German advertising agency Mediaplus, part of the Serviceplan Group, is drawing attention to an issue that has received little attention in the industry: the carbon footprint associated with the production and distribution of advertising. To mark June 5, the UN’s World Environment Day, the agency launched the “World’s First Carbon Neutral Ad Breaks” to encourage companies to offset the emissions caused by their campaigns and include climate protection in their marketing budgets. In a joint project with ClimatePartner, Mediaplus was the first agency to introduce the Green GRP, a calculation model that determines the individual carbon footprint of each media mix and the amount of compensation required for each climate protection project.
The spots were broadcast in Austria, France and Germany. Additional measures in addressable TV and radio also exist in Italy and Switzerland. The emissions generated by the broadcast of the commercials were fully offset via a climate protection certificate in cooperation with ClimatePartner. The Green GRP is calculated specifically for each inventory used in a campaign placement and is available to all market partners - agencies, media companies and advertisers - as an open initiative. Starting with Mediaplus Germany, the model is now being rolled out in other countries.
Matthias Brüll, managing partner of Mediaplus International, said: “Climate protection is a global issue. Our goal is to roll out the Green GRP globally in cooperation with ClimatePartner. With the first climate-neutral ad unit, we have taken our message to Austria, France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland as a first step. Other countries will follow.” Serviceplan has been climate neutral in Germany since 2020. Its agency subsidiary Mediaplus introduced the Green GRP earlier this year.
