LONDON, UK — Amid the rousing celebrations of creative excellence in the D&AD Awards, adobo Magazine’s Founder, President, and Editor-in-Chief Angel Guerrero engaged in conversation with Harsh Kapadia, Chief Creative Officer of MRM Worldwide, and Jury President of the Impact Category for D&AD 2024, regarding the cruciality of diversity, inclusion, and brand purpose for organizational success.
As head of the jury in the D&AD Impact category, with entries driven by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, Harsh highlighted the need for creativity and risk-taking in the advertising industry.
Upon seeing the work, Harsh reflected on how brands are now more empowered to impact the world. “Back then, it was the non-profits that were out there trying to save the world, while the brands were trying to make the money, right? Over time with the different debates that have happened in the world, amongst individuals, amongst people amongst what we see in our political climate, when governments aren’t able to deliver, the onus is starting to come down to brands and organizations.”
He added, “We expect them (brands) to be sustainable, we expect them to consider our mental health, and we expect that expectation from the consumer is now being passed on from our governments to the brands we trust. Legislation can take time. political agendas can take time. A brand gets a chance, ever so often, to change, grow, and evolve and how they operate. And how they operate can either empower individuals.”
Here are some of the Impact campaigns Harsh shared with adobo Magazine:
This campaign by Publicis Conseil for Solar Impulse titled “Prêt à Voter” addresses climate inaction with a unique approach. Here, legal and scientific experts collaborated to transform ideas into concrete legislative proposals, named “prêt à voter” or “ready-to-vote,” for presentation to the French Parliament. These pre-drafted laws were distributed to all 577 newly elected MPs, providing them with tools for constructive debates and spurring tangible legislative action.
Harsh commented, “They didn’t wait for permission or gather petitions. Instead, they proactively drafted the necessary legislation and compiled it into a ready-to-use book for lawmakers. The brilliance of this idea lies not only in its agility but also in how it publicly holds lawmakers accountable, setting a powerful example of proactive and responsible governance.”
Laundry detergent brand Ariel’s “See the Signs of ‘Silent Separation” created by BBDO India is one of the entries under Sustained Impact that thoroughly impressed the jury. Under its long-standing campaign titled #ShareTheLoad, Ariel shifted its focus to how the consequences of not sharing the housework load could look over time.
Harsh shared, “This campaign is built on a beautiful insight that the brand has steadfastly committed to for years. Instead of merely targeting its key audience, the brand adopted a clear strategy to empower its consumers and transform unspoken household conversations into meaningful dialogue and action.”
The three subcategories, Impact, Future Impact, and Sustained Impact, all had a unique disposition to Harsh, but he believes that culture and society must be the epicenter of the campaigns intending to deliver on this aspect.
“D&AD is a creative show; it doesn’t have to be marketing work, it doesn’t have to be advertising, it is ultimately about creativity,” Harsh emphasized. “It has to have an impact on society to eventually grow their own business, and then you obviously have the support role of the UN SDG goals because there are so many unmet needs.”
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of D&AD 2024.
