As you might have heard the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration levels in Earth’s atmosphere are on the rise. And it is so bad that when NASA explored the ancient air bubbles trapped in ice to see what the climate and atmosphere were in the distant past, they found out that the levels are higher than they have been at any time in the past 400,000 years. So, today, we are at the threshold of a new geologic era—which is sometimes called the Anthropocene—one where the climate is very different from the one our ancestors knew.
Yet, even these rapid changes are really hard to grasp for some of us. Now, imagine you could actually taste the difference… How would that be possible, you ask? Well, McCann Japan and the Green People’s Power have come up with a solution to let people feel the change in the air that people cannot see or touch.
The answer is plain carbonated water. So, while the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has increased by over 145% during the span of 80 years, the two companies introduced two carbonated sodas with different carbonic strength. The Feel the Gap Soda was born to introduce a simple way to astonish the drinkers with an almost insignificant difference in taste.
These sodas make customers aware of how dire the CO2 emission problem has become by comparing one beverage to the other. After tasting the fizzy duo, the drinkers can then easily see and feel the extreme rise of CO2 in the world in a way they’ve never experienced before.
The solution is simple… The sodas are not only delicious, can help you realize the progress of global warming, but also by comparing the level of carbonation with your own taste buds, you can really tell the swift acceleration in the dioxide levels by yourselves.
McCann Japan, whose take on the philosophy first articulated by H.K Mcann himself—Truth Well Told—is that “Advertising begins with people and ends with people,” have based their idea on a simple insight: people tend to rant and worry about the changing environment, but how can we believe in these changes if they happen at such unnoticeable pace? Their surprising method consists of comparing the CO2 levels of 1940 to the ones of 2018. And you can guess that the by testing these two bubbly drinks in short succession it gets quite easy to tell the difference. Or does it? Just watch the video below and find out!
And if you still can’t grasp the changes, don’t despair! The Feel the Gap Soda is now available to purchase through a dedicated website and it should ship in about two weeks. So, how about you let your relatives try them out, and then see if they can tell the difference?!
Credits:
Company: Green People’s Power
Advertising Agency: McCann Tokyo, Japan
Creative Director / Copywriter: Tomoaki Hirano
Art Director / Illustrator: Riko Koide