WWF declares, “Without nature, 63% of our medication wouldn’t exist.”
Okay, but the image is kinda odd, as healthcare waste poses serious adverse effects to nature. And isn’t outdoor advertising—especially pharmaceutical promotion—essentially polluting the environment?
Sukle Advertising is behind this propaganda for the Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency in Denver, Colorado.
To advocate for environmental causes with an OOH campaign littering the landscape seems like, well, a waste.
Goodnites nighttime underwear holds 3 bottles of water. Amazing that no one has created a cross-promotion with Perrier. Then again, disposable diapers and water bottles are notorious sources of environmental pollution.
This MedReAct campaign from Different in Italy is explained as follows:
MedReAct promotes actions to restore the Mediterranean Sea, to counter the loss of biodiversity, to defend it from the impact of indiscriminate fishing, working in direct contact with local communities, the scientific world, organizations and sea operators.
This campaign invites everyone to make their voices heard and especially that of the sea, which is suffering silently.
Wow, apologies to all who silently suffered through that rationale.
Adweek published a report from its sustainability editor with a headline declaring, “Most of Adland Is Crickets on Climate.” A subhead claimed, “Greenwashing regulations and activism could make way for higher industry standards.”
The content quoted an executive recruiter who stated, “We are seeing some disappointing trends” around sustainability and DEIBA+.
The aforementioned items alone warrant color commentary.
Adland may be crickets on climate. However, Adland is cicadas on cultural cluelessness—swarms singing songs of systemic racism.
There will be greenwashing regulations. However, there will be no Whitewashing regulations to monitor, manage, and mandate DEIBA+ progress. Whitewashing, incidentally, trumps every color in the spectrum.
Any disappointing trends around sustainability cannot match the sustaining status quo in exclusive Adland. There’s far greater advocacy for initiatives involving plastic vs people of color.
On a closing note, it’s interesting that Adweek has a sustainability editor, yet no designated diversity editor. Such a role is probably delegated to a resident scribe of color or outsourced on an ad hoc basis, when necessary; ie, during Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, etc.
The Earth Day 2024 Global Theme—brought to you by EarthDay.org—is Planet vs. Plastics. In defense of humanity and planetary health, the environmental advocacy group presents 60X40, calling for a 60% cutback in all plastic production by 2040.
It’s a safe bet that Adland will be all in—and go all out—to make it happen. Hell, the campaigns have already been done to death—as in the plastic-perpetrated death of dolphins, whales, seals, pelicans, seagulls, and turtles. The latest theme will undoubtedly inspire more scammy concepts.
Adland is always eager to support performative, propagandistic causes, and even set firm timetables for completion. Yet for diversity deadlines—like No.2.66—it’s okay to dawdle, delay, and drag one’s feet.
All of which helps Adland maintain its status as one of the most exclusively racist industries on earth.
In times where ESG has become a business imperative, TBWA\Buenos Aires thinks it’s cool to create a Mickey D’s commercial that dramatizes the paper-wasting mass production of Happy Meals boxes…? A single recycled symbol cameo in the 1.5-minute video is hardly promoting corporate responsibility. Gotta believe Greenpeace will not smile over this spot.
Advertising Age reported The Martin Agency hired its first Director of Sustainability, whose last name, appropriately enough, is White. The trade publication also reported The Martin Agency was named Papa Johns’ new White advertising agency.
Only in Adland can a firm feign interest in sustainability while partnering with a junk food client that pollutes the environment with pizza boxes and other greasy refuse.
Plus, the Papa Johns account review reportedly had a targeted focus on DEI—so, it looks like The Martin Agency conned Shaquille Shaq-a-Roni O’Neal into believing that they were diverse too. Probably claimed having ties to the Martin show.
What’s next? Are they gonna appoint Joe Alexander as creative director for the account—who’ll reinstate John Schnatter as brand mascot?
Damn, the place serves up performative PR like it’s pizza.
Advertising Age reported on Clean Creatives—another do-gooder group promoting themselves as “a movement of advertisers, PR professionals, and their clients cutting ties with fossil fuels”—whose latest campaign publicly calls out Edelman, McCann, Ogilvy, and Publicis for working with fossil fuels.
Not quite sure why anyone’s surprised to uncover fossil fuels being hyped via firms run by fossil fools.
Regardless, it’s more outrageous to realize the list of Adland enterprises into fossil fuels would be totally eclipsed by the directory of White advertising agencies fueled by systemic racism. Yet no one seems inspired to clean up that mess.
Advertising Age reported Mickey D’s quietly removed ESG—Environmental, Social, and Governance initiatives—from sections of the corporate website. It’s actually pretty outrageous that the acronym appeared in the website at all. Hey, is MSG being addressed too? And just to complete the LMAO WTF, expect the fast feeder’s White advertising agencies to quietly remove ERG, BLM, and DEI from their systemically racist enterprises.
Digiday Media’s WorkLife published another rambling report on ERGs, underscoring how such heat shield hangouts can be a “source of toxicity” if not properly organized and supported. Given that Adland has a history of addressing all things diversity with disorganization and disinterest—as well as deliberate deception, deferment, diversion, and denial—it’s safe to say most ERGs in White advertising agencies are probably toxic waste dumps. Which is extra outrageous, given the latest divertsity move toward embracing sustainability.
How ERGs can be a ‘source of toxicity’ if poorly run and unsupported
By Cloey Callahan
Employee resource groups, or ERGs, are now a staple at most workplaces. But if poorly run, they can have disastrous consequences, some diversity chiefs believe.
The earliest versions of ERGs sprung up in the 1960s when Black workers at Xerox organized to discuss race-based tension in the workplace and continue to be relevant today for issues like gender, identity, politics and more.
If run well, they can improve work conditions for alienated workers, bring employees together in a safe space, build camaraderie and more. A new report from charitable donation-management platform Benevity found that 90% of respondents say they have personally benefited from DE&I initiatives at work.
On the flip side, if ERGs are not properly supported by employers, they can backfire. “If they are not supported well, that can actually become a source of toxicity in the business and it can have unintended consequences around engagement and inclusion and diversity,” said Sona Khosla, chief impact officer at Benevity.
We spoke to experts to identify the possible outcomes of ERGs if they are not supported in the right ways and how leaders avoid them failing.
1. ERGs can end up ‘reinforcing stereotypes.’
Nicole Simpson, director of DE&I for RAPP US, a global marketing and advertising agency, has years of experience running a variety of ERGs. She says that one of her biggest concerns is that the ERG ends up reinforcing stereotypes.
“If there aren’t these right containers for the conversations, the people involved, how the communications are rolled out, it can be disastrous on multiple levels in terms of creating division,” said Simpson.
A well run ERG means battling long-standing stereotypes and misconceptions. If it’s not being run smoothly, there could be messaging and imagery that reinforces negative stereotypes. Or, it may unintentionally create a sense of homogeneity that reinforces the stereotype that people from the group are all exactly the same.
“If the ERG isn’t managed properly and the content perpetuates stereotypes and negative assumptions about the group, it creates division and feelings of tension,” said Simpson.
That’s why Simpson recommends that the foundation of the ERG is built on respect and love. Without that, she says it can lose its purpose and focus.
2. ERGs can lead to tokenism.
ERGs can quickly feel like a company is simply paying lip service to diversity and inclusion rather than genuinely valuing different perspectives. If there is an ERG but it is not getting support from the company, it might feel as though it is just a token play for a company trying to amp up its diversity, when it really isn’t doing what it can to support it.
When employees are going out of their way to volunteer to lead these groups, and the company uses it to attract more people to the company, but then doesn’t actually support its efforts, then it quickly falls flat. Most (95%) employees now weigh a prospective employer’s DE&I efforts when choosing between job offers with similar salary and benefits, according to Benevity’s 2023 The State of Workplace DEI report.
“These groups are supposed to be safe spaces for the community,” said Simpson. “If they’re not handled properly, they can be a sign of superficial support if they’re not given the financial backing, backing from leadership, and buy-in from leadership. If that’s not done properly, it becomes this tokenized group and that can be really hurtful to the community that it was supposed to be built to help.
“We need the companies to actually walk the walk and not just talk the talk,” she continued. “They need the proper support so they aren’t tokenized.”
3. ERGs can build a divisive environment.
If an ERG continues to not receive support from the company’s senior leadership, its members may feel even more underserved than before. If an employee is trying to build a community at work and is left in the dust, they might feel as though what they care about really doesn’t matter.
“The right support requires an underlying thoughtfulness that needs to go behind the organization of these groups,” said Simpson.
Khosla says that company leaders need to be open to listening, as much as they are to guiding, ERGs.
4. ERGs can be an additional burden on marginalized groups.
The work to run an ERG is tiring. While there is a high payoff when it goes well, it is a heavy lift after a long day job. One way that companies are solving for that is compensating leaders who are running these groups. Yet, only about 5% of companies actually compensate ERG members for the very tangible benefits their work brings to the organization.
“They’re typically voluntary and not paid,” said Khosla. “The reality is these folks are committing a significant amount of time in building the culture and building a space that is inclusive and celebrates diversity. Some companies choose to recognize they value this and pay a stipend.”
If an organization isn’t able to financially support with a stipend, they could lessen that burden by providing financial support for events that they hold.
“If they don’t, ERGs then have to go and negotiate and are asking for favors,” said Khosla. “It reinforces this idea that it’s not worth paying. That is the biggest danger of it.”
Additionally, Khosla argues that there should be a clear understanding of what ERGs’ roles are versus HR. While ERGs can help build community, it’s up to HR to ensure there is no bias in systems.
“It’s better that ERGs see themselves as the voice of the community, sharing that insight back with the HR teams, but the HR teams are the ones that have the skills and the tools and resources and company-wide reach to make large, broad systemic changes,” said Khosla. “You almost honor the skillsets of the two different groups.”
Outlining this could help workers leading ERGs better understand that it isn’t up to them to solve everything. Khosla says that ERG leaders should focus on creating the group, driving membership, and sharing learning resources.
“It’s important to not put the burden of learning onto the ERG for the rest of the organization,” said Khosla. “That can create misaligned expectations.”
5. ERGs can give the false impression that all diversity issues have been solved.
It’s true that ERGs can help move the needle. Benevity’s report found that 97% of employees agree ERGs help make the workplace more equitable and inclusive. However, they need to be paired with other efforts to make the workplace truly inclusive and welcoming.
“For example, if the only time you are giving your Black ERG money is for Black History Month, that’s a fail,” said Simpson. “If the only time you are giving your API ERG funding is for API History Month, you’re failing.
Simpson says it’s important to ensure that the commitment is brought through the entire employee experience, not just for special cultural events, especially because it ties back into tokenism and reinforcing stereotypes.
“Understand that proper support here all around is what will make these groups successful and without it, they will inevitably fail,” said Simpson.
Adweek/Commerceweek will feature a session titled, “Accessible Sustainability For Small Businesses”—including a speaker from Uber Eats. Um, why is an enterprise that delivers junk food with drivers’ personal vehicles qualified to pontificate on sustainability?
Noticed this a tad tardily, but Adweek posted a CMO Moves episode starring “three sustainability trailblazers”—including Brad Jakeman. So, it looks like Jakeman has pivoted from DE&I defender to sustainability savior, mirroring the slick moves that Adland executed as a deliberate diversion from addressing racial and ethnic equality. Interestingly enough, Kendall Jenner is involved with 818 Tequila, a brand promoting a sustainability platform. Maybe Jakeman and Jenner will reunite…?
CMO Moves: The Future of Sustainable Shopping
How these green champions are steering their companies and clients toward climate-friendly policies that consumers will support
By Jenny Rooney
In this episode of CMO Moves, three sustainability trailblazers discuss their efforts with Adweek CXO Jenny Rooney to bring awareness to The Future Is Mainstream Green action plan.
The CMO Sustainability Accelerator (CSA) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) created the report to highlight the work CMOs must do to drive sustainable practices in their businesses. CSA is a new industry-wide collaboration led by Adweek, ANA and Sustainable Brands, and powered by BCG that brings CMOs and sustainability leaders together to advance the growth agenda inside their organizations, supply chains and beyond.
Check out their bios below to learn more about them, and tune in to learn about key sustainability practices and best practices for leaders behind these initiatives.
More about our guests:
Lauren Taylor is a lead member of BCG’s marketing, sales and pricing, and consumer practices, and has led efforts on growth strategy as well as organization and turnaround. She is currently the global leader for customer-centric sustainability at BCG and is passionate about helping companies better understand market demand and the most important aspects of sustainability, the innovation needed to remove barriers, and how to influence customer behavior to drive sustainability while generating business value.
Brad Jakeman is a senior adviser at the Boston Consulting Group, one of the world’s leading management consultancies. At BCG he advises clients on all aspects of marketing, business restructuring, digital transformation and sustainability. In addition to his role at BCG, Jakeman is co-founder and managing partner of Rethink Food, which identifies, invests in and helps scale businesses that are digitally disrupting the legacy food system to make it more equitable and sustainable. Prior to co-founding Rethink Food, Jakeman spent almost 10 years as president of PepsiCo’s Global Beverage Group.
Jose “Pepe” Gorbea is the global head of brands, agencies and sustainability innovation at HP. Gorbea grew up in the suburbs of Mexico City, led the marketing agenda of multiple brands at Bimbo, Kraft Foods, Nestle and Mondelez across the globe, and is an alumnus of Google’s Marketing Academy. For him, bringing to life the voice of the consumer and their communities through the power of co-creation has helped him enable his clients to produce “better marketing,” from the likes of Hershey’s #HerShe and Nescafe’s “New Year’s Resolutions” to Dettol’s “Covid Warriors” and Smirnoff’s “Love Wins,” just to name a few.
Achieving Mainstream Green is key to a more sustainable economy. Read the new report on the CMO Sustainability Accelerator hub to learn more and take action.
