What is sustainable advertising?

It considers the carbon footprint and other negative environmental impacts associated with a specific advertising medium. Interestingly, it is radio advertising that has by far the lowest CO2 emissions of all media.

Measuring a medium's carbon footprint can be a somewhat intricate measurement. Essence Global's Carbon Calculator provides an estimate of the carbon generated by a media plan based on the channels, formats and devices to be used.

It also provides an opportunity to compare scenarios to understand the carbon impact of different iterations of a plan.

Using the annual electricity emission factors for each medium in each market, the Carbon Calculator then applies an algorithm to compute the carbon footprint of a live campaign.

According to the Essence Global Carbon Calculator, traditional radio and digital audio are among the top-performing environmentally positive media channels, with radio taking the top spot. Traditional radio is the most ecologically friendly medium due to low device energy consumption.

Results by the Mediaplus Green-GRP calculator, which calculates the CO2 emissions of advertising campaigns, also show that radio advertising has the lowest CO2 emissions. The German radio trade board, Radiozentrale, recently highlighted radio's outstanding climate credentials in a new campaign.

For consumers, even in South Africa, the issue of sustainability is important. The Target Group Index survey indicates that nearly 80% of the radio audiences — which Mediamark represents — are prepared to make lifestyle compromises to benefit the environment.

The survey also revealed that these consumers are prepared to pay more and support brands actively finding ways to go green by limiting practices that pollute the environment and that offer eco-friendly products.

Brands can mirror these consumer commitments by taking a more sustainable approach to their advertising campaigns. The prioritisation of channels will need to balance efficiency and effectiveness, with sustainability considerations overlaid with business needs.

International trends suggest that the industry itself recognises the need for change.

Ad Net Zero, which is backed by the Advertising Association in the United Kingdom, found that seven-in-ten people working in the media industry are worried about the negative impact the industry has on the environment. The good news is that the global shift towards 'going green' allows marketers to be a force for positive change.

For more information, visit www.mediamark.co.za. You can also follow Mediamark on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.