We’ll end on a surreal note. In 2020, carmaker Hyundai partnered with Korean pop sensation BTS for Earth Day. The brand encouraged fans to take a selfie with the lights off, then tag the Hyundai account on Instagram for a chance to win BTS-themed prizes.
If you’re wondering what a selfie in the dark has to do with Earth Day, you’re not alone. I looked through a lot of the campaign materials, and there are scant mentions of Earth, nature, conservation, what have you. Heck, there’s barely anything having to do with the outdoors in this campaign, except for brief shots of the BTS boys on the beach, in the snow, in the rain, and walking among trees in the promo video, which ends with a shot of them next to a Hyundai hydrogen-powered car. (The brand’s press release said that the video is “presenting the company’s vision for hydrogen energy as the positive energy for a better tomorrow.” Cool.)
The selfie is supposed to indicate… what, exactly? The mind boggles, the soul reels. Earth Day has reached its logical end: absolutely meaningless corporate drivel.
