Wilson Green Ad

Comment:
I think that this ad does present a very appealing image, especially for tennis lovers. The can is sparkling and pristine and looks almost heavenly, so the balls must be amazing to play with. I also agree though that the words used on the ad are somewhat misleading. The words in bold highlight the amount of landfill waste that Wilson saved in 2008 by switching to new sustainable cans. While the number 400,000 does seem like a lot, I think there are two issues that also need to be pointed out when considering just how sustainable Wilson tennis balls. For one thing, the new can is made with only 25% recycled plastic- that is only a quarter. Think about how much more Wilson could reduce its landfill waste even if they increased the amount of recyclable plastic that they used to 50%. Also, this ad makes no mention the tennis balls themselves, which are almost never recycled. Each year approximately 300 million tennis balls are produced world-wide, and almost none of them are recycled, producing 14,700 metric tons of rubber that is not easily biodegradable. For every one can, there are three tennis balls, and thus three more sources of waste, but that is not mentioned in this "green" ad. So while this ad does not lie, it does leave out important information, exaggerating the role that Wilson plays in environmental sustainability.

Comment:
In this ad Wilson is trying to tell their customers that they have made changes to lighten their impact on our environment by going green. I chose to give this particular ad a rating of 3 on the greenwashing scale. “Greenwashing is a term used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources†(wikipedia.com). It is a deceptive use of green marketing. I chose this rating because it is apparent that Wilson is taking steps to lessen their impact on the environment but the way they present and state the information in the ad is somewhat misleading.The visuals in the ad are simple and in my opinion are not misleading but the claim they make is. The ad reads "Wilson uses a minimum of 25% post consumer recycled PET in all recycled tennis ball cans, reducing landfill waste by at least 400,000 lbs in 2008." I agree, yes, that this is a step in the right direction and does have an impact on the amount of waste produced, but I feel that the way they have worded this is misleading and that they have neglected to tell you all the information. They tell you how many pounds they have reduced waste but they don't tell you how much they are still responsible for or what percentage 400,000 pounds is of the total waste they produce. I do believe that Wilson is taking small steps towards "going green" but I also feel that in this ad they chose to use a moderate level of greenwashing to make them appear to be a more green company than they actually are.