Spiteful, sand-filled sustainability: Pro-environment moves at Cannes
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Spiteful, sand-filled sustainability: Pro-environment moves at Cannes
Getty Images and VisualGPS released a report “Sustainability at the Crossroads’” The report surveyed thousands of people from 25 countries. It found that 66% of respondents from the U.S. remain unconvinced that brands are genuinely committed to sustainability. 75% want to see visuals that show how people have been personally affected by climate change.. Clean Creatives sent its employees their own “Cannes in a Can,” which contains actual sand from the festival’s location, buried treasures, secrets and scratch-and-sniff postcards that smell like “sunscreen, rosé and oil-slicked CEOs.” For agencies that have pledged to not work with fossil fuel clients, Creatives for Climate launched a free matchmaking service on its website last week that pairs potential clients with such agencies. The nonprofit will be recruiting more agencies who are committed to climate action at Climate Action Week in London and Cannes.
When it comes to achieving environmental sustainability, are consumers satisfied with how brands, agencies and other companies contribute to the cause?
Based on the findings of VisualGPS’ report “Sustainability at the Crossroads,” not really.
Released last week, the Getty Images platform partnered with global research firm MarketCast to survey thousands of people from 25 countries – including the U.K., the U.S., Brazil, Germany and Singapore – to gauge their observations on companies that make an attempt to be environmentally friendly.
Globally, consumers are telling businesses to put their money where their mouths are. According to the report, around 90% of respondents believe that it’s up to companies to use their resources to improve society and the environment.
However, other statistics suggest that consumers want said companies to show not just awareness, but action.
(Photo credit: Getty Images and VisualGPS)
The report stated that 66% of respondents from the U.S. remain unconvinced that brands are genuinely committed to sustainability, and 72% question the credibility of their environmental claims.
“People want to see real action,” said Dr. Rebecca Swift (SVP, creative, Getty Images) in a statement. “They want to believe in the impact they are seeing.”
Based on the findings of the report, U.S. consumers also believe that visual credibility matters more than ever. Over two-thirds (67%) want to see images and videos demonstrating how both companies and governments are addressing climate change (not just in isolated campaigns), and 75% want to see visuals that show how people have been personally affected by climate change.
In the advertising and marketing industry, some agencies have committed to working only with environmentally friendly clients. For the others who haven’t, Clean Creatives had a sandy surprise in store for their employees.
While the agencies’ C-suites bury their toes in the beaches surrounding this year’s Cannes Lions, their employees remain in the office, buried in work. So, Clean Creatives decided to send said employees their own “Cannes in a Can,” which contains actual sand from the festival’s location, buried treasures, secrets and scratch-and-sniff postcards that smell like “sunscreen, rosé and oil-slicked CEOs,” according to a statement.
Duncan Meisel, Clean Creatives’ executive director, told Campaign that employees at holding companies are “paying the price” of their leadership’s failure in responding to changes within the business environment.
“Climate change is another test of that leadership, and CEOs are again failing to respond, leaving employees in the position of working for polluters that harm their other clients and clash with their values,” he continued. “The agency model is in transition, and part of that transition should be an exit from fossil fuels.”
The cans, which were sent to agencies in NYC, Chicago and London, aimed to inspire conversations among their employees that could “trigger senior management” in Cannes, according to the statement.
A representative from Clean Creatives hands a London WPP employee their own Cannes in a Can. (Photo credit: Clean Creatives, used with permission)
They’re also recyclable and reusable. Meisel suggested that besides using the can to grow an indoor plant “that will do more for the planet than fossil fuel companies ever will,” it can also be turned into a swear jar “for every time your boss sends you another fossil fuel brief [or] storing business cards for when you’re ready for a new job.”
For agencies that have pledged to not work with fossil fuel clients, Creatives for Climate launched a free matchmaking service on its website last week that pairs potential clients with such agencies. According to a statement released by the nonprofit global network, brands can use the service to connect with “pre-vetted, fossil-free creative agencies.”
The statement also said that Creatives for Climate will be recruiting more of these agencies who are committed to climate action at Climate Action Week in London and Cannes Lions.
The nonprofit’s CEO, Lucy von Sturmer, said in the statement that this matchmaking service is a way to create a new “economy within the industry.”
She added it also sends a clear message: “Change now, or get left behind.”