IPG Mediabrands and Scope3 today announced a first-of-its kind industry partnership whereby Mediabrands will use standards established by Scope3 to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of digital advertising, which will help codify an industry standard for emissions measurement. Mediabrands is the first global media or agency holding company to partner with Scope3 at a global scale.
As part of the deal, Mediabrands will offer clients emissions measurement, compensation and reduction capabilities while helping increase the capacity of players across the digital ecosystem to decarbonize media emissions at scale.
Throughout the world, brands have embraced sustainability and are setting targets to reduce their carbon emissions across every segment of their organizations. In media and advertising, these brands are increasingly leaning on their agency partners to develop pathways to reduce and ultimately eliminate carbon emissions that occur as a result of their digital advertising investments.
Ninety percent of the marketers Mediabrands polled this year said they were interested in finding new methods to assess media value beyond price efficiency alone. In response, the Mediabrands Media Responsibility Index evolved its fourth issuance of the report to provide greater insight across four priorities of partner accountability—Safety, Inclusivity, Sustainability and Data Ethics—in alignment with industry-adopted ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) frameworks so businesses can easily extend how they are measuring their impact in these spaces to include media. This year sees the Mediabrands Media Responsibility Index expand out beyond the social platforms in Australia to encompass all channels.
In partnership with Scope3, Mediabrands will introduce complementary and mutually dependent services that provide a road map to net-zero:
- – Measurement and reporting: Mediabrands will gain access to end-to-end emissions data for every digital ad impression, augmenting its existing media consumption carbon calculator, which quantifies a portion of the emissions generated by the end user consuming the ad.
- – Carbon-neutral media products: Scope3’s Green Media Products use emissions data to factor the cost of carbon into the price of advertising and provide a clear and measurable path to achieve carbon-neutral campaign activations.
- – Industry engagement: Leveraging Scope3’s emissions measurement, Mediabrands will initiate dialogue and collaboration across the digital supply chain to promote ad delivery paths that are optimized to reduce emissions. Ultimately, Mediabrands will shift media investment to partners that demonstrate a commitment to continuous emissions reductions.
Says Eileen Kiernan (above left), global CEO of Mediabrands: “Our partnership with Scope3 is one of many commitments Mediabrands is making to take intentional steps in support of climate action as part of our broader Media for Good efforts. For action to be taken, access to accurate data and reporting is an essential first step. Scope3 provides critical insights and information that enable us to make smarter, cleaner investment choices.”
Says Brian O’Kelley (above right), CEO and co-founder of Scope3: “From the beginning of Scope3, Mediabrands has been an incredible partner. They were the first agency network to purchase Green Media Products as part of a decarbonization strategy. They have tirelessly advocated for sustainability with their clients, vendors, and publishers. Every time I meet someone who works at any of the Mediabrands companies, I am impressed with their deep commitment to including sustainability as a part of every aspect of their business without compromising on their clients’ results.”
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