Essay by Eric Worrall
“… sustainability staff have either been made redundant or left and not been replaced …”
Advertising giants change tune on climate as industry grapples with AI
Marketing and PR groups are latest to follow shifts in politics led by US
Kenza Bryan in London
The world’s largest advertising agencies have rolled back their rhetoric on climate change, as the industry grapples with being replaced by AI and the need to hold on to lucrative contracts with even the most polluting clients.
It is the latest sector to follow the banks and asset managers and an array of US companies in re-embracing fossil fuel clients, echoing the political shift following the election of President Donald Trump.
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Energy majors and their creative partners are more transparently embracing fossil fuels, in a “bad boyfriend strategy”, said Duncan Meisel, executive director of Clean Creatives. “Marketing spend is shifting towards making them seem inevitable and vital.”
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One Omnicom staff member said an internal working group on sustainability had recently fallen silent. “Advertising is struggling — so all business is being considered,” he said.
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Omnicom is in the process of acquiring IPG. A current IPG employee said some “sustainability staff have either been made redundant or left and not been replaced”.
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Read more: https://www.ft.com/content/df2057e0-9c55-47d5-a0d3-4c68ac122dce
Low energy visions of sustainability are finished.
Not only has the election of President Trump broken the myth of green historical inevitability, the AI revolution is driving an enormous uptick in fossil fuel investment.
IEA modelling suggests data center demand for electricity will double to 945 TWh by 2030, around twice the current energy consumption of Japan.
In a world where a sizeable chunk of the hundreds of billions of dollars currently being poured into AI data center construction is ending up in the pockets of fossil fuel companies, the need for those same fossil fuel companies to double down on boosting their publish image is a market opportunity no advertising firm can afford to ignore.
Update (EW): Added the quote about sustainability jobs not being replaced.
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