TikTok has launched a pioneering end-to-end sustainable advertising campaign with giffgaff and MG OMD, in partnership with Ad Net Zero. The TikTok x giffgaff Action 5 pilot, in alignment with Ad Net Zero's Action Plan, blends creative excellence with environmentally responsible practices.

Ad Net Zero is a global industry-wide initiative, launched by the UK's Advertising Association, aimed at reducing the carbon emissions associated with advertising by supporting more sustainable products, services and behaviours. The campaign puts sustainability at the core of every stage of its development.

At the heart of the campaign is a focus on Action 5 of Ad Net Zero’s five point action plan to address the climate crisis. Action 5 focuses on harnessing the power of advertising to support more sustainable behaviours. This partnership, however, goes beyond just Action 5, and focusses on a number of goals to reduce the negative, and maximise the positive, impact of the campaign:

  1. Measuring carbon emissions across the value chain: Tracking and retrospectively measuring the campaign’s carbon footprint, establishing benchmarks for future initiatives.
  2. Sustainable production practices: Content creation prioritises eco-friendly methods, including filming with refurbished devices to reduce electronic waste.
  3. Conscious creator collaborations: Partnering with creators who have sustainable values, building genuine and impactful storytelling.
  4. Energy efficient media planning: Optimising ad delivery to minimise energy consumption without compromising performance.
  5. Championing industry wide change: This campaign will culminate in a comprehensive case study, serving as a blueprint for TikTok's partners on sustainable advertising best practices.

The campaign kicks off today with high-impact TopView ads, designed to capture maximum attention on TikTok. This is supported by content from TikTok creators:

All who all share the brand's sustainability values, demonstrating the value of choosing refurbished, whether trading in or recycling old technology for new.

From February 11th to March 24th, the campaign will use a diverse mix of ad formats across TikTok's advertising suite including:

  • Topview and Reach Ads to maximise campaign launch and brand visibility.
  • Traffic Campaigns to drive meaningful user actions.
  • Video Views objective to amplify content resonance and user engagement.
  • Conversion Campaigns to solidify measurable outcomes.

Kris Boger, GM, Global Business Solutions, TikTok UK said, "This campaign marks a significant milestone for sustainable advertising on TikTok and shows what is possible when innovation aligns with purpose. It's inspiring to witness brands like giffgaff not only enhance their creativity on the platform, but also demonstrate a strong commitment to impactful and conscious advertising practices. We hope it serves as a blueprint for others to follow. We have exciting plans to support likeminded clients in advertising more sustainably on TikTok and look forward to sharing more news on how brands can get involved as we work towards a future of sustainable advertising."

Lisa Boyles, Head of Go To Market and Media, giffgaff said: We are deeply passionate about responsible and sustainable marketing, including how we buy our media but also with the messages we choose to show up with. We are delighted to be partnering with TikTok to lead the charge with a truly collaborative campaign that demonstrates our commitment in this space, whilst arming the wider industry with insights and inspiration to take action themselves. 

Alessandra Bellini, Ad Net Zero U.K. Chair, said: “It is great to have the support of TikTok and giffgaff for the Ad Net Zero action plan and, in particular, for the pilot of our new initiative, Every Brief Counts. We welcome the efforts being made to deliver an example of a sustainable advertising campaign which should help set new standards for best practice in this space.”