At first glance, the Dow Chemical Corporation presents an emotive advertisement; a closely cropped photo of a little boy is staring deep into the camera. The ad is a two page spread with the left page showing a magnetic photo of the boy. Superimposed over his face are low opacity letters which represent a fabricated new periodic table entry, labeled “Hu: for the Human Element”. This periodic table entry reads “98″, “Hu”, “HUMAN”, and “7E + 09″ in a clean, low-opacity white, sans-serif font. The second page is bright white with a stylized font contained in the center of the page, giving a fresh and inspired look at hope. It reads:

“And just like that, the laws of chemistry change. A world that includes the Human Element, along with hydrogen, oxygen, and the other elements, is a very different world indeed. Suddenly, chemistry is put to work solving human problems. Bonds are formed between aspirations and commitments. And the energy released from reactions fuels a boundless spirit that will make the planet a safer, cleaner, more comfortable place for generations to come. A world that welcomes change is about to meet the element of change: the Human Element.”

This advertisement, that has taken up the entire centerfold of the October 2006 Scientific American magazine, is slick, successful, and smart. It is also misleading propaganda aimed at buffing up the reputation of a Trans-National Corporation whose products and services are currently contributing to the desecration of the earth and its inhabitants. The Dow Chemical Corporation Human Element advertisement tries to paint a peaceful, earth-friendly and humanitarian picture, while in reality no amount of money can cover up this corporation’s contribution to the decline of humanity.

While the whole advertisement is quite simple it tries to accomplish a host of different objectives. First, it lures the viewer in with a sympathetic and well chosen photo. The young boy pulls at the heart strings of the viewer, his eyes tugging at your sympathies. How could an ad that features this little boy be sinister? By using impressive imagery that resembles an element from the periodic table, the ad infuses the viewer with confidence that the company knows what it is doing scientifically. The polished, professional panache appears to give credibility to the company: if they can afford such a striking, two page ad then they must be doing something right.

The second page of this ad romances the reader with language. Through sympathetic syntax and touching text the words confuse but are strategically placed to make the viewer feel good about this chemical production company. Words such as “change,” “solving human problems,” “aspirations and commitments,” and “boundless spirit” add to this warm, confident feeling. Finally, this advertisement implies that the periodic table is missing one element: the Human Element. By adding this new element to any equation, the corporation becomes in unity with the world. All things are connected in an elemental world, and the Dow Chemical Company wants you to believe that it can bring all these elements together by adding the “Human Element”.

As I have been researching this company for my paper this afternoon, I have become more and more dismayed. The Dow Chemical Corporation is another giant TNC (actually, the second largest global chemical corporation) providing dangerous chemicals, petroleum based products, and genetically modified seeds. More information on this dangerous company:

- A major manufacturer of breast implants, Dow Corning, a subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Corporation, was successfully sued in 1977, 1991, 1992, 1994, and 1995 causing the corporation to have to file for bankruptcy protection.

- Dow manufactured Agent Orange, a dioxine-laced chemical used in the Vietnam War which has been proven to have caused skin diseases, liver damage, reproductive problems, and many types of cancers in Vietnam veterans.

- The Dow Chemical Corporation produced Napalm, During the Vietnam War, and became the sole supplier to the United States military. Napalm, an incendiary liquid used as a weapon in Vietnam, led to human casualties that were widely displayed in the news media. Protests of Dow took place at many colleges but Dow’s board of directors voted to continue production of napalm (after attempting to persuade the U.S. Department of Defense to accept responsibility for napalm and exculpate Dow’s management).

- On December 2 and 3 in 1984, a poisonous gas called methyl isocyanate was leaked from a factory in Bhopal, India that was owned by the Union Carbide Corporation. That leak caused a disaster where over 20,000 people died and over 120,000 people were severely injured. Dow purchased the Union Carbide Company (including its assets and liabilities) in 2001 and claims no responsibility. In fact, Dow has refused to aid at all to the recovery of the disaster, cleanup of the toxic factory site, or provide clean water to the residents of Bhopal. The drinking water in this town is still to this day (23 years after the disaster) contaminated. It is with sadistic irony that the Dow Chemical Corporation’s new advertising campaign includes a clean-water initiative while the citizens of Bhopal still beg for justice.

Visually stunning, Dow’s Human Element campaign preaches the humanitarian and globally-minded virtues of the Dow Chemical Corporation. Although deceptively sophisticated, the project itself has had little if any positive impact on cleaning the world’s water supply. The ad includes a beautifully compelling photo and excellently written copy, but has little material substance or tangible outcomes.

The Dow Chemical Corporation will need a lot more than a $30 million dollar designer ad campaign to repair the tear it has ripped in the fragile fabric of humanity.

I found a really great website that outlines the horrors of the Dow Chemical Corporation and its subsidiaries: The Truth About Dow Check it out and let me know what you think.