To mark Earth Day (22nd April) Purpose Disruptors have launched a new campaign, ‘Reclaiming the Commercial Break’. The new campaign is part of their ongoing Good Life 2030 project which aims to drive a more sustainable future for advertising.  

The campaign, which has been created in partnership with creative agency Iris, plays with well-established advertising language to bring home the reality that advertising and consumption of material things can distract from what is important in life. The work promotes the need for a deeper connection to self, to others and to nature in a bid to create a more sustainable future. 

The creative was developed over a 6-week period and began with an agency ‘Swarm’; a process in which 30 individuals dedicate 24 hours to creating an idea. The campaign sees stereotypical advertisements interrupted with messages of well being such as ‘deal of the day, 50% more time with the fam” and “limited time offer, hanging out with the oldies”. By subverting expectations the creative promotes a message of togetherness and wellbeing by forcing people to rethink what a ‘good life’ really  is. 

The campaign also seeks to remind the industry that advertising has the power to influence behaviours and therefore can have a pivotal role in shaping consumer habits of the future, repositioning what is important for audiences. 

The campaign is being supported by media agency MG OMD, who brokered partnerships with media owners including JCDecaux, blowUp, OPEN, Pearl and Dean, The Guardian, Mobsta, SeenThis, Snap and media aggregator OpenX. The two-month campaign will be visible across digital, cinema, online publishing and outdoor including a Piccadilly Circus takeover.

The campaign has been launched as part of the ongoing Good Life 2030 project and comes alongside the reveal of the shortlist for the Good Life 2030 Exhibition of the Future. The exhibition will feature a further 22 ‘Ads for the Future’ and will launch at the Earth Day Advertising Summit on the 25th of April.

200 entries were submitted from individuals via a coalition of creative partners, including purpose-driven social app WeAre8, creative network Creatives for Climate and Bournemouth and Falmouth Universities. A range of creative submissions include a poster that jumps forward in time to an exhibition held in June 2712, an artwork celebrating the power of community and connection, a thank-you note from the perspective of the year 2030.

The campaign and exhibition comes at a pivotal time in the climate crisis where the industry has the opportunity to act fast to accelerate climate action and contribute to a much needed reduction of climate emissions. Where research from Purpose Disruptors ‘Citizens’ Visions of 2030’ found that everyday people dream of more connection in their lives, the initiative aims to connect this search for purpose to a more climate-friendly lifestyle. Promoting health, wellness and togetherness, consumers are more likely to live a lifestyle that is compatible with halving emissions by 2030. 

“This campaign by Iris and MG OMD is a demonstration of what is possible when people in our industry redirect their skills and talents towards creating a new vision of a good life in society. Imagine the impact our industry could have if everyone was focused on helping people reflect on what is important every day, not just Earth Day,” explained Lisa Merrick Lawless, Co-founder of Purpose Disruptors.

By promoting the positives of a wellness focused lifestyle and tying sustainability into a more fulfilled, connected way of living, the campaign is able to connect consumers to the climate crisis in a way that does not overwhelm. Successfully painting a picture of a better future for all.