JWT 10 Trends For 2012
Are you just as excited as I am about all the trend reports for 2012? 2011 was such a tumultuous year and it brings to mind the idea that things have to get worse before they can get better. Well.. I'm hoping 2012 marks the year things get better. Most notably, I think there has been a breaking point in how much longer we will put up with a broken system, selfish politicians, people and corporations - a sentiment that's echoed throughout the world. And I'm hoping that 2012 is the year where we realize that selflessness, intelligently redistributing wealth and focusing on sustainable practices is good for everyone all around.Slowly but surely, American corporations are moving towards sustainability. In fact, it was reported in Ad Age today that Unilever is putting their $6 billion global account in review because "We want to make sure that we continue to have best-in-class agency partners to deliver Unilever's vision: to double the size of our business while reducing our environmental impact," Mr. Di Como said in a statement. "We will be looking at strategic planning and in-market execution capabilities from our agency partners."
And before you say that they're greenwashing, according to Climate Counts, a non profit, Unilever has the highest climate count score under Food Products for their climate footprint, reduction of global warming impact, support of climate legislation and their practice of publicly disclosing climate intentions and practices.
So I leave you with JWT's Annual Trends for 2012. I specifically hope the Rise of Shared Value #4 becomes mainstream. As we see with Unilever, Coke, Nike, Levi, L'Oreal, Clorox, GE, etc., companies can be both successful and environmentally sustainable. Now if only Apple could get on board.