Sleeping with the enemy?

The current issue of Fast Company features an interesting ad on its back cover. In a 3-inch strip on the left-hand side of the page is an ad for BMW's Mini Cooper with the tag, "Let's make room for mother nature." The rest of the page is basically white space with the logo of The Nature Conservancy and a Web page reference. Small letters at the top read, "This ad space donated by Mini."

For some environmentalists, this type of partnership may look like a sell out. From another perspective, it is a creative way to get your message across and to partner with an organization that may share your view of the world. This campaign is distinctive--a winner for both parties.