UKCF22: Purpose Should Be the Most Creative Brief Out There
When it comes to greenwashing and purpose-washing, the ad industry has two distinctive positions - decrying it… and perpetrating it. The “Faking It and Still Making It” panel at UKCF22, led by Paul Spiers, strategic advisor at the festival and founder at The New P&L Podcast, delved in the ethical tightrope of balancing the greater good and practical, commercial pragmatism. Looking at the issue from the brand side of things was Dreamland’s CEO Eddie Kemsley and on agency side were Rick Dodds, creative partner at Don’t Panic, as well as Chris Bamford, creative director at Kindred.
As cultural norms and social issues evolve, so too do the ethical issues adland needs to contend with.
Paul noted that what was an ethical brand 20 years ago, may no longer be. The question is, how do businesses and agencies weave their ethical processes into their clients assessment when it comes to decision making and what are the practical solutions they turn to.
Eddie,speaking from a brand’s perspective, explained that small businesses might find it harder to stay focused on ethics, especially during early days, when they are trying to stay afloat. Dreamland, serving as part amusement park, part music venue, and part events and conference business is able to work across a broad spectrum of clients coming from different fields, so, Eddie said that there have been instances when they have had to turn down major offers, among which a fast food hamburger chain and a large brewery.
“We weren’t that keen at the time, because those brands didn’t align with our values, which we pride ourselves on and we want to stay true to our brand purpose,” she said. Speaking frankly, Eddie mentioned that coming together with bigger, more established brands will perhaps be more profitable than standing behind the smaller and independent ones, but the cost is the long term value of the brand. Not all independent businesses are in the position to turn down partnerships with brands that do not align, however, and the pandemic and current economic pressures are making ethical choices even tougher for business owners.
Chris also explained that at Kindred the agency tends to turn down around 60% of their pitch requests.
“We always had change in our heart, but in 2018 is when that really became the driving proposition. That is when we had to cut out a third of our clients and we had to choose who will come with us on our journey of impact and change,” said Chris. “Those were difficult conversations and we had them even before we knew a pandemic would strike, but we stuck with them. That gave us the space to concentrate on the path we really want. We rode the tide and we have been for the past 21 years. Now, it’s not a niche anymore, it’s a standard. But we did it when it was deeply untrendy and very unprofitable.”
Looking at the changing social and ethical norms, Rich from Don’t Panic shared that tsince its beginning, Don’t Panic has been led by ethical values. “We slowly grew from working only with NGOs and charities, to purpose-led clients, so small starter businesses that have taken on the big brands by launching a better way to manufacture products and making positive contributions.” He explained that in the age of the conscious consumer where people identify with the brands they support, adland needs to move on and agencies have been doing it more and more, sometimes even agency and brand as a collective.
Often, though, purpose at brands and agencies can amount to little more than virtue signalling. Keeping focused on the bigger picture means bringing the right team together. According to Chris, the type of staff Kindred attracts and retains is paramount to the work that they put out. “The people that work at Kindred tend to be with very similar philosophies for life. And not only that, but our process is very democratic when it comes to choosing clients to work or not work with. Everybody has a part in it, from the management, to the admin support. My advice to agencies is that everybody should have an opinion on who they are okay with working with.”
Similarly, Eddie explained that Dreamland makes its decisions for brand alignment through a council that meets fortnightly to discuss what the brand stands for and answer those crucial questions of ethics and purpose. “It is a simple format, but everybody gets a say,” she added.
The demand for change is growing and agencies and brands are seeing a pressure to adapt at speed. The current up-and-coming generation is proving to be ‘louder and more active’ than before, Rick noted.
Ultimately, though, the industry needs to remember that purpose and ethics doesn’t need to be po-faced and serious. “Sometimes when we talk about purposeful work people think [about] something serious immediately. It always has the plinky plonky piano music and the overly gravelly voice over,” said Rick. “Purposeful work can be mad, it can be the funniest and it has the right to be the funniest. Purposeful isn’t a tunnel - it just means that if you’re successful at the brief there will be a positive impact on the world. One thing I’m passionate about is that purpose should be fun, mad, engaging, creative, brave, and bold - it should be the most creative brief out there.”
