When I'm walking in the city or reading a magazine, I don't pay much attention to the advertisements I see. But they nonetheless slyly work their way into my consciousness, which is exactly what the advertisers want. I see the ads from this oil company or that financial institute and their "altruistic" projects to protect the environment or help developing countries, for example. The problem is that I am seeing only one small part of a much bigger picture.

That's one reason why I enjoy working with the folks at the Berne Declaration for their annual Public Eye Awards that take place in Davos, Switzerland, on Opening Day of the World Economic Forum (WEF). The awards remind us that corporate advertising shows us only the side of the corporation that it wants us to see, many times hiding activities that help it maximize profits, with the often unfortunate (although apparently acceptable to the corporation) side effects of human rights violations or environmental destruction.

My involvement is translating documents from German to English, and helping out with computer support during the awards ceremony. Here's the beginning of the (translated) press release:

On Opening Day of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration and Greenpeace will present the Public Eye Awards 2010 in Davos. Screen star Julia Jentsch will moderate the WEF-critical event on January 27th, joined by keynote speakers Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics, and Jürgen Trittin, former German Environment Minister and current parliamentary leader of The Greens. Six corporations are once again nominated for the (in)famous awards, including Arcelor Mittal, Roche, the Royal Bank of Canada and the IOC. Online voting for the People's Award is possible at www.publiceye.ch, and for the first time a Greenwash Award will expose the most implausible social and eco labels.

Descriptions of all nominees are available on www.publiceye.ch, where you can also cast your vote for the People's Award until January 26. Tell your friends!