Could there be a more perfect month than January for a creative reminder that cynicism is the enemy of creativity?

It’s perhaps one of the toughest truths of marketing commentary that columnists have become so disconnected from the creative communities they should seek to serve that they view purpose as little more than a punchline. The joke, presumably being that people would be so gullible as to care about the work they create, or presume it could make a meaningful difference to the world. 

Yet while in the modern business world the truth remains that ‘caring too much’ is still little more than a throwaway criticism, for the creative industries the honest truth is that this care is its lifeblood. It’s a powerful truth demonstrated by a new powerful short film, which is the result of a collective of 21 LGBTQA+ charities, coordinated by Stonewall, coming together to depict the abuse of a young trans person undergoing so-called ‘conversion therapy’. The abuse seen in the 2.5-minute-long film is currently 100% legal in the UK. 

The film advocates for the introduction of legislation for a full ban on conversion therapy that includes trans people and protects the whole LGBTQA+ community. The&Partnership and mSix&Partners, who are supporting with film distribution, worked on the project pro bono after employees raised the issue of achieving a full ban on conversion therapy as an issue which is important to them. 

In essence, this is work that got out into the world because of two key things. Firstly the creative talent that is armed not just with the craft skills but with the care to advocate for creating work with purpose. Secondly an agency with not just the creative ambition, but the practical support to create a space in which employees can not just speak up; but speak important, purposeful work into existence. So while commentators might still scoff at the concept of purpose, the undeniable truth is that this is the kind of work which attracts top talent to the industry in the first place. 

As Toby Allen, Executive Creative Director at The&Partnership explained: “At The&Partnership, we champion belonging, diversity, and inclusion as a company and across society. We believe no one should be forced to change who they are and our film makes clear that ‘conversion therapy’ is not therapy, it’s abuse. We're proud of all our LGBTQA+ people, and proud to work on this campaign to promote a full ban.”

Impactful, honest, difficult work. Work that both makes a difference and contributes to agency cultures that attract the kind of talent that really makes an impact; the talent that truly cares about the work they produce.