IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising)’s Post

“Positive change comes from positive dissatisfaction”. Brilliant advice from Nicky Bullard, CCO, MullenLowe UK on what makes an agency brand strong 🙌 As the agency landscape continues to shift, change and become more complex, we set out to distil the #PowerofAgencyBrands by chatting to some of the top agencies in the industry to get their thoughts, insight and future plans 💥 In this interview, Creativebrief’s Stephanie Nattu speaks to MullenLowe UK duo Claire Hollands, CEO and Nicky Bullard, CCO. Watch the full interview to glean more tips, learn about which agency brands Claire and Nicky admire (spoiler alert: it’s inhouse!), and discover how positive dissatisfaction translates into ESG frameworks: https://lnkd.in/evPy3dJz

This sparks a much-needed debate in my view and begs the question: where is the line when it comes to who you’re willing to work with? We’re very proud to be a B Corp UK but we know it isn’t everything - it commits us to a rigorous framework, and sets out what we’re about, but ultimately it’s what we do rather than what we say that matters. Calls are being made to B Lab - which oversee the B Corp movement - to ditch any agencies supporting fossil fuels companies, and B Lab has set out a conventional ESG screening approach to ‘controversial’ sectors in its initial response. According to The Drum, B Lab’s executive director Chris Turner has said: “B Lab has not stipulated the exact industries that B Corps cannot work with. That being said, if a company has clients in the fossil fuels, defense, firearms, gambling, hazardous materials, pornography, prisons or tobacco industries, then their eligibility for certification would be reviewed.” But there’s nuance here. One could make the case for working with a fossil fuels firm that is genuinely committed to transition and a net zero pathway. And many of us are familiar with the ESG debate (and backlash) that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, regarding investing in defence and arms manufacturers. But - and it’s a big but - it’s a very murky, subjective area that is ripe for greenwash and spin. For me, it also begs a question that goes beyond the most obvious ‘controversial’ sectors - where is the line between ‘good and bad’ businesses, positive and negative impact, sustainable and unsustainable, when it comes to deciding who you work with? And the same can be said for agencies - which after all, are part of the supply chain that firms should be monitoring and reviewing as part of their own commitments - and ultimately performance and risk management - regarding social value and environmental sustainability. You could go a step further - should companies be willing to use suppliers/agencies that they know have adopted unethical tactics of practices, or are promoting/taking money from other businesses that are ultimately doing harm when it comes to social and environmental issues? In an era where every business out there - and pretty much every PR agency and advisory firm too - has adopted the ‘purpose-driven’ label, we all need to be accountable - and there’s a little more work to be done to ascertain who’s it in for the purpose, and who’s really all about the profit. (NOTE: @Social | A Certified B Corporation does not work in the fossil fuels industry!!) #esg #bcorp #bcorporation #comms #pr #businessforgood #betterbusiness #netzero #fossilfuels https://lnkd.in/d2cTSP2K https://lnkd.in/dNYswVK9 https://lnkd.in/dc8tt2DX

Are you a B Corp business? Are you considering becoming a B Corp? Or generally interested in what it all means? We're hosting a webinar on the 7th of March to discuss examples of best practice when it comes to unlocking business impact and sustainability communications.

We polled 2,100 people on how they feel about those businesses that constantly promote their ESG credentials. They're not impressed. In fact, it makes them NOT want to do business with these companies. Read why here: https://lnkd.in/e6rw6AdH #esgcommunications #esg #pr #branding #reputation #bcorp

Investigation finds that BIG AD & PR companies are not a great bet for green investors. DeSmog found sustainability rankings take little or no account of the risks associated with: 🤫 Reputational damage of greenwashing 👋 Threats to staff retention 💸 Danger of being sued for climate damages Investors are also demanding BIG AD & PR companies come clean about their climate impact. In my opinion, it's time we looked to support smaller creative studios and agencies who are genuinely working to create positive change in the world. #goodmarketing #sustainability #naturepositive https://lnkd.in/eRExvpGU

Global perspectives on #ESG communications are indeed insightful for global business and strategies. Different markets, different foci.

Enjoyed hearing from comms leaders from The Coca-Cola Company and IAG earlier this week at Isentia’s panel on the evolution of #sustainability communications.🍃   It was fascinating to hear from experts working in two sectors under particular scrutiny when it comes to sustainability; #insurance and #FMCG.   A few things that stuck with me from the talk;   1. There’s a growing expectation from internal and external audiences that communications campaigns reflect tangible action. It's no longer credible for businesses to stress the importance of sustainability in their campaigns without evidence to back it up. The creative story should be coming from proof points around actions taken.   2. Organisations are increasingly building accountability for meeting ESG KPIs at all levels of the organisation including executive, rather than just roles with sustainability (or similar) in their title.   3. Comms leaders at big corporates are confident in their power to impact stakeholders within the business through their connection to their audience. Campaign and comms data can be a powerful and persuasive tool to influence business decisions.

Following her panel talk 'The Future of the Creative Industry' at the Blue Earth Summit, Futerra Marketing and Advocacy Manager Aisha Ayoade writes "Navigating the Conscious vs. Commercial: The Future of the Creative Industry." Advising creatives on on maintaining morals whilst still building a career. Here are some takeaways: 🌟 Creatives wield the power to show sustainability as a financial opportunity, not a sacrifice. 🌍 Struggling on when to say no? The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as ethical guardrails for creative work. 💡 Transparency is reshaping the industry, with over 600 organizations pledging to avoid fossil fuel clients - Clean Creatives 🌱 The future of the creative industry hinges on sustainability and ethical responsibility. Discover how transparency and ethics are driving positive change in the creative sector. Read the full article https://lnkd.in/eQmr9UAy Panel speakers: Aisha Ayoade - Marketing and Advocacy Manager, Futerra Alex Hill - Co-Founder and Executive Director, SHARE Creative Sam Haddad - Journalist and Copywriter Chris Dooley - Head of Social Impact, JCDecaux UK

Is #sustainability becoming a non-topic for communicators? Maybe only for advertising. I noticed that while sustainability might become more absent from advertising, #ESG is still a massive topic on the #publicrelations side, maybe even bigger than ever before. Is this a consequence of if you overdue the paid media part for such topics, it hurts your credibility as it gets easily seen as overdoing it and becoming a kind of #greenwashing? This may be less of an advertising topic by default than an earned media discussion domain at this stage. What do you think? Check out the article by Phoebe O'Connell. #communications #marketing #greenreporting #webePRecious PRecious Communications Robin Chang Arundhati Saha Pauline Y. Anuroopa Pereira Allanjit Singh Sharon Koh-Mitchell Paolo Alba Joey Gan Oddie Octaviadi Busakorn Srisongkhroh Thanh Hien Pham https://lnkd.in/gsJeTD_i

Greenwashing is a sure-fire way to kill the reputation of a business and hurt its bottom line. So, why is it on the rise? We've analysed the media and found a 50% spike in mentions of 'greenwashing' in the UK over six months. See below. This Slideshare highlights the biggest greenwashing heroes and culprits for the six months to 31st December. Full story via link in comments. #esgcomms #esg #bcorp #pr #branding #reputation