For the first time, the local advertising and marketing industry is being challenged not to work for the fossil fuel industry. A nonprofit organisation, Clean Creatives SA, has published a list of 41 agencies operating in the sector.
It is the local chapter of a global movement of creatives, agencies and their clients uniting to tackle the climate crisis.
The organisation’s pledge, signed by more than 700 agencies globally and 35 locally, calls on agencies to decline work with fossil fuel companies and brands to shun agencies that retain fossil fuel clients.
The South African list includes Ogilvy South Africa and its client Africa Oil Week, TBWA\South Africa (Sasol), and Joe Public (Engen).
Stephen Horn, director of Clean Creatives SA, believes there is growing discomfort about working for fossil fuel companies.
“Most agencies would not admit that they were pitching for Shell’s global media account when it went up for review earlier this year. We’re also seeing agencies increasingly remove reference to fossil fuel work from their websites,” he says.
“If our F-list, which merely collects public information about these relationships in one place, is making agencies uncomfortable, I think the choice becomes obvious: stop working to promote harmful polluters putting all our lives at risk.”
Horn believes the risks of working with these companies are growing. “Regulators are tightening up on greenwashing and banning misleading campaigns. France has a nationwide ban on fossil fuel advertising, and many city councils are following suit. There is a campaign underway in Cape Town to pressure the city to do the same.
“Agencies also must consider future lawsuits that might place them on the hook for climate change due to greenwashing for fossil fuel companies.”
Approached for an industry response, the Association for Communication & Advertising South Africa (ACA) tells the FM: “The ACA supports freedom of commercial speech and advertising for products and services that are legally sold if such advertisements are legal.
“At the same time, the ACA believes in the need for ongoing dialogue around the issue of climate change and welcomes the contribution of Clean Creatives and any other interested parties to the debate.”
Jacques Burger, CEO of M&C Saatchi Group South Africa, which appears on the list for its work on the Astron Energy (Chevron) business, says: “As an agency group, we have a clear and tangible ESG strategy … which looks to drive both people and planet-positive behaviours through how we run our business and the work we do with our clients.
“We don’t believe the answer to the challenges our planet and society faces is a binary or simplistic ‘yes’ or ‘no’; the answer is in addressing, partnering and delivering a ‘just transition’.”
Warren Moss, CEO of Demographica, which works on Engen business, says stopping work for fossil fuel clients is not a solution he supports.
“We have a responsibility to our clients to be honest with them about the sustainability of their business, and the reality is that they are on a path to a just energy transition — but this is, unfortunately, a long road.”
Boomtown CEO Glen Meier, whose agency works on the Easigas account, says: “We should build systems that give creatives the opportunity to donate their time and expertise towards educating people about climate change and influencing sustainable behaviour, and encourage agencies to invest in on-site solar power or other alternatives if they are available.”
Gareth Leck, CEO of the Joe Public Group, which also has a slice of the Engen business, says: “This issue is far more complex than it may appear at face value. Fossil fuels don’t just impact companies directly involved, like the petroleum industry. They fuel the operations of a multitude of corporations in South Africa, which in turn fuel our own industry, which in turn affects jobs.
“Within this context, there is an ethical dilemma. Do we boycott the advertising of these companies at the expense of jobs? Or do we work with these clients and play a positive role in supporting them on their journey to becoming more conscious corporate citizens in this very volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world, by being part of their solution?”
Horn accepts change cannot happen immediately. “I understand and am sympathetic to the many pressures the local advertising industry faces. I know this is the beginning of a long-overdue conversation, and ending work for fossil fuels without compromising jobs is critical. But nevertheless, the situation is urgent.
“Agencies signing the Clean Creatives pledge are committing to decline future contracts with fossil fuel companies. What we’re saying is, wind down this work as quickly as possible without compromising jobs.”
This piece originally appeared in the Financial Mail.
