Advertising makes its mea culpa – Companies

It has the color of an advertising agency, the taste of an advertising agency, but it’s not really an advertising agency anymore. In the “classic” sense of the term, of course. For a few weeks now, the creative agency Air has been certified B Corp, named after this prestigious label awarded to companies that meet strict societal and environmental requirements as well as standards of governance and transparency towards consumers. Around the world, nearly 5,000 commercial companies have this coveted certification, including barely forty companies in Belgium. Among them, three advertising agencies: the Brussels-based Air, the Leuven-based Bonka Circus and an Antwerp company whose name will soon be revealed.
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It has the color of an advertising agency, the taste of an advertising agency, but it’s not really an advertising agency anymore. In the “classic” sense of the term, of course. For a few weeks now, the creative agency Air has been certified B Corp, named after this prestigious label awarded to companies that meet strict societal and environmental requirements as well as standards of governance and transparency towards consumers. Around the world, nearly 5,000 commercial companies have this coveted certification, including barely forty companies in Belgium. Among them, three advertising agencies: the Brussels-based Air, the Leuven-based Bonka Circus and an Antwerp company whose name will soon be revealed. A heresy in the realm of political correctness? If we stick to the aphorism of the American actor Will Rogers, who died in 1935, the answer would certainly be positive: “Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend the money that they don’t have for something they don’t need”. Admittedly, the line is forced but this caricature underlines an obvious fact for decades: the advertising industry has always been one of the most energy-intensive on the planet since advertising, by definition, encourages consumption, even the over-consumption of goods and services, with a definite impact on our environment. The lines are however moving. With the awareness of global warming and the proliferation of climate marches, brands and advertising agencies are now trying to correct the situation. The Greta Thunberg effect has been in the pitches for a few years now and advertising campaigns are willingly tinged with green, even if it means exacerbating the mistrust of “new consumers” tormented by the future of the Earth. Even if greenwashing is indeed palpable in certain communication plans, there is no doubt today that most brands and advertising agencies are making CSR (corporate social responsibility) their new mantra. With, however, the following dilemma which verges on schizophrenia for some advertisers: how to serenely pursue its primary commercial mission – which is to help brands sell ever more – when it is necessary to be attentive to climate issues and the desires of these “new consumers” who are aiming for degrowth? “We are no longer in the logic of consuming more but in the logic of consuming better, replies Eric Hollander, founder and creative chairman of the Air agency, which recently obtained its B Corp certification. It is true that advertisers have been and still are part of the problem, but today they must commit to be part of the solution.Brands play a role in people’s lives and our know-how must precisely contribute to modifying purchasing behavior consumers. There are major education and information efforts to be made to help them.” Air didn’t make a 180 degree turn. For twenty years, the advertising agency has also counted associations such as Cap48 or Amnesty International among its clients and it has therefore forged a societal reputation alongside its commercial strike force. But this parallel commitment was no longer sufficient in the eyes of founding president Eric Hollander and his sidekick Stéphane Buisseret, CEO of the agency. In the midst of a pandemic, Air therefore reviewed its foundations and ventured down the path of B Corp certification to go further in its dual social and sustainable mission. “Obtaining this certification is a long process that took nearly two years, says CEO Stéphane Buisseret. We have to meet the most demanding criteria in terms of sustainability, governance and social issues. We have started this journey because we fully recognize ourselves in the vision of B Corp, whose slogan is Make business a force for good. contributes to a better world. The B of B Corp stands for Benefit, in the sense that the benefits go to the planet and its inhabitants. There is almost a form of spirituality: we must have a positive impact on the world .” Demanding, the request to obtain this B Corp certification is indeed not a walk in the park. The steps are taken online via an evaluation questionnaire of 200 points where each answer is analyzed via documents (company balance sheet, statutes, invoices, etc.) that the candidate is required to download. You need at least 80 points to be eligible, before the audit is then triggered. “They check everything, absolutely everything, specifies Stéphane Buisseret. Then come three interview sessions via Teams which are quite tough and where angry questions follow one another!” Launched in January 2021, the B Corp certification process ended 18 months later for Air with a positive opinion submitted last September. “It’s a long journey, but it’s a recognition that is very energizing, smiles Eric Hollander. It brings a lot of energy in the team, among partners and among customers because this certification proves that we are actively participating in the advent of a global cultural change. It is no longer a question of being concerned only with the product, the service or the profitability but of working for the common good and accelerating the movement towards a sustainable, equitable and regenerative.” In the arguments that have certainly weighed in favor of certification, there is all the work initiated by the agency during this evaluation period. After becoming carbon neutral in 2020, Air has in fact commissioned the independent company CO2logic (specializing in the analysis, reduction and offsetting of carbon emissions) to help it develop an algorithm to make its advertising campaigns much more green. Called Campaign Neutralizer, this tool makes it possible to calculate the carbon footprint of shootings and filming of advertising films but above all to provide ecological compensation for this production process by financially supporting associations active in sustainable projects. Thanks to this algorithm, Air can quantify the carbon impact of the campaigns desired by the client and correct them if necessary, giving greater priority to nearby destinations, less polluting means of transport or even the type of catering provided on a shoot. With concrete results: for the French fashion brand Jules, the Belgian agency was thus able to reduce the CO2 emissions of new advertising campaigns by 90% compared to those issued in 2019. “The world of advertising has always been hyper- competitive and hyper-individualistic, recognizes Eric Hollander, but at some point you have to change the paradigm. Our Campaign Neutralizer will soon be open source for every agency to benefit from. When you become a B Corp, you sign a declaration of ‘interdependence in which we are committed to sharing best practices to accelerate change. The coveted B Corp label is not acquired ad vitam æternam. Every three years, certified companies are reassessed and if they have not earned points after this period, they simply lose the precious sesame. Because this certification does indeed open doors. The duo at the head of the Air agency confirms that this reinforces their legitimacy in terms of sustainability – “We are less suspected of greenwashing” (sic) – and that this award even brings them new business opportunities. An American start-up active in the pharmaceutical sector and wishing to set up in Europe thus came into contact with Air after learning of its recent certification. The agency’s current clients are also delighted. “I’m even proud of them,” adds Nathalie Erdmanis, director of sustainability at AG Insurance. crisis because the B Corp label cuts the agency of certain advertisers, such as oil groups for example. On the other hand, for us, it is the guarantee of being more challenged in our future campaigns and I am delighted about that.” Revealing the evolution of mores in the world of advertising, this quest for B Corp certification is part of a general movement which demonstrates that the lines are moving. Other Belgian agencies have already embarked on the path of sustainable development, such as the media agency Space, which obtained CO2 neutral certification this year, or the agency MKKM, which specializes in campaigns on social networks. , and which presents itself as “the first 100% carbon offset digital agency”. Some structures are also trying to shake the coconut tree, such as the young company Give Actions, which offers a “positive publicity” label to advertisers who do something for the planet, but B Corp certification seems to have become the holy grail in the sector. Already driven by its own Havas Positive Impact program, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025, the communication group Havas has also set itself on the path to B Corp certification. Its agencies in New York, London, Amsterdam and Paris have each already won the precious label and today it is the Brussels office which is in the process of certification. “We are working concretely on this file and we hope for certification for the Brussels agency at the end of 2023”, confirms Christian de La Villehuchet, CEO of Havas Belgium and global integration chief officer of the Havas group worldwide. “A certified B Corp advertising agency is not an oxymoron, concludes the big boss, because I have the absolute conviction that we are the profession which, much more than the others, can change the world and make it At Havas, we at least have the real desire to be pioneers in responsible communication and positive change.”