Exposing advertising agencies working for fossil fuel clients

Glimpse Collective
Organisation
Glimpse Collective
Grant
DKK 1,798,799
Programme Area
CHALLENGE INFLUENCE
Year
2024

“The climate is changing. Business shouldn’t have to”. That is the tagline of Atmospheric – a global advertising agency providing clients with the social license they need to “keep the fire burning”. The agency is proud of the work they do for fossil fuel clients because: “Nobody should be forced to put the planet before short term profits.”

This is of course satire – cleverly crafted by KR Foundation grantee Glimpse Collective to start a conversation with professionals in the creative industry about the implications of having fossil fuel clients. What is not a joke, however, is that large advertising agencies such McCann and Ogilvy (just to name a few) work for global fossil clients and petrostates, while claiming to care about sustainability.

Serious People
A new organisation called Serious People will continue Glimpse Collective's work, using creative campaigning to increase the reputational risk for the agencies that provide professional services to the fossil fuel industry. The campaigns leverage humour and creative content targeted creative professionals working at these agencies to get them to take a stand on the issue, and to pressure management to change their course.