In an era where sustainability advertising is becoming commonplace, what should companies consider? Reflecting on the 76th Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards SDGs Special Prize

Advertisements themed around SDGs and sustainability are no longer exceptional; they have become commonplace. Public awareness is shifting toward realizing a sustainable society.

In this article, Koichi Kaneda, Chair of the Selection Committee for the 76th Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards SDGs Special Prize, and Risa Tanaka, a member of the Selection Committee, discussed the future of advertising communication and the potential of sustainability advertising while reflecting on this year's entries.

Keywords: "Normalization" and "Access"

Kaneda: Reviewing this year's entries, the keywords "normalization" and "access" came to mind. Here, normalization means "something previously considered special becoming normal, or commonplace."

The advertisers behind this year's entries ranged widely from major private consumer goods manufacturers to community-based companies, and the formats included public entities and NPOs, showing greater diversity than ever before. I truly feel sustainability advertising is no longer the domain of a limited number of companies. Against this backdrop, while only one work was awarded annually in the past, this year saw three Excellence Awards selected in addition to the SDGs Special Award winner.

The other keyword, "access," refers to communication designed to be accessible to diverse audiences. This year's SDGs Special Award went to LIFULL's "LIFULL HOME'S 'FRIENDLY DOOR'," which operates a housing and real estate portal site. "LIFULL HOME'S 'FRIENDLY DOOR'" is a service enabling "housing-disadvantaged" individuals—such as foreigners, same-sex couples, seniors, and people with disabilities—who previously struggled to rent their desired homes, to find understanding real estate companies nationwide. It truly promotes access to housing for diverse people, and its selection was praised for embodying the principle of "leaving no one behind" through its core business.

Tanaka: I also thought this service was outstanding. It originated from one employee's concern, which then mobilized the entire company, influenced the industry and related organizations, and created a significant wave of empathy – that aspect deserves recognition too.

Kaneda: Some readers might think, "Isn't this more of a business initiative than an advertisement?" However, looking at the global advertising award, the Cannes Lions, the word "advertising" was removed from its official name in 2011. It now evaluates not only standard advertising formats but also everyday initiatives and campaigns.

Tanaka: That's right. Serving on the SDGs Special Award selection committee this time really reinforced my sense that advertising expression is evolving.

Kaneda: In terms of "accessibility," the AC Japan CM " Tolerance Rap," which won the Excellence Award, was also a highly praised work. This CM conveys the importance of respecting each other through rap, under the rhyming copy, "Instead of hitting, let's praise each other." People of various ages and genders appear, allowing viewers to relate to it personally from their own perspectives. The CM also pointed out unconscious bias.

 

Advertising is a device for co-creation

Tanaka: I believe advertising represents the pinnacle of expression, where wisdom converges. It provides insights to many people. Furthermore, while participating in the selection process, I truly felt that advertising is a "device for co-creation."

LIFULL HOME'S "FRIENDLY DOOR," which connects various real estate companies, can also be called a co-creation device. Similarly, Suntory Holdings' award-winning ad " Bottles are Resources! " exemplifies this. It represents a new form of sustainability, co-created between Suntory, which provides beverages in PET bottles, and consumers who treat these bottles as resources rather than waste.

Kaneda: It provides the insight that "PET bottles are resources, not trash." The other Excellence Award winner was Fukushima Minpo's advertisement. Could you share your thoughts on that one?

Tanaka: Titled " 365 Days of Disaster Preparedness," it introduces an ongoing initiative that uses print media and social media to communicate the importance of disaster preparedness every single day throughout the year. It conveys the message that since disasters can strike at any time, we need to change our awareness and lifestyle regarding them. Maintaining daily communication like this is truly challenging, so I found myself intrigued by how it must be built on the co-creation of many different people.

Kaneda: Earlier, Tanaka-san mentioned that advertising represents the pinnacle of expression, a culmination of wisdom. The selected works this time didn't just call for "building a sustainable society together." They also featured ingenious ways to move consumers' hearts and a sharpness that pointed out things people hadn't noticed before.

Focusing on the downstream of the supply chain to create content that resonates with consumers!

Kaneda: Having reviewed the award-winning works, Tanaka, what do you think will be required of sustainability advertising going forward?

Tanaka: We're now in an era where it's said that "all companies must be sustainable." Therefore, I believe advertising expressions will also need to be more conscious of sustainability going forward.

Furthermore, it's crucial not only to send messages outward but also to focus on diverse employees and partner companies. Perspectives that foster employee unity in facing society, or raise awareness about creating social good and new value, will likely be important in future advertising expressions.

Kaneda: From another perspective, corporate sustainability has traditionally focused more on the "upstream" of the supply chain. For example, sourcing raw materials not implicated in environmental destruction or human rights violations. However, I feel we must now pay greater attention to the "downstream" value chain. Advertisements that accompany products and services are also located downstream. While keeping freedom of expression in mind, we also need to consider the risk that advertisements may be perceived as contributing to human rights violations or promoting environmental destruction.

Even advertisements created with careful consideration can be perceived differently as societal norms change. Furthermore, there are things that may be acceptable domestically but not overseas. Take the EU's greenwashing regulations, for example. We are entering an era where regulations are being imposed on expressions that could mislead consumers about a product's sustainability.

Tanaka: Greenwashing is something we really need to be careful about. However, it is currently difficult to accurately measure CO2 emissions within the supply chain. For this reason, I believe that advertising expressions with the stance of "We are taking a step forward because we believe it is the right thing to do now, and we want everyone to see and know about it" are also acceptable. And if the challenge fails at first, I think it would be good to reflect on it, organize it, analyze it, and then communicate it. I think advertising that communicates failure can also be socially meaningful if viewers can learn from it.

Kaneda: It's fine for the ad to include a recovery plan, right? Something like, "Here's how we handle unexpected outcomes." The pattern is to extract parts of the sustainability report, add creative flair, and publish it as sustainability advertising. If we think of it as a message saying, "So others don't make the same mistake!", it could become advertising that creates positive value. But maybe that's too much explanation (laughs).

Finally, something I've been pondering lately is using sustainability ads as training materials. We actually tried this once with our employees, using ads from overseas competitors. The discussion got really lively: "Compared to our purpose, we can't be this edgy," "Is this halation intentional?", "If you read between the lines, you could interpret this as...", "Is this theme a hot-button issue in Europe right now?" Sustainability ads that are one step ahead are packed with signs of societal change. How about using award-winning works like the SDGs Special Prize as material for training events across Japan going forward?