Shortlisted: Digiday Power of Purpose

Originally published in Digiday.

Sustainability was top of mind for the brands and companies on this year’s Greater Good Awards shortlist as they work to create a better future. Companies continue investing in several areas for betterment — and increasingly centering causes in their mission.

For instance, automaker BMW Canada earned a nomination in the Sustainability category for a campaign in support of its new electric vehicle, the iX xDrive50. The campaign aimed to increase awareness of BMW’s commitment to the environment, particularly as a leader in electric vehicles. BMW Canada worked with the agency Media Experts and the CBC to create a branded content series exploring the stories of innovators in green technology, subtly integrating the iX xDrive 50 into the campaign. BMW and Media Experts also worked with the omnichannel supply-side platform Sharethrough to fund carbon offsetting projects to compensate for the carbon emissions generated by the campaign. By leveraging Sharethrough’s GreenPMPs, BMW compensated for 685,535 grams of CO2 — the equivalent of fully charging 89,000 smartphones. 

In the World Hunger category, Soylent is shortlisted, a complete meal replacement that offers a practical and cost-effective solution for individuals facing barriers to nutritious foods. Through partnerships with charitable organizations, Soylent donates its products to food banks, shelters and communities facing food insecurity. As part of its #SoylentForGood efforts, the brand donated an estimated $2.4 million worth of product in 2022 alone.

In the Social Justice category, NBCUniversal is a finalist for its Plan Your Vote campaign and platform. Initially created in 2020 in response to pandemic challenges to voting, Plan Your Vote returned for the 2022 midterms to help Americans navigate more changes in voting rules. Plan Your Vote has become a leading destination for essential voting information in a digestible format — including a personalized, user-forward interface — to help citizens cast their ballots successfully. Teams leveraged the entire Comcast NBCUniversal ecosystem with a bilingual marketing campaign to reach mass audiences. In 2022, the marketing campaign garnered more than 764 million impressions across the platforms of Comcast NBCUniversal, with an estimated earned media value of more than $3 million.

Pinterest is among the new Better Future category nominees, which recognizes a campaign or initiative aimed at safeguarding the long-term future by funding areas such as technology, science, security and the environment. With the understanding that younger generations are getting news from digital platforms, Pinterest realized that its users were coming to the platform for ideas on how to incorporate sustainability practices. In 2022, Pinterest became the first major digital platform to unveil a climate misinformation policy. As part of the global social impact campaign, the platform partnered with Pinterest Creators to develop inspiring, action-oriented content on and off the platform and leveraged the Earth Month news cycle. The campaign generated over 350 media placements across national, local and trade publications with over 2.85 billion impressions. As part of the campaign, Pinterest also donated to environmental organizations dedicated to tackling climate change, including supporting their programmatic work and providing advertising credits to elevate their content on Pinterest. 

Altogether, the judges’ nominations in 2023 demonstrated how companies are working toward the greater good.

See the list of finalists below.

Public Health
LetsGetChecked
McKinsey Global Publishing
Myovant Sciences
Providence Health Plan and Fort West 
Quirk Creative 
World Wildlife Fund (WWF)