Action 5 The cultural influence and creative power of the advertising industry should be used to drive positive change, in every sector of the economy. Action 5 is focused on using our ability to support more sustainable behaviours.
Ad Net Zero has created Every Brief Counts, a voluntary, science-backed toolkit that aims to help creative, strategy and brand professionals support more sustainable behaviours through advertising campaigns. It aims to educate teams on the key sustainable behaviours outlined by climate science and the ways to tell these stories effectively through advertising. It has been developed in response to industry feedback, particularly from creatives and strategists, that there is a need for easy-to-digest science-backed climate information demonstrating how they can use their skill set in this area.
Initiatives like #ChangeTheBrief are also recommended to educate and equip agencies, and advertisers, with an understanding of more sustainable solutions to their campaign briefs and product strategies, driving long-term business success.
There are many resources and case studies to help agencies and the industry along this journey:
Ad Net Zero’s Every Brief Counts is an actionable and easy-to-digest toolkit which curates the most impactful, science-backed sustainable behaviors, providing strategists, creatives, producers and account teams with knowledge and examples of what these can look like in advertising. Check our Resources hub for the Every Brief Counts Toolkit.
The Campaign Ad Net Zero Awards showcase the best examples of more sustainable advertising and build a case study library – found on Ad Net Zero’s Resource Hub.
Purpose Disruptors’ #ChangeTheBrief platform provides an on demand and face to face learning program, offering insights and expert advice at a category level on how we can adapt our work to promote more sustainable choices and behaviors in line with a zero-carbon world.
It’s important to educate teams on greenwashing as part of these efforts:
US-based resources:
- Institute of Advertising Ethics GreenShield training (free).
- Government documentation: Green Guides | Federal Trade Commission, What Companies Need to Know About California’s AB 1305
UK- and EU-based resources:
How you can make progress on Action 5:
- Engage in training and resources for strategists, creatives and account teams – educating on sustainable behaviours and avoiding greenwashing.
- Use the Every Brief Counts toolkit to ensure ads reflect climate reality and support/promote more sustainable behaviours to drive positive change for our planet.
- Avoid misleading environmental claims and greenwashing. Note that greenwashing is very specific to each country as to the guidance and regulation.
- Celebrate the industry’s best work through the Campaign Ad Net Zero Awards.
