Wavemaker makes inclusive and carbon reduction planning standard

Wavemaker will apply Group M’s carbon calculator and inclusive planning to all client media plans unless they opt out, in what the agency claims is an industry first.

The agency, which has more than 100 clients including Nationwide, Morrisons and Viacom, will optimise media plans with the carbon calculator and inclusivity unless clients opt out.

The aim of the initiative is to provide clients with diverse audience insights and help them reduce carbon emissions.

Group M’s carbon calculator, which is used across sister agencies including Mediacom and Mindshare, advises clients on which channels – and, eventually, media vendors – are causing the most carbon emissions, in an effort to slash advertising's carbon footprint. It then suggests how clients can reduce the carbon footprint from advertising. 

Wavemaker’s inclusive planning initiative aims to help clients reach diverse audiences from the outset of a plan, rather than as an afterthought.

“When it feels like the world is lurching from crisis to crisis at unprecedented speed, it’s easy to default to short-term thinking and let the urgent get in the way of the important,” Wavemaker UK chief executive Kelly Parker said.

“Applying this positive impact lens to our work is not just a moral imperative, it also drives results. We’re already seeing huge paybacks for clients who’ve championed inclusive planning or invested in our eco-effectiveness model to minimise carbon impact without compromising sales. We hope that by making them the default standard, we make it easier for our clients to play their part.”

One of the clients that Parker refers to is Nationwide, which has previously worked on high profile campaigns that tackle racism in football.

Nationwide’s head of media Chris Ladd said that it was “vital that our media activity is optimised to ensure minimal impact on the environment”.

He added: “We’re proud that as pioneers of inclusive planning, we’ve been able to work with Wavemaker to enhance our planning processes, resulting in significant investment to communicate more with diverse audiences.  

“The commercial opportunity with these audiences is vast and we are seeing improved business outcomes as a result. Most importantly however, inclusivity is now baked into our advertising strategy, not an add-on. I’m very proud to see Wavemaker galvanising others in the industry to follow suit.”