Two of the most prominent media agencies have updated their product offerings as part long-term commitments to make meaningful progress in reaching diverse audiences and promoting sustainability.
With the launch of diversity and sustainability-focused programs, rival groups Havas Media Group and Dentsu, who manage a huge proportion of global media spend, are reacting to client demand and are attempting to show the social good the sector can do.
Here’s what they’ve launched.
Havas Media Group’s sustainability marketplace
Havas Media Group has launched the sustainability marketplace. Clients such as EDF and Giffgaff were among the first to sign-up to support brands who want to invest ethically and responsibly in advertising.
Brand partners will be able to access publishers with a proven track-record of building a sustainable media environment that prioritizes economic, social, and environmental targets set out by the United Nations.
A related concern is addressed by the HavasInitiative is trying to make positive changes in a similar way by speaking up for planet Earth by directly addressing climate crisis issues as extreme weather events increase frequency around the world.
Simon Bevan, chief investment officer, Havas Media Group, said: “At a time when many businesses are increasingly focused on doing the right thing for society and our planet, we felt it was important to offer our clients a way to make a positive impact by investing in more meaningful media, giving them easy access to partners and audiences that share a sustainability agenda.”
Dentsu diversity and equity, inclusion proposition
This launch is being complemented by a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative from Dentsu UK. It aims to foster authentic connections with as wide an audience as possible.
The proposition is designed to build an alliance of diverse publishers to increase brands’ understanding of underrepresented groups such as the LGBT+ community, minority ethnic groups and the over-50s.
This scheme tailors client work to speak with these groups in a more authentic, approachable way. It follows recent research that shows 64% of audiences respond to ads they consider inclusive.
Applying these principles to diversity, Dentsu has identified a three-fold plan to close the ‘inclusivity gap’ by rebalancing biased media data points to reach previously missed groups, overhauling data and measurement metrics that skew toward the mainstream and advising brands how to communicate with all stakeholders.
Hamish Nicklin, chief executive officer, media, Dentsu UK&I, added: “Inclusive media means interrogating every stage of the media process and making sure we are doing everything we can to meet the expectations of our audiences. Society no longer accepts inaction, invisibility or misrepresentation, and it’s inadequate to only be engaging around cultural dates.”
Both solutions fit together with a growing industry of social-good initiatives as brands like Innocent Drinks or ITV leverage their marketing to create change.
