‘Advertising can be the fastest shifting form of culture’ – Using marketing to aim consumers towards better sustainability

Pod Net Zero Ireland is a podcast series for anyone working in marketing, media, or advertising. It brings together inspiring conversations with professionals across these industries who are navigating their journey towards net zero. The podcast aims to spark ideas, share insights, and highlight how individuals and organisations are addressing the climate crisis through their work.

In this episode, host Colette Henry (Marketing & Executive Coach, ex Droga 5 & Accenture Song) speaks with Karen Land Short (Global Executive Creative Director, Accenture Song Sustainability) and Rob McFaul (Co-Founder of Purpose Disruptors).

In the first episode, we learned about how Ad Net Zero is centred around five key actions, which are designed to guide the industry on its path to net zero.

In this episode, Colette and her guests focus specifically on the fifth of these actions, which spotlights Harnessing Consumer Behaviour, which aims to drive the advertising industry to use its cultural influence and creative power to drive positive change.

Of course, the goal of advertising is to have an impact on those you’re advertising towards, and to that end, it is important to present a positive path forward in terms of sustainability. Consumer products are responsible for nearly half of global emissions each year. Around a third of this comes from the food we eat, and about a tenth from the clothes we wear. So it is incredibly important to help people understand that consumer behaviour has a substantial impact on the climate, and that those who work within media and advertising have real power to influence it.

The way to guide and shape consumer choices isn’t a small matter, but a vital opportunity. Communicators, designers, and marketers are essentially the ‘architects of desire’, influencing what people want and how they live, which is an incredibly powerful position to hold.

As Karen puts it: “I do think the platform for marketing and advertising is huge for change, specifically for climate, where the game is time. Advertising can be one of the fastest shifting forms of culture.

“Obviously, there is a lot happening with influencers and social, but compared to film-making, and larger, bigger, longer-term things, advertising can be a huge lever. And I don’t think people know that there is a rightful narrative out there that governments and companies need to figure this out, and not the consumer.”

All of this begins in the ideation process, which Rob talks about as part of his company’s “Change The Brief” initiative, which originated from an idea sparked by a personal insight during his early transition into sustainability-focused work. Speaking directly to any listeners who might find themselves as the go-to person within their agency, or the expert relied upon to respond to pitches and briefs related to climate and sustainability, Rob points out that while this expertise is highly valued, it also creates a bottleneck within the companies themselves.

The realisation emerged that this responsibility couldn’t rest on one individual alone, and just as the industry collectively upskilled during the era of digital transformation, a similar effort is now needed for climate transition. Everyone within the agency ecosystem must develop the knowledge and confidence to engage clients on sustainability topics. Understanding the associated risks and opportunities is no longer optional, it has become essential.

As Rob puts it: “Ultimately, to understand what are the behaviour changes, what are the business models, what does the future look like? If you are writing the brief, what do you need to be writing in that brief? And if you’re writing but responding to it, how do you respond in a way that engages the client or the person writing the brief?

“So that you’re all on the same page, you all can understand that creativity and communications can play a meaningful role in mainstreaming sustainable values, in lifestyles and behaviours, products and services that the majority of clients – if they’re not engaging in right now – will be engaging with them in the future.”

Check out the podcast on all platforms and on https://adnetzero.com/ad-net-zero-ireland/