Communicating about sustainability can be complicated. Read what lessons advertisers can take from the world of intersectionality, diversity and inclusion in this blog entry.
What intersectionality can teach advertisers about sustainability
Can advertisers bring their climate activism to work? Here’s what advertisers can learn about sustainable advertising from the world of intersectionality, diversity and inclusion (D&I).
How sustainable is the advertising industry right now?
There’s still lots of progress to be made in sustainable advertising. In the eyes of Laura Wade, Head of Sustainability at Essence, the advertising industry is “part of the problem” at the moment, but “in the last 12 months, there’s been a real change of pace and ambition in the industry.” Initiatives like Ad Net Zero and The IPA Media Climate Charter already show the industry is changing for the better.
Toby Smith, Climate Visuals Programme Lead & Media Liaison at Climate Outreach, has also seen promising changes. Although he agreed there’s a long way to go, he’s noticed more of a focus within advertising on impact production, which looks at how “what we communicate and what we do [can] actually, genuinely change - potentially - people’s behaviours or have a positive effect on society”.
What can intersectionality teach us about sustainable advertising?
Intersectionality is a term that relates to social categories such as race, class and gender and how they can overlap when people are discriminated against. Our 4Talks panel mentioned it frequently as a way of thinking which can help advertisers tackle the climate crisis.
Climate Activist Noga Levy-Rapoport pointed out that as we tackle the climate crisis, our mindset has to be intersectional: “When we talk about the foundation of the climate crisis [...] we’re looking at the exact same structures that have been so oppressive and have led to so many marginalised suffering from the greatest impacts of the climate crisis.”
If the sources of the climate crisis and the oppression of marginalised people are the same, it’s natural to consider them together. Ade Ade Adeptian, Channel 4 Presenter and 4Talks host, put it best: “At the heart of D&I, it’s about equity, isn’t it? I think people need to connect the dots and understand that in tackling the climate crisis, we have an opportunity to reset things and try and create a more equitable society.”
So, how can advertisers put intersectionality to use at work? Joceylyn Longdon, Founder of Climate in Colour, thought that intersectionality could help advertisers to “more clearly see the world”. She explained that as intersectionality helps us understand and connect with other people’s experiences, it’s also a way of thinking that can “guide us to do the work that’s the most valuable and impactful”.
Intersectionality could also influence the way the industry uses adtech. Toby Smith suggested that intersectionality could help advertisers “tailor messages or concepts to help overcome people’s barriers [to sustainability] or help work with people’s lived experience”.
Rather than trying to appeal to everyone, he thought that advertisers could apply intersectional thinking to better target and tailor messages, which could increase viewers’ emotional engagement. Adtech could also work with factors like an existing interest in sustainability to serve specific messaging to people who already want to fight climate change.
What stories can advertisers tell about climate activism and climate change?
The advertising industry has a huge impact on how people view topics like sustainability and climate change. In our recent sustainability study, we found that 58% of adults named TV programmes as a key source of inspiration for environmental change. So, what kind of stories should advertisers tell about our climate?
For Noga Levy-Rapoport, it’s vital that advertising doesn’t undermine the seriousness of the climate crisis. She argued that “if all the stories that are being told are only of oh, well, this isn't happening now, don’t worry about it”, viewers could remain unaware of the structural causes of climate change and adverts would be less emotive.
To combat that, she thought that advertising about climate change and climate activism should “fundamentally transform and switch up that narrative”. She urged advertisers to consider who is telling the story of climate change, how they’re telling the story, and who they’re telling it about, particularly to avoid whitewashing climate activism and the impacts of climate change.
Hope is also a key part of storytelling about climate change and climate activism. Toby Smith pointed out that although “dramatic and strong sustainability comms have a role to capture our attention”, we also need advertising that can “offer people hope or positivity”, which can encourage people to take action. Right now, he believes that too often advertisers and the media play “to our fears and anxieties” to attract clicks and attention.
Laura Wade agreed and believed that advertising should show the benefits of sustainability. She asked, “How do we become enablers of people to realise that a sustainable future is one that is equitable, where people are thriving, where nature is thriving, and it is aspirational?”
Laura pointed out that brands and advertisers alike are afraid of greenwashing, and suggested that advertising agencies must help brands “be brave and [...]make the right decisions in terms of the types of comms they’re taking out”. Sustainable brands and advertisers alike need to make it clear that “sustainability isn’t a slogan, it is a behaviour”, which will help audiences believe brands’ sustainability claims are genuine.
As the push to net zero continues, it’s important that advertisers don’t forget what sustainability is all about. If advertising sustainability focuses on selling products and pushing sustainable brands rather than creating change, the industry may have missed the point.
Want to learn more about the world of sustainable advertising? Watch the full 4Talk here or check out similar talks like “The Power of Advertiser Brands in the Climate Fight” and “Climate Change: is the advertising industry doing enough?”. They’re all available for free and on demand at the 4Talks website.