CCB Magazine

The creative agency The Goodwins only want to work for the “good” companies - ecological, social, progressive. But who are the “good ones” and what criteria are used to select them? Isn't reality far too complex to advertise for just one side? We talked about this with two of the founders, Tim Stübane and Franka Mai.
 

INTERVIEW  Boris Messing    

CCB Magazine: Hello Tim and Franka. You are two of the three founding members of The Goodwins, a creative agency dedicated to sustainability. What does that mean in concrete terms?

Franka Mai: We both worked in advertising for a long time in different roles, Tim in creative, me in strategy. We were employed by large agencies and used communication to help make companies such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Axel Springer, Burger King and Volkswagen better known and more successful - at some point we asked ourselves, who are you actually doing this for, who are you making successful? We came to the point where we realized that we would rather put our work at the service of companies that push the world in the right direction. That's how our founding idea came about. We want to help companies, organizations and products that are ecologically or socially sustainable to succeed.

Tim Stübane: In the six years of our existence, our portfolio has constantly expanded. It's not just about sustainability, we also support social projects or projects in the fields of education and culture with our work.

CCB Magazine:Who decides who the good guys are? The world cannot simply be divided into black and white: Plastics, crude oil, steel, cement - these are all products and materials that cause enormous CO2 emissions. But without them, our civilization as it exists today could not function for a single day.

Tim Stübane:The whole thing is a journey. Some companies are already on their way to becoming more sustainable, others are still putting on their shoes. In any case, there are already a lot of alternatives to many processes and products, such as green steel. For a long time, we were simply too lazy to look for alternatives, there was no pressure. And that's why the markets are where they are now. There hasn't been enough research and not enough promotion. Now everyone has to decide for themselves who they want to work for. And we just decide what we think is good. There is no authority that does that for us. For us, it was simply that the gap between what we thought was right and what we did on a daily basis was getting bigger and bigger.

CCB Magazine:But what criteria do you apply? How do you identify and determine what a sustainable company is?

Tim Stübane: Many companies are already aware of their status quo. We try to make those for whom we want to throw our hat into the ring more successful through communication campaigns. Because that's what it's all about: making products, services or brands more successful than the competition, which is supposedly worse in terms of sustainability

Tim Stübane:We look at different dimensions of the project and determine the positive or negative impact that we would have in each dimension. Specifically: What impact does the industry, the company, the project have? Important question: Does the company seriously want to be sustainable or is it just supposed to appear so? The sum of the findings results in a conclusion that tells us relatively clearly whether a commitment makes sense or not.

CCB Magazine:What services do you offer? What do you do for companies?

Franka Mai:Our services are basically divided into two areas: Sustainability consulting and communication. The topic of sustainability is becoming increasingly important for companies. We want to help them understand what their status quo is so that they can improve from there. This includes everything from sustainability analyses to sustainability reporting or strategy development.

Tim Stübane:Many companies are already aware of their status quo. We try to make those for whom we want to throw our hat into the ring more successful through communication campaigns. After all, that's what it's all about: making products, services or brands more successful than the competition, which is supposedly worse in terms of sustainability. We specifically try to identify sustainable companies, and what we do best is marketing.

CCB Magazine:Can you give us an example of your work? For example, for the online sales platform Kleinanzeigen. What did you do for them?

Franka Mai:The whole package: TV commercials, online films, banner ads, social media advertising. We want to address the dilemma generation, as we call them: Mostly young people who know that every consumption decision they make has an impact on the environment. They want to reduce their carbon footprint and at the same time they want to follow new fashion trends or have a new camera, own new things. Kleinanzeigen brings that together.

CCB Magazine:On your website, you advertise that Kleinanzeigen ads save as much CO2 annually as one person consumes on 19.2 million domestic flights. How was that calculated? How can you factually verify something like that?

Tim Stübane:This can certainly be calculated, but these are of course average values. By buying a second-hand product, you are doing something good for the environment by not buying anything new. Things are kept alive for longer and don't have to be produced again. Not repackaged, not reshipped.

Franka Mai: CSRD is about determining the status quo and mapping risks. We work with partner companies here because CSRD reporting must be legally robust. In the medium and long term, it is about optimization and changes in the company, its business processes and offerings

CCB Magazine:But isn't there a danger here that you are engaging in a kind of greenwashing? How can you guarantee that companies don't present themselves as clean through your work?

Tim Stübane:We have to protect ourselves. If we support greenwashing in any way, it will fall back on us because we ran the campaign. So that must not happen. In most cases, we are approached by companies whose actions are undisputed anyway. We now have a certain standing in the market and people know what we stand for. That's why it's rarely a problem.

CCB Magazine:You have worked for Oxfam, Lichtblick, WWF and Telekom, among others. But if Coca-Cola or Nestlé came along and said we want to become more sustainable, wouldn't it make sense to work for such a company, as they also have a much greater impact? Or would you be giving attention to those who don't deserve it?

Tim Stübane:On the one hand, the larger the company, the less influence we can exert. On the other hand, if you manage to get leverage with a large company, you can sometimes achieve a great deal. In theory, the question is absolutely right. The only question is, do they really want that? And how quickly can they pull the lever?

CCB Magazine:Part of your service includes a review of companies' CSRD sustainability reporting obligations, which have been in force since this year. Among other things, this involves reviewing value chains, roadmapping and report design. Does this mean, for example, that you also recommend a new alignment of the value chain?

Franka Mai:With the CSRD, there is a clear specification of who must report on 2025 from this year and especially in 2026. The classic reports are structured in such a way that you have to make your business activities transparent within clear guidelines. Of course, this also includes the processes along the value chain. The aim is to determine the status quo and map risks. We work together with partner companies here because the reporting must ultimately be legally robust. In the medium and long term, the aim is to optimize and change the company, its business processes and its offerings. Responsible management is evident from the raw materials used through to recycling at the end of a product's life cycle. 

Tim Stübane: The larger the company, the less influence we can exert. On the other hand, if you manage to get leverage with a large company, you can sometimes achieve a great deal

CCB Magazine:Which partners do you work with and what do you do for the companies you work for in the context of the CSRD sustainability reporting obligation?

Tim Stübane:We work together with various partners. Depending on the client and requirements, these may be large companies that focus on financial/non-financial reporting, smaller partners specializing in NH reports or individual freelance experts specializing in CSRD. Incidentally, some clients also focus on CSRD without actually being obliged to report. We don't view communication and measures in isolation, but rather ensure that it becomes a holistic communication of sustainability. And, of course, we also shape this. Sustainability issues are so comprehensive and complex that we almost always work together with specialists.

CCB Magazine:The Goodwins is also active in other organizations and exchanges ideas with them, for example with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. What does this exchange consist of?

Franka Mai:In very different ways. The Chamber of Industry and Commerce, for example, supports many companies in becoming more sustainable. We are occasionally invited as guests or speakers at information events. Then there are industry initiatives in which we are involved as a driving force, or the Association of German Advertising Agencies, where we provide our input.

CCB Magazine:The European Parliament recently banned the use of the terms “climate-neutral” and “climate-positive” in advertising, at least if the statement is made directly on the product. How will this change the advertising industry and your work?  

Tim Stübane:This ultimately makes advertising more honest. That is to be welcomed at first. But it also makes our work as advertising developers much more difficult and risky. The challenge for us is to develop formulations and organize information in such a way that it is legally incontestable. At the same time, however, both must be as assertive and differentiating as possible in the battle for people's scarce attention. We do both, because one is of little value without the other.