The Greener Side of Digital Marketing: Where Profit Meets Purpose

The Greener Side of Digital Marketing: Where Profit Meets Purpose

by Avril Tomlin-Hood

Let’s start by acknowledging that we’re suckers for a well-crafted ad. Sure, we’re marketing experts, we’re savvy, we know how algorithms work — but make no mistake — we’re HERE for well-targeted ads that are perfectly tailored to us.

Digital advertising has made it incredibly easy for brands to reach their target audiences, but what happens when we’re driven to purchase things we don’t need? Marketing plays an undeniable role in overconsumption, fuelling materialistic attitudes, and massively contributing to waste. Most advertising is geared to convince us we can improve our lives, our selves, even our emotional states by buying something. It’s peak unfettered capitalism. But those feelings we’re chasing are rarely satisfied — more often we’re left with long-term reminders of money wasted as we collectively scramble to keep up with ever changing styles or turn to shopping as therapy.

Here’s the bad: The promotion of unsustainable products such as single-use plastics and fast fashion can have a disastrous impact on our planet. Think about the environmental impact of each marketed item, from paper towels to jeans, SUVs to fast food burgers. We trust people to make informed decisions, but the relentless marketing machine drives us to buy, buy, buy! In 2022, a staggering $781 billion was spent on advertising alone. Imagine the money spent on all that stuff, and the environmental and social toll of single-use, disposable, or impulse buys.

But our focus is on calling in, not calling out! We see this huge power that marketing has and the potential to inspire positive change. As advertisers, we’re owning up to the impact of the products and services we promote on our planet’s future. Instead of focusing on growth just for the sake of growth, we’re partnering with companies that prioritize sustainability.

We’re proud to work with clients like SPUD, who are fighting overconsumption with a commitment to having the lowest food waste in Canada, from selling imperfect produce to donating to local charities. They also carry sustainable brands, use responsible transport, and are certified B-Corp. And then there’s Lightspark, our ally against overconsumption with energy-efficient homes. As a clean-tech software company, they help homeowners obtain a free energy score to reduce both their carbon footprint and energy bills.

Clients like SPUD and Lightspark aren’t sacrificing anything to provide products and services to the most climate-conscious consumers. And meanwhile, we, as marketers, get to do our best work for clients that we can proudly stand behind.

Embracing sustainability becomes less daunting when we realize that it’s what the public wants – and expects. While marketing can have a bad rap, we’re leaning into the power it wields to promote sustainable choices and inspire positive change. The future we’re envisioning? One where treating ourselves only ever feels good — for us and the planet.