“And the petro-chemical titanium Lion goes to…”

We often talk of giving back in the ad world. As if we’re trying to somehow atone for the industry’s sins. But Greenpeace took that notion to an entirely new level at Cannes this week, when their Head of Creative, Gustav Martner, handed his Gold Lion back in protest at an industry ‘complicit in the climate crisis’. It wasn’t their only action – they also disrupted a WPP beach party to make the same point – but regardless of where you stand, it’s put the spotlight on networks and agencies who offer support for ethical organisations with one hand but take the dirty dollar with the other.

Of course, there’s nothing new about this arrangement. Agencies have been romancing the planet-saving, conscience-salving, award-earning good guys whilst enjoying cosy lie-ins with the tobacco-chuffing, death-dealing, planet-destroying baddies since advertising time began. But it feels like there’s been a shift. And it isn’t just coming from Greenpeace. There’s a pressure coming to bear on those industries that are destroying the planet and the agencies that work with them. There is more scrutiny. There are more questions. And as a result, businesses now need to be more transparent than ever before.

Now here’s a confession; in this kind of article, there’s usually a point at which the vested interest pops up. You know, the ‘At XYZ Agency, we take a different approach’ moment. Well, this is it. Because at GOOD Agency, we take a different approach. We have more than a fleeting interest in integrity and commitment. As do our clients, whether they’re a charity, a cause or a commercial business that has a well-defined and clear purpose. Belief runs deep around here, and GOOD has been working in this space for over 27 years, which means we have an instinct for clients who are truly committed to change. In fact, we still audit all our new clients to make sure they’re either doing good stuff, or they’re on the way to doing good stuff. So no links to fossil fuels, no high-carbon industries, no animal testing, no nastiness. Which means we quite often turn potential clients down, even if, on the surface, they appear legit. The new biz equivalent of handing back your Lion, I guess.

It’s a bit different to the network agency world (where, incidentally, I’ve spent the majority of my career), where purpose so often sits next to pariah. But we might be getting closer to a tipping point, where agencies who want to pick up a Gold Lion or two for a good cause need to show that they’re not in cahoots with industries that cause harm. I don’t think that’s unreasonable or wrong. In fact, I think it’s very right. There’s a reason there isn’t a Fossil Fuel category at Cannes.

Of course, it’s easy to cast judgement from an agency whose whole raison d’être is to do the right thing, but it’s not about being gooder-than-thou. At GOOD we recognise that everyone’s at a different stage of the journey, clients as well as agencies. The point is that they are on that journey.  It’s also right to celebrate some of the fantastic and game-changing work on show at Cannes. That creativity can help us solve the biggest problems facing mankind is a truly wonderful thing. But while the beach party climate debates and net-zero Croisette conversations continue, you can’t help but notice the big, oily elephant in the Grand Auditorium.

And like Greenpeace and Gustav, I can’t shake the knowledge that some of the industry’s largest and most influential agencies are pushing purpose while peddling petro. Just so they can get their mitts on a lovely, shiny Lion. One they have no intention of giving back.