Soda - Keeping Curious

We’re looking at the possibility of launching a green agency. One that looks at sustainable communications, a carbon neutral approach perhaps. It first came to me towards the end of the summer through a chance conversation (isn’t that the way all great ideas start, rather than forced out of a strategy session!). It’s an interest area that has been building in my mind for many years now - a member of the Soil Association back in 1981 no less! We commissioned an indie consultant who has experience client-side, agency side and also good insight into the environment. I’ve been working with them for the last 12 weeks to evaluate the business case.

Now I don’t imagine that we’re the only ones looking at this right now, but having spent the time immersed in it with some of top brains in marketing, it’s going to be incredibly difficult. For this reason I suspect many agencies will make it easy for themselves: we recycle our paper, buy our energy from renewable sources and put lagging in the loft … oh .. and we’ll plant a few trees too just for good measure. Carbon Offsetting you know! Schezam!! A Green Agency. Anyone conned by that flaky green proposition frankly deserves all the bad advice and service they’ll get.

To do this properly will require an understanding of these issues that few of us in this industry currently have (including us) right now. It will also require dedication and a tenacity that will test even the best to the limit. Patience will be key. And people will need to put principles before profits - check that one out with shareholders first!!

And please don’t get ethical and environmental confused. I may buy my Fair Trade asparagus because it helps South American subsistence farmers, but it’s not very green is it flying little green shoots around the world. Sure, many people that care about ethics also care about the environment, but that doesn’t connect the two motivations.

I could say lots now about our early thoughts, but I’ll save that for later. Besides, they may well change as we unravel the complex motivation of the environment.

So will we ever see Together Green or what ever it might be called. Well, our research will be concluded by the end of the month and if we go ahead the agency will be up and running by the end of February 2008.

I welcome any thoughts, so please comment, send me stuff, whatever. The good, bad and the indifferent.