Videos can be a great way to get a point across, and are often more efficient and engaging than plain text. However, if done poorly, they can also backfire, doing more harm than good to a company or industry’s credibility.
Annie Leonard, a US-based activist, narrates The Story of Bottled Water, an animated look at the bottled water industry. The video is well-produced, entertaining, and ultimately effective. In response, the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) put out a press release and video aimed at rebutting Leonard’s stance. The IBWA’s video is poorly put together, almost painful to watch. Take a look at both videos below, and see who you think comes out ahead in this argument.
The IBWA press release can be found here.
More videos from Annie Leonard can be found here, and more from the IBWA here.
This is Tom Lauria of the International Bottled Water Association. The video you find almost too painful to watch is NOT a rebuttal to Annie Leonard’s misleading and facually incorrect video. Our video, “Good Stewards ofthe Environment” was produced to contribute more understanding about the environmental initiatives of water bottlers. We were addressing “World Water Day,” not Leonard. Ultimately, what good is slick animation if the content is flat-out wrong? Forgive us our hand-held cameras and our teen presenter — all are key elements of the You Tube era of video communication. Our video may “backfired” in your eyes, but then you viewed it through the wrong lens. Why would professed environmentalists put down our efforts to re-plant forests, protect shoreline, aggressively recycle and protect groundwater?