GE: Green to Gold

As the Olympics march on, it was only a matter of time before turning our sites to that "green" heavyweight contender, GE. The Ecomagination folks are airing three new spots in very heavy rotation. (It doesn't hurt when you own the TV network.)

Of course it goes without saying that GE is a "gold standard" for successfully integrating sustainability into brand messaging. After all, it is the only brand messaging the company does.

And the new Olympic sponsorship spots are no exception. These latest ads are not only beautiful pieces of film, but also do a great job of taking not-so-consumer friendly products and making them tangible to the average Joe (or investor). We like one better than the rest. Guess which.

If you haven't seen them yet, here are the spots:

Beyond the ads, GE got plenty of play for helping make the Summer 2008 Olympic Games "green". And that's the real win. They provided "Ecomangination" products like water filtration and recycling systems and solar powered lighting-- including for the unbelievably beautiful Bird's Nest Stadium. Too bad, they don't have a system to make Beijing's air less brown...

But if we were judging the "sustainable advertising event," we'd have to give GE a gold medal. May not be a perfect ten (even if you throw out the Romanian judge's score), but certainly good enough for the podium. GE has already signed on for the 2012 Games. It will be interesting to see what they bring next time.