Purpose Disruptors' Good Life 2030 Premieres at COP26

Good Life 2030, a project created by Purpose Disruptors, has today premiered on the global stage at Cop26 in Glasgow.

Taking place in the Green Zone at Cop26, Purpose Disruptors held an event ‘Advertising a Good Life in 2030’. Premiering at the event was a short 15-minute documentary film examining how advertising needs to change as an industry itself and its impact upon society. Three ‘adverts for 2030’ were also unveiled at the event, created by Iris, McCann Manchester and Gravity Road.

The latest IPCC report made it clear that we must halve global emissions by 2030. ‘Good Life 2030’ has been created to show the UK public what a compelling and desirable new way of life in 2030 could look like when emissions are halved. The project also aims to inspire advertising industry leaders to reflect on the changes that need to be made within the industry and begin creating work that encourages a better life for all.

The initiative is based on insights unearthed by a Purpose Disruptors report ‘Good Life 2030: Citizen Report’. Key findings reveal that despite a wide variety of backgrounds and profiles of those interviewed, UK citizens shared strikingly similar visions of a Good Life in 2030, these optimistic visions include a need for interconnectedness to self, others and nature. 

The project challenges the current narrative that a more climate friendly life is one of sacrifice. It deliberately doesn’t use the words ‘climate’ or ‘sustainability’ or ‘green’ and instead frames this life in the future as a ‘Good Life’ - one that is compelling, that people want to run towards, not away from. Purpose Disruptors see the advertising industry as the architects of desire and share in the documentary how the industry can create new meaning in the world to shift culture and society.

The short documentary film, created by The Big Sky, addresses the relationship between advertising, consumption and climate change, taking the audience on a whistle-stop tour of the earth’s history until the arrival of modern humans, advertising and mass consumerism. Within the film we see ad land leaders; Xavier Rees, chief executive of Havas London & Havas CX helia; Ben Essen, chief strategy officer at Iris; Caroline Davison, managing director and sustainability lead at ELVIS; Rosie Kitson, Joint Head of Strategy at Mindshare; Omar El-Gammal, Strategy Director at Mother; Pauline Robson, Managing Partner at Mediacom; Tom Firth, MD at M&C Saatchi, as they discuss the tension between advertising’s role in fuelling mass consumption and how this directly contributes to the climate crisis. Whilst examining this uncomfortable truth, the leaders reflect on UK citizens' visions of a new ‘Good Life’ as an alternative to what has been promoted for so long. This new Good Life encourages connection not just consumption. Ultimately the documentary encourages people within the industry to reflect on and embrace the changes that the UK public want to see. 

The three ‘adverts for 2030’ show people what life might look like if we’re to embrace this challenge. Responding to a brief created by Strategist and Purpose Disruptors contributor, Ally Kingston, “show how a ‘Good Life in 2030’ is more of what you love (and less of what you don’t)”, the ads tackle the image problem of ‘sustainable living’, and reframes the future as better, not worse. Three agencies responded to Purpose Disruptors brief, a total of 50 creatives worked on the adverts in the space of eight weeks. 

• McCann Manchester created an engaging film, 'It’s me, you', starring Alice Levine from 2030, who pops back in time to give Alice Levine in 2021 a pep talk about the future. In the film she shares the lifestyle changes she needs to make now for a Good Life in 2030 - hint it isn’t a slogan T-shirt and a meme.
• Iris created 'Good Stuff', a 60” spot centring around the accumulation of ‘stuff’. The film asks the audience ‘when did we become so addicted to stuff?’, an engaging script and visuals help citizens emotionally connect to a good life in 2030 when life is filled with different kinds of ‘good stuff’. 
• Gravity Road’s ad 'Less is More' used the incredible iMax sound system to take the audience on an immersive audio journey, peeling back layers of sound to reveal that the Good Life has been there all along, and is more attainable than we might have thought.

Lisa Merrick-Lawless, co-founder of Purpose Disruptors said: “Advertising drives consumption and consumption contributes to Climate Change. If we are to halve emissions by 2030 advertising needs to play its role in both changing itself and society. The Good Life 2030 project positions the future in a new way - it shows how this is a better life, not one of sacrifice. It brings to life how exciting and compelling this future can be and shows that this is what both citizens and industry leaders desire for the future.”

Rosie Kitson, joint head of strategy at Mindshare commented: “The sustainability shift is the biggest cultural shift of our generation, and it’s our responsibility as agencies to be guiding our clients through that shift.”

Tom Firth, MD M&C Saatchi added: “What’s interesting about sustainability is that the conversation around it often lacks any reference to creativity - it’s technical, scientific and rational. But Sustainability needs creativity too - it needs lateral thought and creative leaps to find solutions, just as it needs compelling stories and experiences that make change magnetic and irresistible. These are things we can help with.”

A UK Citizen from the study told Purpose Disruptors: “Try and do your advertising so you bring in more social and environmental issues, so maybe advertising can be a source of great good going forward.” 

‘Advertising a good life in 2030’ was one of the only two events relating to advertising at COP26, after organisation Purpose Disruptors were selected out of 4000 entries to appear at the conference.

Purpose Disruptors encourage individuals from the advertising industry to join the movement and start reflecting on what they can do to affect change for both the industry and their work that influences society.