Reaching audience requires understanding. This post demonstrates why a positive narrative outperforms the traditional language of guilt in environmental storytelling. Capturing human attention demands a strategic shift; therefore, clarity must be the priority in any communication effort. What follows is a disruptive dialogue between two of Earth’s most essential stakeholders: Water and Wood.
Dramatis Personae
Xylo which means wood in antique Greek
Yaku which means water in Quechua language
Why Reaching Audience Requires Understanding: Engineering & Decay
Yaku : Are you scared of me?
Xylo: And for what reason should I fear H2O?
Yaku : Water causes wood to rot.
Xylo: That is not necessarily the case, as I am a piece of hydrophobised or water-repellent wood. I have undergone treatment specifically designed to repel moisture. Consequently, neither you nor your counterparts can inflict any harm upon me. This protection represents the pinnacle of human engineering—a shield designed to preserve me indefinitely. Only those who treated me possess the power to damage me… It is a pity that so many fools exist!
Yaku : Are you referring to the bipedal parasites inhabiting the Earth?
Xylo: I speak of the same irrational beings who… — Yaku interrupts
Yaku : …who melt the polar ice and contaminate the waters of rivers and oc eanswith microplastics and non-biodegradable detergents.
Xylo: Indeed, I refer to those animals who perceive themselves as superior. Beyond their own self-destruction, they inflict collateral damage upon other species and the fundamental elements of nature, such as you or even me.
Reaching an audience through public engagement
Yaku : Nevertheless, you have been treated well; you have been hydrophobized. As you said before, this is a technological triumph of human engineering.
Xylo: Countless peers of mine have faced the flames for centuries. Such ineptitude stems from a failure to recognize that timber functions as a vital CO2 sink. Rather than preserving wood and establishing sustainable forest management — at this point the Wood starts to cry with ligning tears — they prioritize the combustion of my species.
Yaku : Don’t cry my friend. They are not better with water usage. I wish we can change the world.
Xylo: Success for changing the world requires us to communicate in a language they can actually understand.
Yaku Their understanding of the world seems to be restricted to the ephemeral cycle of acquisition, disposal, and the relentless accumulation of waste.
Xylo: Perhaps we should engage them through the lens of consumption. We may succeed by using advertising and strategic marketing principles.
Yaku : For exemple?
Xylo5: Storytelling?
Strategic Storytelling: Reaching Audience Requires Understanding Modern Consumption
Yaku: Such a foolish idea! They have created many storyboards about it!
Xylo: Yes, they have but not us. And remember, reaching an audience requires understanding of your target audience.
Yaku: What’s your suggestion? What would you do?
Xylo: Let’s start with water. Our objective must be to promote biodegradable detergents. Then, we shall introduce an environmentally friendly cleaning product. When you buy laundry soap or any other household cleaning products, do you – appealing to unconscious humans – think your choices affect the environment?
Yaku: Do you really think they’re unaware that what they do in their homes affects the environment?
Xylo: During my time in the forest, my peers and I gathered intelligence from human conversations. We observed a recurring pattern of environmental denial—a psychological barrier that traditional marketing has failed to penetrate.
Yaku: They lack instinct… they lost it in their prehistory…
Xylo: Yes. To make us understand, we should tell a story that happens in any home, in the course of routine human actions. Show how non-biodegradable detergent travels down the drain and have them visualize how it affects ecosystems.
Yaku : There was a song in the 80s by an alternative group, Los Toreros Muertos, I think it was called «Mi Aguita Amarilla«
Xylo: Yes, I remember it, but it lacks a sustainable alternative. We should propose a turning point where a positive impact occurs. That is, show them that if they choose wisely, the water becomes clean.
Yaku: Just one little problem to solve: how are water and wood going to create their own advertising agency?
Xylo: My dearest Yaku, if we have cristalised this level of strategic alignment, we shall certainly succeed. We are not just creating a communication agency; we are re-engineering the human narrative.
Final Synthesis: Bridging Molecular Science and Market Behavior
The dialogue between Water and Wood molecules serves a creative purpose: it proves that strategic communication is an absolute necessity. My objective is to bridge scientific reality and consumer behavior through accessible storytelling—a tool successfully utilized in marketing to engage audiences.
Last but not least, this challenge is defined by human actions. Success depends on individual choices rather than industrial output. If we transform our consumption habits, manufacturers must inevitably adapt. Personal responsibility remains the catalyst for sustainability, as positivism is far more effective than the language of guilt.age of guilt.
Credits: Images of this post from FREEPICK
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