CAN co-founder, Harriet Kingaby has a chat with Traci Dunne who shared her thoughts on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) in advertising organisations. After working in the advertising industry for over 30 years, twenty of which were spent at ISBA, Traci has founded her own ESG consultancy, Transform-Renew-Sustain (TRS).

In the interview we find out what’s motivated her to set up her business, along with the challenges advertisers face. Read on to find out what steps we make now to work towards more conscious and sustainable advertising.

Harriet: What have you set out to do and why is it so needed?

Traci: I could no longer stand by and watch the woeful lack of progress we as an industry are making at an operational level to improve our behaviours across all aspects of ESG.

My business exists tackle the disconnect between corporate ESG commitments set an organisational level and on the ground marketing operations – for both brands and agencies. The fact is corporate targets will simply not be met unless our day-to-day operational processes are structured to support those targets.

Harriet: What are the key struggles for organisations looking to implement large scale sustainability and conscious advertising initiatives?

Traci: The motivation and passion to tackle these areas often exists with pockets of positive activity happening across an organisation. But those activities are often happening in silos and are not cohesively aligned. The reality is that most brand and account teams are time-poor and don’t have the resource or expertise to define a centralised strategy.

There are of course many industry resources available including the fantastic work you do here across the CAN Membership. Your inspirational manifestos provide such a wealth of knowledge and practical advice.

I fear however that many feel overwhelmed at the outset of their journey and defining a strategy can seem like a daunting task. The challenge is often knowing where to start.

Harriet: What should the first step be for businesses looking to make big changes?

Traci: Take the time to read and digest the CAN Manifestos. They provide a genuine roadmap for anyone navigating the ESG space in Advertising and are a must read, in my opinion, for all.

At TRS we always start by carrying out a corporate targets assessment to understand what your, or your client’s organisation is already promising to do, and by when. From there it’s about establishing which of the existing commitments have implications for day-to-day marketing operations, and what processes can be evolved or embedded operationally to support those targets.

Harriet: What are the essentials for success?

Traci: It’s important to set achievable goals, even with the ticking clock of climate change. These efforts are a marathon, not a sprint and it can be easy to get disheartened along the way. Small wins and achievements whilst on the journey can support continued momentum and ensure those doing the work feel like they’re making a difference.

Another key to success is a structured approach to measurement and reporting. As the saying goes: ‘you can’t change what you don’t measure’. Ensuring that there’s a data tracking and reporting methodology to support your strategy is key. This enables you to track your journey, the improvements you’re making, and set a roadmap to meet any specific ESG targets you set for marketing operations. An idea can be to introduce a shared KPI across teams internally that are linked to performance.

Harriet: What are the steps for making change happen?

Traci: Seek out other passionate champions across the business to create a taskforce. Ideally a mix of marketing /account teams, marketing procurement, and a senior leader to enable decision making and keep things moving.

Client/Agency collaboration is key, whoever is in the driving seat. Bring your partners on the journey and ensure they have a voice.

Get help – join or sign up to industry bodies like CAN and get involved.

Attend events or join webinars – you’d be amazed how much you can learn by surrounding yourself with people who live and breathe this stuff. The passion is contagious, you can learn a huge amount and they’re there to help.

Start somewhere!

Harriet: Anything to avoid or be aware of?

Traci: Trying to boil the ocean. It’s very easy to get carried away or overwhelmed once you open the ESG pandora’s box. For many, an immediate reaction is to want to do everything – yesterday. Try to resist this impulse, the fact that you’re doing something is amazing and means you’re already making a difference. You can’t do everything all at once – decide on a set of tasks that you can tackle now and start there.

Harriet: Have you got any examples from your work of best practice? Or cautionary tales?

Traci: A test and learn philosophy can be a good approach to take – nothing is ever perfect, and you can get caught up waiting for endless rounds of approval.

In one case, after 18 months of development with a client, we had to again postpone the launch because of corporate approval hold ups. By the time we were ready to launch, things had moved on and we were already in a position where the work needed updating. This is why a senior, ideally C-Suite champion is so important.

Be brave. No one has ‘mastered’ this, so if you’re in a position to – push the boundaries. Explore what’s possible – be that pioneering brand or agency that others aspire to be.

Thank you to Traci for taking the time to chat with CAN and sharing her invaluable insights. You can reach Traci via email here

If you’re making the first steps to building ESG into your organisation, don’t forget to read through CAN’s Manifestos here.