IPA 'Can Sustainability Sell?' Conference

To what extent are today's consumers interested in environmental and other sustainability issues? How can advertisers and agencies reflect this in their communications? These are the two key issues to be addressed at the IPA's 'Can Sustainability Sell?' conference to be held this Wednesday 20th March 2002.

The IPA suggests that sustainability is about ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and into the future. This requires increasing levels of corporate social responsibility, along with advertising that ensures truth about products and services.

Sustainability as a concept has gained ground recently. This year saw the launch of the UK Stock Exchange's index of ethical companies - FT 4 Good. This programme assumes that corporate citizenship has become a fundamental aspect of business life. In consequence, increasing numbers of corporations understand that in our new age of sustainability, they can no longer be irresponsible.

Meanwhile in the European Community, there continues to be a major push toward legislation to protect consumers and to ensure sustainability is firmly on the agenda of clients and advertising agencies.

This timely conference will attempt to cover the ground. The confirmed schedule runs as:

• What is 'sustainability'? Chris Powell, Chairman, BMP DDB.
  
• Sustainability - the consumer dilemma. Chris Pomfret, Business Director, Frozen Foods, Birds Eye Walls (Unilever).
  
• Sustainability - there is no other choice. Bas de Leeuw, Co﷓ordinator, Sustainable Consumption Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (UNEP DTIE).
  
• The new agency model. Jeanne Bloch, Director and Founder, Sept ou 8 Paris.
  
• Recognising contemporary values to re-build a brand: the Master Card story. John Fowler, Senior Vice-President, Director of Strategic Intelligence, McCann-Erickson Europe, Middle East and Africa.
  
• Selling Sustainability - neither boring nor PC - here's how. Marjorie Thompson.
  
• Selling sustainability without the 'S' word. Peter White, Associate Director for Corporate Sustainable Development, Procter & Gamble.
  
• How to sell cars by asking people not to use them - the Kia case study. Andrew Levy, Director, Mustoe Merriman Levy.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.