Boardroom View

Sustainability

Mary Baglivo, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi Americas
Jul 08 2008

      From Madison Avenue to boardrooms across corporate America, a new principle is emblazoned on the agenda: Sustainability.  The word stands out, across all industries, as a guiding beacon for future growth and success.  And as companies begin to embrace this concept, so too has the consumer.  In today’s marketplace, NO brand will be truly loved unless it creates a positive, sustainable impact.
   
    To create that sort of lasting impact, businesses must do much more than reduce their carbon footprint.  They must excel in all four areas of sustainability thinking: economic, social, cultural and environmental.  Individual actions like recycling and energy conservation certainly help, but it requires a powerful message to inspire change across all disciplines.  As advertisers – that’s where we come in. 
   
    Politicians may write laws on the matter and CEO’s can help set the market, but the true driving force behind sustainable living will inevitably be the consumer.  We advertisers have the ability to stimulate change in the arena where most decisions are made – the store.  Our job is to help consumers make better choices for a healthier life and greener planet.  Eventually, every purchase should be a gateway to a more sustainable existence.   
   
    No one says it will be easy.  However, corporate responsibility dictates that we, as communication specialists, propagate the message of sustainability with our clients and their consumers.  If we don’t make this message resonate for everyone, then we are missing a crucial opportunity to reward those brands that are the leading the way.
   
    In these times of economic uncertainty and global unrest, with a simple message, we have an opportunity, some might say obligation, to motivate and inspire.  It’s the wisest investment of time, capital and creativity that any of us can make. 
     
      Mary Baglivo is the CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Americas. Back in January,  Saatchi & Saatchi formed Saatchi & Saatchi S, a network designed to activate corporate and consumer action on a mass scale to address environmental and economic sustainability.