While marketing commentators have called ‘peak purpose’ progressive brands have continued to place purpose at the heart of their marketing strategy.

Sky Media, the advertising arm of Sky, has been at the forefront of this shift with the Sky Zero Footprint Fund, a £2m initiative to amplify brands which are making a positive impact on the planet.

Pioneering skincare brand UpCircle, which uses by-products from other industries such as coffee grounds and fruit stones to create high-quality and sustainable skincare products, has benefitted from the fund. The brand launches its first-ever TV campaign this month after winning £250,000 of media as part of the 2023 Sky Zero Footprint Fund.

The win has provided UpCircle with a platform to showcase its innovative approach to beauty and challenge the conventional beauty industry to rethink its practices.

Anna Brightman, Co-Founder at UpCircle, explained: “There is no beauty brand doing more than we are, and there are few industries as wasteful as ours. The authenticity and sincerity of this campaign is true to our brand, one thing Sky were big fans of. We wanted to immediately engage with our audience, how do we do that? By using one of our very own customers as our lead talent! We’ve been patiently waiting for the right time to air our ad and at long last that time has come. We are so excited to share it with the world and to see it on screens during peak season.”

Sarah Jones, Director of Planning at Sky Media, added: “The Sky Zero Footprint Fund recognises businesses that are actively working to reduce their carbon footprint and inspire others to do the same. UpCircle Beauty's commitment to sustainability, circular economy principles, and ethical production was a perfect match for the fund's mission.”

The creative tells the story of two of UpCircle’s best-sellers, made with upcycled coffee. The unique journey of the product is shown entirely in reverse - starting with application to skin, then the process of it being manufactured, then the coffee being collected and finally the cup of coffee being made.

UpCircle is a brand with authenticity at its core, so casting a genuine customer as lead talent cements the brand's ethos. The ad also features members of their own team for true authenticity, collecting coffee from a coffee shop where they collect granules for their products. UpCircle’s creative was crafted and produced in partnership with Toast and follows best practice advice and recommendations from the Advertising Association’s AdGreen programme.

The campaign will air across Sky Media channels from mid-September, using Sky’s data to target relevant audiences, channels and content to optimise web visits, sign-up and purchases.