As part of its follow up to the publication of The Good Life 2030 Ireland Citizen Vision Report in April 2024, Thinkhouse has launched a new video featuring a roundtable discussion with some of the key leaders within the Irish advertising and marketing industry.
The roundtable discussion features Ciaran Reilly, Managing Director, Custodian; Aidan Greene, CEO, Core, Charley Stoney, CEO, I.A.P.I. Geraldine Jones, Managing Director, Publicis Dublin; Peter McPartlin, Co-Founder, The Indie List; John McGee, Publisher and Editor, IMJ & Adworld.ie and Jane McDaid, Founder, THINKHOUSE. The roundtable discussion took place in October at Museum of Literature Ireland (MOLI) on Dublin’s Stephen’s Green and is documented in a 77-minute film as well as a shorter version.
The panellists discussed the role the advertising, marketing and media industry can play in the climate crisis and was moderated by Jonathan Wise, Co-Founder of Purpose Disruptors.
The major themes that emerged from the discussion included the responsibility of the industry and its leaders to take action, and the desire for the industry to make a positive impact through its work.
Panellists also agreed that there is a desire within the industry to do less harm and more good while greater and more radical collaborations between agencies, industry bodies, media and government are also needed. In addition, more policy initiatives to drive focus and enable rapid transformation, were desirable while panellists also agreed that alignment around a set of values was also required.
“The roundtable provided the opportunity for key leaders within the Irish advertising community to come together and discuss, with candid honesty, how they felt about our climate emergency and what actions they could take to help address it,” says Jonathan Wise, co-founder of The Purpose Disruptors and moderator.
“To reveal our humanity and complicity is in of itself an act of leadership. The group then arrived at clear action – how could they bring together their peers and co-create a clear ask to the Irish government. One that supports the Irish advertising industry’s output to promote a different sort of Good Life in society. One that Irish citizens have said they want: where they are more connected to self, each other and the beauty of the Irish landscape. This is a wonderful, world-leading example of leadership, in any industry,” says Jonathan Wise, co-founder of Purpose Disruptors,” he adds.
The Leader’s Roundtable is part of Good Life 2030 Ireland; a year-long project that includes: nationally representative research and report, creative workshops with leaders from Irish agencies and industry-wide thought leadership. The project culminates with a disruptive advertising campaign, co-created by representatives from 10 Irish agencies (Bonfire, CORE, Droga5, Folk VML, Havas, Publicis Dublin, The Public House, THINKHOUSE, TBWA/Bolt and Verve/Showrunner). The campaign goes live this month to coincide with Black Friday across print, TV, cinema, outdoor, radio and digital media.
Tania Banotti, Director, Creative Ireland, emphasised the significance of advertising’s role in creating a sustainable future: “Creative Ireland is delighted to support Good Life 2030 Ireland as part of the Creative Climate Action fund. The advertising industry faces significant challenges about how as an industry they, and their work for clients, respond to the climate and nature crisis. It’s commendable they wish to be a force for change. Having C-Suite leaders engage with this effort is a first step; lending their knowledge and weight to the discussion around the marketing, media and advertising industry’s ability to drive positive change at scale”
The full 78-minute version of the roundtable discussion can be viewed HERE
