopt climate change policies and behaviors that can revert the insane damage we have already caused. If you, reader and the person next to you, your co-workers, family, and friends don’t adopt these behaviors, those amazing avocado seed disposable plates you saw in an article the other day, are worth nothing. What she is doing is bringing awareness to the giant white elephant sitting in the room that everyone refuses to acknowledge.
Have you read her books? She is providing all types of content via books like “No One Is Too Small To Make A Change” (which proceeds go directly to different climate change & autism charities), speeches, media attention, and open letters to remind and educate the global community of the already existing scientific studies, policy recommendations, and behaviors that will help revert climate change. Greta is the marketer, the scientists are the product developers. You? You are the one who can adopt the product via the marketing to actually make a change.