Purpose Hits and Misses with Ad Age: September 2023 Stream
On a monthly basis, I explore with Ad Age the best and worst purpose marketing ads. What can you learn from the French sun king or Apple's divine comedy? Together with Ad Age I talk hits and misses from brands like Apple, eBay, Greenpeace International, Solarbox,...
Kicking Off Climate Punk with Sustainable Chef, Douglas McMaster
I’m behind the microphone on a mission to find radical new answers to the climate emergency. No more BS. Hopefully by talking to climate punks around the world, I can inspire you to find the climate punk within yourself. Remember to follow the channel, let’s create a...
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.
