Why do we need to reset?
The Challenge
The pause during lockdown created by the pandemic resulted in a 7% decrease in global emissions in 2020. The UN states that we need a decrease of 7.6% every year until 2030 to avoid climate and ecological disaster. This means we need to maintain the same decrease every year as if we were living in lockdown.
The challenge is that as we emerge from the pandemic the pressure to go back to ‘Business As Usual’ will intensify. But people don’t want to go back. Only 23%* of the UK public believe following lockdown, advertising should encourage people to consume, shop and fly like before lockdown. 77%* believe it is the industry’s responsibility to encourage people to behave more sustainably like during lockdown.
Right now we have a small window of opportunity to reset and shape the future we want.
*OnePulse survey 1,000 respondents representative sample of UK public aged 16+)
What is The Great Reset?
The Campaign
The Great Reset is a creative industry movement to embed the positive environmental shifts that have happened during lockdown as THE new normal.
Our industry has power and influence but we need lots of people to choose to use it. We must grab this opportunity to help shape a society that puts mankind and our planet’s needs first. To do this we need to:
- Reset ourselves to become agents of change, not just passive receivers of briefs
- Reset our work so what we create promotes sustainable values, attitudes and behaviours.
- Reset our impact by reevaluating what we measure and celebrate as ‘success’
What’s happened
so far?
In 2020, over 700 people and agencies led by the Purpose Disruptors collaborated to create a white paper, a launch film and this website.
Over 7 months, momentum built as hundreds of people attended zoom gatherings and 200 influential people pledged support. A creative competition was launched that attracted 160 entries to an open brief in partnership with D&AD New Blood academy. 7 Winners created work which formed a 7 week national campaign in donated media space (outdoor, press, radio and digital) worth £500,000 reaching 18 million people.
What can you do now?
The Ask
The first wave of the campaign is now over but our mission continues in 2021. If you are behind this mission, you are already part of The Great Reset. How you bring it about is up to you. We have identified 3 areas to focus on. For the advertising and marketing communications industry at large and individuals within it to best use their power to reset towards a more equitable society and sustainable planet, we need to:
- Reset ourselves to become agents of change, not just passive receivers of briefs.
You can:- Read and share The Great Reset White Paper with colleagues
- Join the Purpose Disruptors community & attend one of our monthly meet ups
- Reset what we create to promote sustainable values, attitudes and behaviours.
You can:- Encourage your agency to join the #changethebrief alliance. Participants aim to respond to client briefs in a way that promotes more sustainable values, attitudes and behaviours in client audiences.
- Reset our impact by reevaluating what we measure and celebrate as ‘success’.
You can:- Learn about the ‘Ecoffectiveness’ framework. This is the ‘missing measurement’ needed so that the advertising industry can take full responsibility for the carbon impact of its work. The open-source framework seeks to quantify emissions driven by advertising and identifies ways to maximise the ‘Return on CO2e’. Watch a video of the presentation at the IPA EffWorks event.
- Find out more about the Advertising Association’s Ad Net Zero initiative and become a supporter.
The Pledge
The Great Reset Campaign throughout July focused on building community with a series of Gatherings. Our community is now over 1000 members strong and many people and agencies have pledged their support - thank you! Official pledging is now closed but if you missed it and feel you can contribute your time or influence please contact us at hello@purposedisruptors.org
The following have already pledged their commitment
The White Paper How can I deepen my under-standing?
To understand more about the intellectual argument, research and thinking behind The Great Reset. Read it, digest it, talk about it, share it, send it to your CEO (if you are the CEO send it to other CEOs).
Our 20 minute white paper.
The missing metric How can we take full responsibi-lity for the impact of our work?
Key to ensuring our industry helps society and business to reduce our collective carbon footprint is re-evaluating what we measure and celebrate as ‘success’. The ‘Ecoffectiveness’ framework is a simple way to do this. We’re inviting strategists and econometricians to join us and contribute to its progress. Particularly if you have data to share. We’d love to hear from you hello@purposedisruptors.org
