What is your assessment of Goodvertising, 12 years after coining the term?
Thomas Kolster: At the time I wrote Goodvertising, I was a young creative running a small ad agency in Copenhagen. What provoked me to write the book was the Climate Summit, which was taking place in Denmark. There was no real outcome, so I asked myself a simple question: Advertising is part of the problem, but can it also be part of the solution.
Goodvertising was born and loosely defined as advertising that’s good for people and planet. This was back in 2010 and early days of the sustainability movement we see in our industry today. It was the beginning of Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan journey and To be honest, on one hand, I’m really happy about the progress. Back then, it was difficult to find any examples of goodvertising, today every ad break features at least a couple of goodvertising attempts by brands. It’s become mainstream.
On the other hand, I’m also incredibly disappointed about the real lack of progress. Yes, we’re having the conversations, yes, brands are cleaning up some of the mess, but overall, we’re very far from hitting the goal. Take my fellow Danes as an example. Our carbon footprint should be hitting 3 tons, but at the moment the average Danes footprint is 13 tons. We need an urgent carbon diet and the question is if the industry is really ready to help achieve that goal?
What is your vision of marketing as it stands today?
Thomas Kolster: The good news, it’s in your hands to shape. Every day you go to work, you can embrace a better approach. I do witness sustainability and purpose becoming mainstream, it doesn’t pack the same punch. In my book The Hero Trap I already back in 2020 saw the emerging signs of a post-purpose market, where the world-bettering statements make way for what adds value to people’s lives.
Today, people simply don’t buy WHAT or WHY you make it, but WHO you can help them become. More climate conscious? Less biased? Healthier? As a customer, you can feel the difference in your own life, it’s not just virtue-signaling. You don’t go to a gym to get muscles; you go there to exercise. As a brand, you’ll have to re-evaluate your role and how you lead. Everyone can offer people a paycheck or a discount at the cash register, but can you help them find a better version of themselves?
What insights can you give to brands to allow them to thrive in today’s market?
Thomas Kolster: For brands in 2024, it’s about delivering a clear value-preposition with ESG-factors (Environment, Social and Governance). I like to take a life-centric approach in my work as a storyteller as a brand builder. Our dreams, fears and aspirations are the building blocks of long-lasting brands. Take Dove. It’s simple; giving young girls confidence. EVs (electric vehicles) are another interesting example. In the US it’s clear that the early green adopters have now been exhausted and the car companies desperate to maintain the growth of EVs are lowering the prices. There’s a limit for how much people is willing to pay for eco-status.
As some societies have reached a more than sufficient level of material wealth, it’s time for us to start focusing on inner human wealth: happiness, better connections with the community, less stress, fulfilled citizens. Materialism is a losing strategy. The happiness of buying new shoes is a short-lived dopamine kick, whereas finding better ways of living in balance with yourself adds lifelong value. It’s time to create the right human and planetary balance. It’s time to create a new leadership that enables people to move towards change. There is simply no one else to blame for the lack of change than yourself.
About Thomas Kolster
Thomas Kolster is a marketing activist on a mission to make business put people and planet first. As a seasoned branding and sustainability professional of more than 18 years’ standing, he’s advised Fortune 500 companies, small start-ups, governments, agencies, and non-profits. He’s the founder of the global Goodvertising movement that’s inspired a shift for the better in advertising.
