Sustainable Advertising – Bourn & Munden

The one-sentence summary: Advertising can support a better future if we change the way we work and the work we make.

WHAT THE BOOK SAYS

  • This is a manifesto for the world’s advertising industry that aims to make every ad a sustainable ad. It covers the way ads are made and distributed, and the products, services and behaviours they should promote, to accelerate change and ensure that the industry is fit for purpose in the face of the climate crisis.
  • It sets out an action plan for agencies, brands, media owners, tech platforms and individuals, including how to avoid greenwashing, how to pitch more sustainable behaviour changes to appeal to the maximum number of customers, and how advertising can make a positive contribution to the global battle against climate change.
  • The suggested framework has 5 actions:
    1. Getting our own house in order
    2. Reduce emissions from advertising production
    3. Reduce emissions from media planning and buying
    4. Reduce emissions through awards and from events
    5. Harness advertising’s power to change behaviour
  • The Advertising Standards Authority has 5 principles on environmental claims:
    1. Is the basis of the claim clearly stated in the copy?
    2. Is the meaning of the term clearly stated?
    3. Does your evidence support an absolute claim or a comparative claim?
    4. Are absolute claims backed up by evidence about the entire life cycle?
    5. Does the copy overstate the environmental benefits?
  • The goal is to increase exponentially the volume of campaigns supporting a sustainable product, service or behaviour and to make those campaigns as effective and appealing as possible, delivering changes in behaviour at scale.
  • A simple model for behaviour change is summarized by the acronym EAST:

E for Easy means making the most sustainable option the default or easiest one

A for Attractive means using rewards and sanctions to maximum effect

S for Social means the social nature of commitments is crucial

T for Timely means prompting people when they are most likely to be receptive

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT

  • Unlike some industry-specific books, this one is overt about accepting responsibility and getting its own house in order. It mixes quick wins with long-term success for media plans.
  • The statistics come thick and fast:
    • 58% of people name TV programmes as an important source of inspiration for environmental change
    • 78% think TV advertisers should be doing more
    • 75% think that TV programmes should be doing more to resolve the climate crisis
  • The Climate emergency frame involves:
    1. Highlight problem behaviour
    2. Sound the alarm about future consequences
    3. Emphasize important data and statistics
  • This comes with a warning to point out the problem but to avoid fear-based appeals or placing blame or guilt.
  • The Climate optimism frame recommends that you:
    1. Show the solution is easy and normal to do
    2. Show how it benefits YOU
    3. Make it surprising, using humour or harnessing curiosity.
  • Helpful themes to consider include using hope over fear and using stories over statistics. It might be about climate, but it doesn’t need to say climate. Highlight a solution not a sacrifice, use the right messenger, and pay attention to cultural context to provide the right triggers of change.
  • The book concludes with 16 steps to mobilize your company which include summoning your courage, creating a climate action plan with science-based targets, training everyone on the subject, avoiding greenwashing at all costs, tracking, measuring, reporting and reducing emissions, plus a series of recommendations for those involved in specific activities such as running award schemes and events.

WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH

  • Unsurprisingly, this is an industry-specific book and so will only be relevant to those involved in advertising and marketing, which means there is a fair amount of very specific material.
  • As ever with this topic, there is a tension between the often-cited claim that advertising has the power to create shifts in behaviour, and the question as to whether the industry truly wants to do it because they are too wedded to encouraging excessive consumption.