Ever wondered what an 80s infomercial advertising the Amazon might look like? Wonder no more this Earth Day

It’s Earth Day. Since 1970, 22 April has served as a reminder to protect the environment, restore damaged ecosystems and live a more sustainable life. Today that might mean reading up on sustainability issues, like what the design industry can do to shape a more sustainable food system, or taking part in campaigns like Face Off Fridays – did you know that turning off your camera in work meetings reduces emissions by 96 per cent? Or, if you’re footwear apparel brand Allbirds, creating an 80s-inspired infomercial bringing attention to the Amazon.

For its Earth Day campaign, the brand has launched a microsite and a tongue-in-cheek short film titled Keep The Amazon Prime, which will feel familiar to anyone who has spent time surfing through channels selling ‘As Seen On TV’ cleaning products – the original Wish.com. Voiced by John Sweetman, the iconic voice of New Zealand’s Shopping Channel, the infomercial features short clips of the real Amazon, advertising the Amazon as a “service” which features “unlimited streaming – of actual streams” and “complimentary removal of CO2”. Through the brilliant work, Allbirds hopes to use comedy to highlight our duty to protect the Amazon, while challenging the greater retail industry to do its part for our natural ecosystem.

On the thought behind the campaign, Kate Ridley, chief brand officer at Allbirds, explains: “We were drawn to the insight of ‘remember when the word Amazon meant the rainforest’, and began building on this idea, which led us to keeptheamazonprime.com. We worked with Wrestler as our creative partner and together we wanted the content to be engaging, and entertaining, while highlighting the important message of protecting the Amazon. The infomercial creative brings attention back to the real Amazon in a tongue-in-cheek way, and our hope was that the intentionally ridiculous direction would make viewers curious and ultimately pause to engage with it.”

Alongside the video, Allbirds have launched an early-web microsite, which includes a donation link to Amazon Watch, a charity that focuses on protecting the rainforest and advancing the rights of Indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin. With every donation made, Allbirds has pledged to match donations up to $50,000 USD, running from 20 April to 30 April.

With the Keep The Amazon Prime campaign, the brand aims to raise awareness around the world’s largest rainforest which is home to 10 per cent of the planet’s biodiversity, stabilising the global climate. It is a bellwether for the health of our planet that is currently at its tipping point, especially in the southeastern section which has become an emitter of greenhouse gases instead of a carbon sink.

Kate concludes: “We hope this campaign resonates with our community in a thought-provoking way and reminds them of the other Amazon, encouraging all of us to think about how we can be better environmental stewards.”