Abstract
As the corporate use of social movement rhetoric in advertising increases, the role of corporate participation in activism gains significance. The present study aims to dissect how clothing companies commodify the ideals of the environmental movement within visual advertising messages. Using methodologies of visual rhetoric and semiotics, it is possible to perceive how themes of the environmental movement are utilized as a corporate advertising strategy to increase profits while shifting the blame for environmental decline onto the consumer. This study centers on five product advertisements posted on social media accounts between August and October of 2022 from major clothing companies: Patagonia, Carhartt, Nike, The North Face, and Levi’s. My analysis reveals the creation and distortion of corporate trust and suggested convergence of corporate and individual activist ideals as advertising strategies to sell products to activist consumers.
Advisor
Rousset, Simon
Department
Communication Studies; Global Media and Digital Studies
Recommended Citation
Espinosa, Isabel C., "Environmental Activism For Sale: A Visual Analysis Of The Relationship Between Product Advertising And The Environmental Movement In 2022" (2023). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 10859.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/10859
Disciplines
Advertising and Promotion Management | Rhetoric and Composition | Sustainability | Visual Studies
Keywords
Advertising, Brand Activism, Corporate Social Responsibility, Visual Rhetoric, Semiotics, Environmental Movement, Sustainability, Anticonsumption
Publication Date
2023
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2023 Isabel C. Espinosa