The role of advertising as an agent of social change is now even more important than ever before. With consumers making more socially-aware choices, brands must look for ways to be ethical and authentic. In fact, 82% of Australians believe a brand is good if it treats people fairly and respectfully, according to one of the findings in the Leo Burnett 2022 Good Study.

Brands doing good can find empowering ways to make their voices heard in the community and in the environment. Let’s look at how creativity can help brands drive impact in CSR and DE&I.

1800 Tequila and DDB Present A Bar Made Entirely of Recycled Material

The push for sustainability doesn’t always have to be serious and it doesn’t mean that consumers cannot have fun while doing it. 1800 Tequila made a statement with The Bar Saved From Landfill, an installation at the Royal Botanical Gardens. It was a stylish way to have consumers enjoy a meaningful cocktail and dining experience. 

Innocean and John Williamson Sing the Song of the Seas

We love our oceans and the problems of overfishing, coral bleaching and global warming continue to alarm us. As a result, the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Innocean have launched the “Voice of the Sea” platform and campaign with an animated film that is used as an educational resource at schools to empower future generations. 

Innocean is Saving Sharks From Aussie Plates

#GiveFlakeABreak from Innocean Worldwide Australia on Vimeo.

This is another brilliant activation by the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Innocean to create an awareness of saving endangered sharks. It showed that consumers don’t even know they are eating shark, because fish and chips are often sold as “flake”, which contains shark meat.

whiteGREY Is Saving Elephants One Megabyte at a Time

whiteGREY Positive’s project for the Sheldrick Wildife Trust is a Mammoth innovation. It’s a smart data intelligence tool that is a world-first, and it enables the real-time collection of data that helps the organisation to mobilise resources whenever and wherever the elephants need it.

Think HQ Raises Awareness Of Anxiety in Children

Anxiety in children is a topic that is often overlooked as a cause for concern as it manifests in common behaviours that are a normal part of life. This campaign was invaluable to parents, and it certainly delivered its message – with 2.7 million display ad impressions over four weeks.

News Channels in Pakistan Taken Over by Schoolgirls to Highlight Importance of Education

We take education for granted, but it is not even a basic right in Pakistan, especially for women. To broadcast this message, young schoolgirls took over leading Pakistani news channels. It was a disruptive campaign by IMPACT BBDO Dubai that reached 220 million viewers.

AMV BBDO's Campaign for Shelter Reveals the Reality of People Who Are Homeless at Christmas

Homelessness is a social problem that’s not highlighted often enough. Shelter and AMV BBDO make a raw statement about the dire housing emergency in the UK with this Christmas campaign.

Sex Education Charity Fumble Partners with Rapp UK to Hack Social Media Censorship and Tackle Toxic Masculinity

Google and the many popular social platforms available to us provide a wealth of information – and misinformation. RAPP UK tackles sex education for the youth by speaking their language – with emojis. Targetted at disengaged youth from the LGBTQ+ and disabled communities, the campaign effectively engaged young people with its social media approach.