Sustainability in Digital Marketing- Exploring Carbon

Present Sustainability Action Plan

Working in business development, I am frequently asked about my company’s sustainability practices during pitches. Of course, we discuss our buildings green certifications (LEED Platinum), and company initiatives, like our Sustainability Council, implementing policies across our supply chain (i.e., eliminating plasticware in favor of reusable products). 

Initial Thoughts - Promoting Green Products Digitally

 As an advertiser promoting consumerism on the daily, however, my conscious tells me continually to dig beyond this. What else can we do. Alongside the average consumer, I am skeptical of eco marketing. Why promote a sustainable product when you can buy something used that would otherwise be wasted? Do we really need to manufacture sustainable things when those existing are available in abundance? But when thinking about green products that have more legs to stand on, such as meat free alternatives, I find strategic digital targeting to be interesting. Adweek discusses how vegan meat alternative Quorn targets younger audiences with "Food for the Future" messaging, and skeptical older generations with taste test content. Any type of green messaging for clients will require extensive consumer research, A/B Testing, DCO, and Optimizations to enhance effectiveness and drive outcomes.

Source: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/why-you-might-be-getting-your-eco-marketing-wrong/

Future Forward Explorations

I, however, think a broader view of sustainability practices in advertising would be fascinating to explore, including topics like sustainable web hosting, ad buying and creative production, particularly NFTs which are growing more controversial due to heavy blockchain mining. 

 This assignment gave me a fantastic opportunity to explore the topic. I found this article about the topic, including innovations in the space (i.e., low carbon PMPs). As brands look to make their physical supply chains carbon neutral, they need to make their digital supply chains follow suit. I also found it interesting that one of our leading partners, The Trade Desk, is actively making moves in this space.

Source:  https://digiday.com/media/the-ad-experiences-that-consumers-find-most-annoying-are-also-bad-for-the-environment-the-business-case-for-sustainable-digital-advertising/.