18th Jun 2024 Gemini 1.5 Pro
Kim Buisson, CMO of Funding the Commons and Earth Commons, joins the Funding Public Goods podcast to discuss her unique perspective on the intersection of climate and crypto. With a background in traditional marketing, luxury branding, and creative agency work, Buisson brings a wealth of experience in narrative building and impact creation.
Buisson's journey led her to recognize the untapped potential of imagination capital locked within the private sector. She saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between artists, storytellers, and the burgeoning world of Web3 and climate action. Joining Funding the Commons and Earth Commons was a natural progression, allowing her to leverage her skills to engage a wider audience in these critical conversations.
Buisson argues that both the climate and crypto spaces, while inherently collaborative, often struggle with communication. She observes that the crypto community, while organically adept at building trust networks and fostering engagement, often remains insular, hindered by impenetrable jargon and a lack of relatable narratives.
"The issue with that is that you end up with a community that's only talking to itself. So now I think part of the next wave is going to be... how do we make it more accessible? How do we also find the right use cases, the right stories, the right narratives that make people curious and make people feel like, there is a path for them..."
Conversely, the climate space suffers from an oversaturation of traditional messaging, making it challenging to break through the noise and inspire genuine action. Buisson believes that fostering collaboration between diverse projects can amplify impact and create a more unified and resonant voice for the movement.
Buisson challenges the traditional competitive mindset often prevalent in marketing, advocating for a more collaborative approach, particularly in the climate and crypto arenas. Drawing parallels to private sector industries where competitors convene to discuss common interests, she suggests a similar model for these emerging fields.
"What's interesting earlier, you said that maybe there wasn't as much collaboration in the private sector, but in fact, there is. The heads of different brands get together, even, you know, competitors get together to discuss how their industry is doing and how, you know... They're handling certain things and they affect policy together."
Buisson envisions a space where key players in the climate and crypto spheres gather to strategize and align on communication, ensuring that resources are used effectively and a unified message reaches a broader audience. This collaborative narrative building, she argues, is crucial for breaking through the clutter and generating meaningful impact.
While acknowledging the limitations of traditional media's high barrier to entry, Buisson sees potential in leveraging new forms of social media. She emphasizes a playful, experimental approach to content creation, viewing each campaign as a pilot to learn and adapt.
"I think experimenting is a big part of all of this. We're not pretending to know every day, every campaign we run is an experiment. Everything is a pilot. And if you can be playful about it and if you can have the resources to do that, you find out a lot in a short amount of time."
This agile methodology allows for flexibility and responsiveness in a rapidly evolving media landscape. By embracing experimentation, Buisson believes that Funding the Commons and Earth Commons can effectively reach and engage their target audiences.
Buisson expresses concern about the overuse and potential greenwashing of terms like "regenerative finance" and "public goods." She advocates for grounding these concepts in historical context and emphasizing the human stories behind them.
"Something that I'm finding interesting in a lot of the talks that we're hearing over the past couple of days is taking these words and having speakers tell us about how these concepts have been around forever and grounding those in the history of what humans have done for the long, like regenerative agriculture is not a new concept."
Buisson believes that showcasing lived experiences and fostering genuine human connection is crucial for cutting through the noise and inspiring authentic engagement. She emphasizes the irreplaceable value of personal narratives, particularly in a world increasingly saturated by AI-generated content. By prioritizing the human element, Buisson aims to make climate action and Web3 technology more relatable and accessible to a wider audience.
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