Andrea Henao, 360 Agency Berlin.
Andrea is leading the first ever sustainable advertising agency in the world, promoting exclusively sustainable brands across the globe. She is one of the revolutionary thinkers deciding that 360 Agency Berlin would promote exclusively sustainable brands and take full responsibility of the brands and products they promote.
Andrea has been working for 18 years in Global advertising, starting on the creative side at BETC in 2003 in Paris and then working on the media planning and strategy side for Philips and Nokia at Carat in London, managing LG global account for Mindshare and then the Heineken global account at Starcom from Amsterdam, she was then assigned as global associate Director of the Volkswagen global account at Mediacom between Berlin and Wolfsburg, before to settle and found 360 Agency Berlin.
What makes you unique?
Our Agency looks at certifications prior to agree to promote a brand. In a majority of cases when certifications fail to be presented we decline working for the brands as we believe today that we are responsible of the message and image of a brand we convey.
With the global conjuncture it seems now essential to communicate an image that is coherent with the attributes of the brand, in order to avoid greenwashing and restore trust in advertising.
What inspired you to become the first advertising agency to promote exclusively sustainable brands and initiatives?
Not agreeing any longer with the processes in places. Hearing probably too often ‘business is business’. We started this adventure with ex colleagues that truly believed that you can be a great creative, strategist, media planner with values. Wanted to restore a credibility into our segment of activity.
Willing to serve our knowledge gathered all along these years to fully purposed brands and initiative. Believing that profit and ROI are no longer the only component or metric of success.
What impact did the winning “The Beyond Your Clothes” campaign have?
Too soon to say, consolidate the team for sure at this stage, I would say.
What would you say to those brands that don’t invest in environmental causes?
That they will probably not be part of tomorrow landscape.
Is it profitable for brands to think green?
It is not only profitable, it is vital! When we have in hand so many data available (the first scientists raising red flags were in 1968 – Club of Rome) showing how fast climate change is effective and the accelerated disappearance of our biodiversity, it seems essential and almost a survival instinct to think and ACT green.
During the last campaigns made at the Agency, we’ve been exposed to content that shows with details the scarcity of clean water in an increasing number of places in the world.
We’ve seen truly detrimental environmental consequences of some industries that damage local population and global natural resources. Today businesses need to be more regulated and take into consideration that natural resources are limited.
We should be more responsible, sustainable in the way we approach business. I am confident that the future generations are going to consider our generation as uncivilized business having truly toxic consequences on the long term, with unrefined ways to operate. Future business and generations are certainly going to have a much more holistic, complex and refined approach of business. Also people are getting much more informed then to think green will be no option operating businesses that put future generations in danger will, I hope, be illegal.
What would the ideal advertiser look like in a sustainable world?
Looking at certifications before to advertise, and challenge the brand to prove that the communication is truly aligned with the real attributes of the brand. This is the kind of communication we have with the brands and initiative we promote as we consider that if anything backlash we would take full responsibility for it.
Therefore we allow ourselves to question what is being asked from us and always over delivered when everything is perfectly transparent.
How do you think creative agencies can contribute to a more sustainable world?
We are currently seeing emerging a major shift in creativity, seeing creatives that are much more inclusive, addressing their message to different types of mobilities and shapes, 2021 definitely have seen a turn on the types of messages gaining attention and recognition. Moving towards acceptance and sustainability.
Are agencies and advertisers demanding that their suppliers reflect a social and environmental conscience?
It certainly goes together hand in hand. Per example in our campaigns there are some targeting techniques that we refuse to apply, also we cap our ads to ensure to not appear too intrusive to the audience. Sustainability is an holistic approach that privileges
relevance against frequency. I am certain that the KPI’S often measuring success in the past will not be part of the set in the future and will let the place to quality metrics over frequency.