
Purpose: it’s not a charitable add-on—it’s a better business model
Thomas is a contributor to AdWeek where he recently shared some of his thoughts on brands and purpose. Click here to read the original article. In a branding sense, purpose has become like Pokémon. Everybody is searching for it, but nobody really knows why. Much like...

Thomas discusses purpose with WARC at Cannes Lions 2018
Thomas sat down with advertising effectiveness experts WARC during Cannes Lions 2018 to discuss opportunities and pitfalls surrounding corporate purpose.
Dear Lions: stop being nice, be brutal
This opinion was originally featured in The Drum Cannes Lions for once didn’t miss a heartbeat in supporting a growing business community that stands behind the Sustainable Development Goals agenda and this year introduced a Sustainable Development Goals Lion of its...
Hate something, change something: how marketing can make a difference
If you need change, who do you call? As ad land begins to embrace sustainability, purpose and goodvertising like a kid in a candy store, I witness marketing agencies slide down the client’s calling list as fast as that ex who just won’t let go. The marketing industry...
Organised communications assistant wanted for book project
Goodvertising is looking for an organised communications assistant to join the team for a key project for 6 months with a strong chance of the position becoming permanent. The role would be ideal for a student whose written English is fluent and who's interested in...
Sustainable Brands x Pixelis: Paris 2019
Sustainable Brands has just announced it will be partnering with Pixelis, a branding agency committed to design, innovation and sustainability, for Pan-European event in Paris in 2019. It will be the largest of its kind on the continent, in a city that has become a...
Impact vs. making a good impression: interview with M & M Finland
Thomas Kolster was recently interviewed by Marketing & Advertising Finland. This is the translated article - you can see the original here. Enjoy! Responsibility is on everyone's lips, but few marketing impressions have real impact - "Words and actions do not...
Creativity for Good: Catch us at the Upcoming D&AD Festival
Some snapshots from the D&AD Festival exploring how we can use creativity to make impact on society, sustainability, and our work matter more.
Corporate America Swings from Sobs to Silence in this year’s Super Bowl
It was a sad Super Bowl. Sad, as only Trump can say it. Saaad. On the one hand, a fast-talking, cunning clown tried to sell me stuff as ad land usually does best. On the other, I felt emotionally mistreated by a sobbing stranger playing curling with my heart....
The new brand power: Empowerment
The new power is empowerment, unravels how and why brands need to redefine the good life and give individuals the power to get involved in this process.
What it takes to win a D&AD Impact Award
This week I was invited to judge the D&AD Impact Awards for the 2nd year in a row. It’s an important initiative, as it not only shines light on important environmental and social issues, but aim to solve them. D&AD already one of the most recognized awards globally in...
A bear gets sustainability right!
You need a bear to explain sustainability – I absolutely love the simplicity of the message: The Bare Necessities. Isn’t that really what life is about?
Struktureret SoMe, website og event koordinator søges
Goodvertising mangler en struktureret medarbejder, som kan være med til at skubbe bevægelsen fremad. Det forventes at du har en skarp pen og kan skrive på engelsk. Arbejdsopgaver er blandede som f.eks. at opdatere Goodvertising.info og de sociale medier, kommunikation...
From Cairo to Istanbul – When life gives you lemons, make lemonade
Traveling in markets like Turkey and Egypt it’s easy to get pessimistic about the outlook or for that sake if you live in Britain faced with #Brexit or in the US faced with Trumpism.
#CoffeeAndGoodvertising with Mathias Vikstrøm
I had a cup of coffee with Mathias Vikström, CEO of RBK Communication and one of the brilliant men behind the Åland Index and I couldn’t let him leave before I got this interview
2016 Goodvertising Top 10
We’ve picked the Top 10 Goodvertising work from 2016 – have a look and see if you agree?
What is Goodvertising?
Are you not really sure what Goodvertising actually is? Thomas Kolster has the answer.
In Georgia CSR-determination wins
CSR efforts can grow under even challenging circumstances. This was true when I visited Belarus and my recent visit to Georgia proved it again.
Coke’s new campaign signals a global offensive against slumping sales
While Coke’s new campaign might be killing the brand, could it be revitalizing sales?
Documentary film reveals slave-like conditions behind South African wine labels, but is it doing the cause a disservice?
The film Bitter Grapes is calling for the Scandinavian supermarkets to live up to their corporate social responsibility efforts as well as leaving me and you with the hasty message about “choose your wine responsibly”. The film’s pointed finger bothers me, so here is what the film should have done.
A Reason to Smile – Sustainable Brands Bangkok: Behind the Scenes
Join behind the scenes from Sustainable Brands Bangkok, which offered a culinary journey and inspiration from Thais pioneering a local food movement.
Take a leak for your neighborhood…
Danish supermarket chain Irma uses untraditional methods in a new campaign, “Slå en streg for din bydel/Take a leak for your neighborhood”, at the annual Culture Night in Copenhagen today, where they test Danes’ “organic condition” using 13 mobile toilets.
More than 400 Norwegian marketers coming together for inspiration
The Norwegian advertising association had invited me to do a keynote at their yearly and largest event – Den Store Annonsørdagen – The Big Advertiser’s Day.
Creativity can make a REAL difference proves D&AD Impact Award
Finally an award celebrating impact rather than empty words and awareness: D&AD Impact Award. I was honoured to join the judging alongside creative minds like Jamie Oliver and David Droga.
African Cristal gives out Goodvertising Grand Prix
Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of judging the 4th African Cristal Awards in Marrakesh. The Awards also saw a novel collaboration between Cristal and Goodvertising as it was decided to award the very first “Goodvertising Grand Cristal”.
I was too single-minded.
I should be more media-savvy than falling for this recent press story. It’s a stark reminder about the power of the press.
Judge Nomination for The Marketing Can Change The World Award
Proud to be judging the Marketing Can Change The World Award by The Drum
Be Ruthlessly Simple or Fail
A blog post originally featured in an African magazine dedicated to sustainability “How Now”.
Forget everything you do today: People don’t like adverts!
Too much advertising has the opposite effect to that intended, and it’s high time brands realized that, author Thomas Kolster told the Media360Summit in Hong Kong.
Happy to be joining the Sustainable Brands European Host Committee bringing the event to Copenhagen
Really excited to join the Sustainable Brands Host committee to bring the European event from London to Copenhagen.
Je parle Français – Goodvertising now in French!
French edition of Goodvertising coming out September 30th. What to expect?
How can the world’s most inspiring storytellers unite with businesses to accelerate change?
I’m excited to share with you our upcoming change project together with North Europe’s biggest documentary film festival: CPH:DOX. Do write me if you want to join or support this amazing initiative – lots of exciting possibilities for brands and organisations. Read more here.
10 Cannes Lions Winning #Goodvertising Campaigns
Check out this selection of 10 astonishing award-winning Cannes Lions #Goodvertising campaigns
Recycling yes, but in the right bin?
Initiative from Sao Paolo. Most recycling bins ask people to sort the garbage into different categories, but do people really bother?
Honoured to be judging EACA Care Awards
The EACA Care Awards is the 6th award I’ll be judging over the last two years, which is an important way for me to keep up-to-date.
Hurrahhh 2015
There’s plenty to be optimistic about when it comes to advertising in 2015! Finally brands are beginning to recognize that it’s not about pushing messages and snappy jokes at people, but actually seeing where they can play a meaningful role in people’s lives
#SB14London: Innovating for Sustainability – A Game of Two Halves?
This sustainability tag-team took the audience at Sustainable Brands in London on a journey towards new thought processes in problem-solving.
Marketing Is from Mars, Sustainability Is from Venus
Most brands are still scarily silent about the difference they want to make in our lives and yet hope we won’t notice them force-feeding us with advertising-as-usual
Contribution to TrendBook 2014 by Hatalska
TrendBook 2014 by Polish marketing expert Hatalska presents an analysis of the five top trends for the next year and I’ve contributed to the chapter about sustainable development.
Good acts and #Goodvertising in the Danish news daily Politiken
An interview about good acts, prank it forward and random acts of kindness in Danish news daily Politiken
Expert 1-on-1
After a period of increasing demand for shorter advisory sessions I have decided to launch a formal “Expert 1-on-1” through Skype or phone
The Responsible Business Summit saw the death and resurrection of the CSR Report
When the Ethical Corporation invited me to a conference called the “Responsible Business Summit”, I already had two matches in bullshit bingo “Ethical” and “Responsible”. I assumed we had moved on from the responsible smokescreen to discuss what really moves 99,9% of companies: Money or the fear of losing it.
How to make #goodvertising
Advertising is facing a world that doesn’t want it any more. We are facing the dire reality of a world with scarcer resources and consumers that are tired of brands behaving like self-serving dictators. Goodvertising offers a new way forward where it’s about serving real needs instead of creating wants.
‘Goodvertising’ Trashed at Super Bowl
In terms of share of voice, there’s no doubt about it: standard advertising outmuscled the David-like attempts of Goodvertising to bring a different narrative forward — one that advocates caring for each other and our planet.
NEW WORKSHOP: Stand for something rather than everything
Brands need to have a single-minded sustainability preposition instead of a save-all approach that often equals save-nothing. Those who succeed in the green space stand for something like Bodyshop for animal cruelty free cosmetics.
[2014 trends] Nobody cares about sustainability
I hear that statement often when I’m doing a talk or presenting to a group of marketing directors. It’s often delivered as a defiant outburst or a sarcastic mumbling,”Our clients don’t care about sustainability!” or, “Our clients won’t pay more for sustainable products!”
Welcome to the conference Sustainable Bottom Line
Together with Denmark’s biggest financial news daily Børsen and marketing magazine Markedsføring I’m putting together a conference called Sustainable Bottom Line.
A transparent market means rethinking the ways brands advertise
In the transparent marketplace it’s what you do, not what you say, that makes the difference, and that’s good for sustainability.
It’s Time for Big Business to Go Back to School
Nelson Mandela once remarked: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” and I’m inclined to agree. In a world riddled with social ills, one common factor becomes evident, and that is the pivotal role of education in shaping our society.
Book a talk or workshop
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Where Should the ‘Responsibility’ in CSR End?
A company’s responsibility used to stop at the factory gates, but now covers the entire life cycle of the product from cradle to grave. But where does this responsibility end?
The empty roar of the Cannes Lion and an ad industry in distress
For a global gathering of the most brilliant minds from agencies it was shocking to notice that 99.9% of their so-called creativity is still used to sell more stuff instead of taking on the biggest challenges of this century: the darkening clouds of the social and environmental crisis lurking in the horizon.
Launch of WhereGoodGrows at Sustainable Brands in San Diego
Just returned from 4 inspiring days in San Diego at Sustainable Brands where I also launched wheregoodgrows.com
Myanmar – an Asian Kitten with Growing Pains
I was speaking last week at an advertising summit in Yangon, Myanmar and it was an exciting opportunity to get a look at a cute Asian kitten before it grows into yet another Tiger.
Sustainability is the new competition – learnings from Sustainable Brands
The theme of collaboration once again came through in the surprisingly honest and insightful experiences that the marketers shared with one another at Sustainable Brands in London.
Goodvertising: How We Can Make Sustainabilty Attractive.
Thomas Kolster shares his views on how to make sustainability attractive through communication.
Africa wants African solutions
At the conference Sustain Our Africa I saw a continent that’s far from the picture painted by most Western media of hardship, struggle and poverty
Sustainability – what’s really in it for me?
An estimated 80% of US consumers are interested in sustainability in some shape or form. The mainstream market for sustainable products is definitely there.
Can superyachts be green?
Even though it might sound like greening up a Hummer, which eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2010, it’s nevertheless a welcomed step. Yes, Hummer and the superyachts have certain similarities, it’s really not a necessity, but a luxury bestowed the few.
What did you do to try and stop it?
If you’re willing to come along, we can do it; and if you aren’t – we’re going without you. As I have argued, no matter where you are in the hamster wheel as a marketer, we can change towards a sustainable and respectable future.
Please, mom and dad, send more planets
Our ignorance has left much of our planet in a state of emergency. Our natural resources are depleted, we are faced with catastrophically high carbon levels, a destruction of half the earth’s biodiversity, exhaustion of our oceans’ fish stocks and toxins and metals in most living beings on the planet. I could go on and on.
We want you to take your very best ideas, and give them away
When compiling our cases for the book, Goodvertising, we noticed that while there was certainly a trend towards more sustainable communication, there was no central source or archive where one could go and find this work. As a destination for both inspiration and sharing best-practices – we have created the first website of its kind in the world – WhereGoodGrows.
Why we need to win the sustainability battle with Goodvertising
If we look at the advertising landscape of today, 99% of the messages out there communicate nothing more than: Consume the world, which unfortunately leaves slim odds for a more responsible, sustainable voice to gain traction.
Am I at all qualified to write a book?
Ignore the skeptics, the non-believers and change what you can. Dare to dream and do big things!
Don’t be afraid of green washing, be afraid of green nothing
I really don’t see green washing as a problem. I see it as a potential. It is a brand’s first unsecure step in a good direction, a brand that is trying to walk the talk of sustainability.
Beautiful LOHAS infographic done by our friends at Metaphoria
Our friends from Metaphoria have done the very beautiful infographic in my book “Goodvertising” showcasing a consumer segment called LOHAS which stands for Lifestyle for Health and Sustainability.
What brands can learn from the fall of Mubarak and why advertising will become goodvertising
“The people want to bring down the regime! The people want to bring down the regime!” As the shouting barely has silenced in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, the echoes should be an everlasting reminder to any oppressor; the power lies in the people. I think there is an equally important lesson to be learned for brands and companies. The days where brands could get away with claiming that they are “bigger, better and stronger” – like a dictator – are over.
Would you put your name to that?
For advertising agencies it’s long been a tradition to add their names to print ads they have made for their clients. It’s almost like a statement: See what we’ve made. I like it and encourage it (if done on all their ads). What a great transparent way to tell consumers (and potential clients) what work you have done and that you’re proud enough of it to put your name to it. But what are agencies willing to put their name to? Cigarettes? Fossil fuels? Advertising aimed at children? Unhealthy ingredients? Alcohol?
Consumers expect you to deliver value
Consumers have lost faith in brands. A global consumer research study, “Brand Sustainable Futures”, by Havas Media, of over 30 000 people spanning 4 continents and 9 markets found that two thirds of consumers say that they don’t care whether the majority of brands survive or not.