The theme for Earth Day 2026—Our Power, Our Planet—presents added meanings in Adland.
First, the event spotlights industry hypocrisy.
MediaPost reported industry advocacy group Clean Creatives published an open letter to executives at Netflix, which is running a review for its media business in Europe, The Middle East, and Africa.
Clean Creatives urged Netflix to add “fossil-free procurement” as an eligibility requirement. This would impact possible contenders Omnicom, WPP, and Dentsu, as all have fossil fuel contracts.
The Clean Creatives open letter states, “If the agencies pitching for Netflix's business won’t drop fossil fuels, Netflix should drop them.”
Stay tuned on that drama.
Second, the event spotlights industry exclusivity.
Adland arguably takes advantage of White power to dominate the world. That is, White advertising agencies—within holding companies and independent—embrace systemic racism to globally foster inequality.
The ruling majority in Adland seemingly declares, “We’ll use our power to rule our planet.”
Clean Creatives To Netflix: Pick ‘Fossil-Free’ Ad Agencies
By Steve McClellan
Industry advocacy group Clean Creatives has published an open letter to officials at Netflix, currently conducting a media agency review in Europe, The Middle East and Africa, urging the company to add “fossil-free procurement” as part of the eligibility criteria for the assignment.
The company’s estimated net media spend for the region is $190 million, according to agency research firm COMvergence.
It’s believed that Omnicom, WPP and Dentsu are vying for the contract and CC notes that following its acquisition of Interpublic, Omnicom now holds 120 “active or recent” fossil fuel contracts, while WPP has 82 and Dentsu 18.
“As creatives, filmmakers, and climate communicators, we are frequently inspired by the stories Netflix tells – and by the investments Netflix has made to tell them responsibly,” the CC letter states.
“Our planet is at a tipping point, not just in terms of our climate, but in our culture. Fossil fuel companies, aided by PR and media agencies, are contributing to a misinformation crisis that is making climate progress harder to achieve. Netflix has invested real resources in decarbonizing its supply chain. But the agency supply chain, where narrative power lives, hasn't been examined.”
It urged the streaming giant to make fossil-free agency procurement an explicit criterion for the current EMEA review and establish it as a standard going forward. CC noted that there are more than 1,500 agencies worldwide that have pledged to refuse fossil fuel clients.
“Choosing one of these pledged agencies is a low-friction, high-return climate action that is consistent with the commitments Netflix has already made,” the letter states. “If the agencies pitching for Netflix's business won't drop fossil fuels, Netflix should drop them.”
Netflix representatives could not be immediately reached for comment.
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