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Recently, local governments in France have been demanding that digital out-of-home advertising screens be cut for various reasons, sustainability being key among them. While visual pollution is a concern, clutter is everywhere, including in the ads we see online.
Sustainability will play a vital role in the years to come, and embedding it at the core of an organizational strategy will be crucial to meet consumer demand and regulatory requirements.
There is no doubt that adopting a greener, more conscious lifestyle has become increasingly necessary in recent years as climate change becomes imminent. The advertising industry started paying close attention to sustainability in 2022 as consumers prioritized it, so many brands are now taking concrete steps to reduce their CO2 footprint from their marketing. There’s also a clear need for governments to buckle down on their policies to reach the Paris Agreement, and this has made organizations think about transforming their operations to be more environmentally conscious.
When it comes to digital advertising, what if we pruned back the ads available to enable a cleaner environment and serve a smaller number of advertisements? Fewer advertising opportunities mean premium pricing for what is available, and uncluttered environments lead to better ad recall, according to a recent media trials study with Magna IPG.
So how do we enable a cleaner environment and take advantage of the opportunity that decarbonized media brings?
Long-term vs. short-term gains
For starters, we need to think longer term when it comes to sustainability and consider the financial gains. As businesses, we are often forced to think of a short-term plan due to pressure to demonstrate growth, be it month-to-month results or quarterly outcomes. But our focus should really be on the horizon.
Short-term planning yields quick and effective results at a potentially lower cost, but long-term actions are worth prioritizing because of the desirable ROI that comes with them and the vast potential to uplift the financial health of your organization, and ultimately the industry at large.