Advertising and marketing professionals are being spurred on to seize the opportunities of the sustainable economy and play a critical role in its acceleration with the launch of a new book which describes how everyone can help: from the way the work is made and distributed, to the product, service, and behaviour it promotes.
Sustainable Advertising – How Advertising Can Support a Better Future has been written by Advertising Association communication director Matt Bourn and Ad Net Zero chair Sebastian Munden, with a case for change and a manifesto for advertising to help build a sustainable economy. It is to be published by Kogan Page on March 3.
The publication provides a clear action plan for agencies, brands, media owners, tech platforms and individuals in a global effort to decarbonise rapidly and help support, and where possible, speed up the transition to a more sustainable way of life.
It builds on the Ad Net Zero 5-point action plan and draws together interviews, insights, research, reports, and case studies from more than 70 global, international and UK organisations across the advertising, sustainability, and political landscape.
Contributors include specialists from the Advertising Standards Authority, the Behaviour Insights Team, Cannes Lions, Channel 4, Dentsu, Google, GroupM, ITV, Meta, NatWest, Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, PwC, Tesco, the Tony Blair Institute, Unilever, the World Federation of Advertisers, and WPP, plus many more from the Ad Net Zero global community.
The authors outline the key steps that companies and individuals can take to reduce their carbon footprint and increase their positive environmental impact. Topics covered include how to avoid greenwashing, how to decarbonise the operations, production, and distribution of advertising and how to pitch more sustainable products, services, and behaviours to have mass appeal to customers.
Bourn said: “The way we tackle climate action is central to the reputation, now and future, of the advertising industry. If the industry mobilises fast and in the right way, it can make a powerful and lasting positive contribution to the global battle against climate change. We have no time to lose and everything to gain.”
Munden added: “This book is a call-to-action to marketing and advertising, a manifesto to fully engage with the opportunities of the sustainable economy and help accelerate a shift to a more sustainable way of working and living. It’s full of strategies, tools, and research we can all use, and shares case studies of companies that are leading the way.”
The book explores the big behaviour changes that are needed and why – presenting multiple case studies, showcasing examples of sustainable advertising, practical guides and tools – and describes what ‘good’ looks like in sustainable advertising, now and future.
It also details customer behaviour change research and insights that support a sustainable future, how to measure (and take responsibility for) advertising’s impact, and how to align climate action with personal purpose to build a rewarding career.
All proceeds from the sales of Sustainable Advertising will go towards the future funding of Ad Net Zero, the climate action initiative which is creating tools, resources, and training to support the world’s advertising industry drive to help tackle climate change.
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