As the global focus on climate change intensifies, industries are rethinking their environmental impact. Among the sectors leading this charge are brands and agencies, including those in the marketing and advertising world, who are increasingly using technology to limit carbon emissions and foster sustainability across their operations.

With growing pressure from both consumers and regulators to adopt greener practices, businesses are turning to innovative digital tools, data analytics, and energy-efficient solutions to minimize their ecological footprint. For brands and agencies, the integration of sustainability is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a necessary evolution to align with consumer demand for responsible business practices.

B Corp-Certified global digital agency DEPT has formed a strategic alliance with GHD, a global professional services firm, to drive sustainability innovation through spatial technology. The collaboration will leverage cutting-edge AR/VR devices like the Apple Vision Pro to create immersive digital experiences that enhance decision-making in environmental planning, infrastructure, and energy management.

Broadsign and Scope3 have announced a partnership that sets the stage for more accurate, comprehensive carbon modeling of digital-out-of-home (DOOH) campaigns. As more brands seek to limit carbon emissions across their businesses, including marketing, the two companies have teamed up to expand the depth and precision of available DOOH emissions data.

Vodafone recently announced that it had reduced the carbon footprint of its media and advertising activities by more than a third in a year across thirteen markets in total after benchmarking its media-related greenhouse gas (‘GHG') emissions and introducing global guidelines to mitigate them. Vodafone’s award-winning Sustainable Media Programme was established in October 2022 to deliver emission reductions across Vodafone’s global media and advertising activities.

At the same time, IBM and L'Oréal, the world's beauty company, announced a collaboration to leverage IBM's generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology and expertise to uncover new insights in cosmetic formulation data, facilitating L'Oréal's use of sustainable raw materials, for energy and material waste reductions.

Campaigns of the week

Domestic abuse charity Refuge is following up on its Make the World a Refuge campaign with a sea of red flags at London’s Outernet. The installation will feature quotes from domestic abuse survivors to highlight the often unseen, unrecognised and unreported forms of harm and control that women face.

In the latest "Relax, It's iPhone" campaign, Apple pays homage to Saudi soap operas in a new Ramadan series. The campaign showcases how advanced camera features in iPhone 16 Pro can smooth out life's dramatic moments. The campaign is launching across Saudi Arabia and consists of two spots – ‘The Matchmaker’ and ‘Favorite Son’.

TBWA\HAKUHODO and Nissan Motor have launched 'NISSAN ANIMALERT,' a joint initiative aimed at achieving zero wildlife fatalities caused by vehicles. The initiative introduces a new solution designed to help protect endangered wildlife from road accidents. As part of the project, a pilot test will be conducted, and Nissan will release a project film and interview videos on its official YouTube channel and social media platforms.

Nothing packs a punch like nature and Original Source’s new campaign by Fold7, Nature Hits Different, delivers the same hit of energy that’s bottled up in every Original Source shower gel. The campaign, aimed at 18-44 year olds who are low on mental and physical energy, is Original Source’s first major creative campaign since 2019, and the brand’s first outing for their new bold brand positioning: “experience a hit of energy from nature”.

Agencies and accounts

FCB India, part of FCB Group India (IPG Group), has been awarded the creative mandate for Dulcoflex, a trusted global brand in digestive health. As part of this mandate, FCB India will drive integrated marketing campaigns to reinforce Dulcoflex's leadership in the laxative category and expand its relevance among Indian consumers.

UK retail bank Nationwide has announced that it has appointed Mother as its new creative agency, following a pitch process that also involved Uncommon Creative Studio and Neverland. Tuffon Hall Consultancy was the pitch consultant during the process.

British automotive brand MINI has appointed Jung von Matt Group as the lead creative agency for international campaigns driven by the agency’s London and Zurich offices. The corresponding call for tenders was issued on a regular basis at the expiry of the existing contracts.The decision for the new agency was primarily the international orientation and profound expertise of the team in the required areas.

Partnerships and acquistions

In close collaboration with foodtech AlgMighty's founding partners and key stakeholders, creative branding agency Vengean has developed the Brand Strategy, Brand Story, Brand Theme, Name, Visual Identity and new website and Social formats. With the Brand Theme "Feeding the future of food," AlgMighty has set its sights on doing exactly that, scaling its operations to meet demand across a range of food production industries.

Interpublic Group, IPG, has announced the sale of R/GA, the creative innovation company, to Truelink Capital, a private equity firm with a track record of investing in tech-enabled services. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Takealot has joined Joe Public on a new journey to grow their business in the rapidly-evolving and exciting e-commerce sector. Takealot is a South African brand and a player in the country's online retail market. Joe’s enthusiastic about the opportunity to help strengthen Takealot’s brand presence as they continue to shape the future of e-commerce.

Global independent marketing and communications firm, FINN Partners, has acquired RICE Communications (RICE), a 60-strong, Singapore-based, strategic communications and public relations consultancy, with expertise in travel, technology, corporate and consumer public relations across the Asia-Pacific region.

And WPP has announced a strategic partnership and investment in Stability AI, a pioneer in generative AI and the developer of Stable Diffusion, an industry-leader in image generation.The partnership will further enhance WPP's ability to deliver cutting-edge, AI-driven content solutions to its clients across various entertainment channels such as streaming platforms, interactive experiences and immersive storytelling.

Startups weekly update

TandemLaunch, a Canadian venture creation studio and seed fund, has closed TandemLaunch Ventures Fund IV (TLVIV), at over $37 million. TandemLaunch specializes in transforming university-born technologies into high-growth ventures. TLVIV will continue fueling breakthrough innovation with capital and strategic guidance.

SDG Lab, the corporate venture studio powered by Social Discovery Group, has announced its official launch with a mission to transform virtual intimacy into the new normal. SDG Lab is more than just an investor - it is a hands-on partner for entrepreneurs building innovative social discovery and connection technologies.

Cloudsmith, a Belfast-headquartered cloud-native artifact management platform redefining software supply chain security, has raised a $23 million Series B funding round led by TCV, with participation from Insight Partners and existing investors. Cloudsmith is used by enterprises that need control, security, and scalability in their software supply chain, and the company is cementing its position as the modern, developer-friendly, enterprise-scale alternative to legacy artifact management offerings from JFrog and Sonatype.

Other major news of the week

In 2024, the Dékuple Group, the European company in communication and data marketing, achieved an annual turnover of 217.8 million euros, an increase of 9.1%. This dynamic is driven by the sustained growth of its digital marketing activities, whose gross margin increased by 15.8% compared to 2023. This growth is accompanied by the strengthening of the Group’s development in Europe.

As the UAE cements its reputation as the new Silicon Valley of the world, big group’s expansion leverages 33 years of expertise across key industries— including Finance, Energy, Leisure, and Technology—to support businesses navigating a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

For the first time, Netflix is set to overtake YouTube in total video revenue in 2025, according to exclusive Omdia research presented at MIP TV London 2025. In 2024, YouTube led the market with $42.5 billion in revenue, while Netflix generated $39.2 billion.

Bob Koigi is the editor-in-chief of Marketing Report.One

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