In recent forecasts as to trends for this new year, among the most mentioned in the industry is the call to environmental action, cited by some, most notably JWT Worldwide (SHOOT, 12/14/07) as a shift in the movement from green to blue. Climate change has become the driver of environmentalism 2.0, and people worldwide understand that climate is all about the seas and the sky–both blue. And blue, denoting water, is becoming as big an issue as green (forests). The availability of clean water supplies, for example, has become a pivotal ecological issue.
But no matter if your environmental color de jour is blue or green, clearly there are eco-rumblings in the advertising landscape–the latest coming from Publicis Groupe which has acquired Act Now Productions, a San Francisco-based sustainability consultancy led by Adam Werbach, the youngest ever president of the Sierra Club, who also currently serves on the international board of Greenpeace. Werbach founded Act Now in 1998 to engage corporations, employees, consumers and the media in sustainability by moving from “shock to inspiration.” The consultancy assists companies and their employees to practice sustainability while achieving their performance goals.
Act Now becomes part of the new Saatchi & Saatchi S network. Act Now, which will assume the Saatchi & Saatchi S moniker, will work alongside the global 650-person shopper and retail marketing firm Saatchi & Saatchi X and look to catalyze progressive eco change in the arena where most purchasing decisions are made–in the store. Werbach has been appointed CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi S and will report to Andy Murray, global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi X.
Saatchi & Saatchi S combines Act Now’s personalized sustainability solutions with Saatchi & Saatchi’s global communications expertise in order to inspire consumers toward making better choices. The new consultancy will integrate with core Saatchi & Saatchi services including brand navigation, planning, creative, media and brand philosophy. Saatchi & Saatchi S will offer sustainability services including analysis and strategic advisory, employee engagement, product and brand innovation, and consumer retail communication. Saatchi & Saatchi S currently has offices in San Francisco and Boulder (Colorado) and plans to open in New York, Chicago, Fayetteville (Arkansas), London and Beijing in early 2008.
Maurice Levy, chairman/CEO of Publicis Groupe said, the motivation to buy Act Now is not just to help clients communicate about the important issue of sustainability. “Companies everywhere,” he related, “have a critical role to play in reducing CO2 emissions, in protecting the environment, and in taking corporate social responsibility seriously. The expertise of Saatchi & Saatchi S will allow them to understand these issues in a strategic way and help them find real solutions adapted to their needs, while communicating in an efficient and effective way.”
Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide Saatchi & Saatchi said: “With Act Now we’re going to bring sustainable enterprise to life. Every client sees sustainability as a priority issue and every employee and consumer wants to be part of a bigger idea….No brand will be truly loved by anyone it touches unless it shares an inspired, sustainable benefit.”
Supreme Court Allows Multibillion-Dollar Class Action Lawsuit To Proceed Against Meta
The Supreme Court is allowing a multibillion-dollar class action investors' lawsuit to proceed against Facebook parent Meta, stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.
The justices heard arguments in November in Meta's bid to shut down the lawsuit. On Friday, they decided that they were wrong to take up the case in the first place.
The high court dismissed the company's appeal, leaving in place an appellate ruling allowing the case to go forward.
Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users' personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump 's first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016.
Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company's shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the company was disappointed by the court's action. "The plaintiff's claims are baseless and we will continue to defend ourselves as this case is considered by the District Court," Stone said in an emailed statement.
Meta already has paid a $5.1 billion fine and reached a $725 million privacy settlement with users.
Cambridge Analytica had ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon. It had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million Facebook users. That data was then used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 campaign.
The lawsuit is one of two high court cases involving class-action lawsuits against tech companies. The justices also are wrestling with whether to shut down a class action against Nvidia.... Read More