Here's a little known secret – my first job in ‘advertising’ was in the research department of the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Though most of the work at the non-government body is focused on responding to complaints from the public regarding misleading or offensive advertisements, the research dept’s role was far more proactive and focused on reviewing marketing materials for specific industries and determining how they fit within the advertising code of practice.

I bring up this story because I see that the ASA – in response to the sharp rise in complaints from the British public about different companies ‘green’ credentials – is currently revising the advertising code to take environmental issues into account. If I was still working there, that would be my job.

The latest high profile incident once again features Royal Dutch Shell - the second largest private sector energy corporation in the world. At the beginning of the year, Shell had its wrist slapped when one of its print ads - featuring flowers billowing out of factory chimneys instead of smoke – claimed, “We use our waste CO2 to grow flowers…” when in fact less than 0.5% of emissions were used for such purposes. Shell is once again learning the hard way, now that their latest ad has been rebuked on the grounds that the oil giant claimed that the controversial Tar sands project was ‘sustainable’.

The fact that a mega brand – and the agency they work with - is guilty of ‘green-washing’ is not so much the issue. The real issue – and we have talked about this before – is the fact that they are underestimating just how marketing savvy people are. Shell is a huge corporation, an oil company at that. We know from The SHIFT Report, people don't expect corporations, or individuals for that matter, to be perfect - no one is - but when it comes to the art of telling their story, they have to be honest.

If a corporation has its advertising pulled because they have made vague or blatantly inaccurate claims that is the least of their worries. It’s a busy marketplace, if a corporation continually fails to be honest, credible and specific about their social & environmental initiatives then their customers will simpy take their business elsewhere.