A message from Wendy Clark,
Global CEO,
dentsu international
We help clients navigate and thrive in a world of change and believe that the progressive, human-centric solutions we create can have powerful returns for both business and society.
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We are not simply spectators.
We have an opportunity, a responsibility and the privilege to guide our people, clients and society through this disruption. We can fuse data, technology and creativity in a way that helps create a more sustainable future for everyone.
Download social impact strategyProgress so far
We take a look back at our 2020 goals.

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To reduce our carbon footprint by 40% per FTE by 2020

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To procure 100% renewable electricity by 2020

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To cut our flights emissions by 25% per FTE by 2020

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To cut our business travel emissions by 25% per FTE by 2020

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To improve the digital skills of 100,000 people by 2020

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To mentor 100 female entrepreneurs by 2020

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To reach 1 billion people through SDG-led campaigns by 2020

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To achieve 40% females in senior leadership
Report Chapters
Featured case studies
Our social impact progress is best illustrated through the work and stories of our people.
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Reducing food waste with Chefbot
Sustainable World
Reducing food waste with Chefbot
Agency: 360i | Market: USA
Client: KrogerOf all the food produced in the US, 40% is thrown away; a troubling statistic when many Americans are short of food. We worked with US food retailer Kroger to encourage more sustainable food behaviours among consumers.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, US grocery sales increased 30%, with more Americans cooking at home than ever before. However, our social listening indicated that people need more recipe inspiration as they venture deeper into their larders.
We realised that even experienced cooks can have difficulty using all of their available food, resulting in a combination of leftover ingredients that they don’t know how to use.
We set out to create a customer-friendly, ecommerce-centric solution to reduce food waste. The result was Chefbot, a first-of-itskind AI tool that helps people to make the most of the food ingredients they already have, by finding recipes that use those ingredients.
Consumers take a photo of their available ingredients and tweet it to @KrogerChefbot. The AI tool recognises these items from its database of 2,000+ ingredients and responds with a suitable meal from Kroger’s 20,000+ shoppable recipes.
We supported Chefbot’s launch with a full marketing ecosystem, creating a Chefbot animated character who featured in our howto videos and social content. Our launch also included influencer partnerships with famous foodies, showing how easy Chefbot is to use, and inspiring consumers to reduce their food waste.
By helping to use leftover food, Chefbot can save the average American family an estimated $1,500 and 250lbs of food per year. Chefbot is still going strong, getting smarter and more helpful with every ingredient it sees.
Chefbot has proved to be Kroger’s most successful social campaign ever, generating the most conversation in its 137-year history and engaging customers on sustainable food behaviours.
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Awakening the public to invisible air pollution
Sustainable World
Awakening the public to invisible air pollution
Agencies: Vizeum UK, Posterscope
Market: UK | Client: E.ONAir pollution contributes to one in 20 deaths in the UK, yet 63% of people dismiss it as not a serious problem, partly because it’s invisible. Our agencies Vizeum UK and Posterscope helped energy provider E.ON to bring this issue to life.
E.ON has moved to supply 100% renewable energy for all customers. It wanted to engage the public about this and to highlight the importance of clean energy to our everyday world. We identified air quality as an issue that E.ON could educate people around to demonstrate the benefits of clean energy.
With the “Let’s Clear the Air” campaign, we wanted to illustrate the reality of air pollution, using the combined technology of facial detection, live pollution data, geo-localisation and augmented reality (AR).
We identified prime digital poster locations in city centre pedestrian streets across Birmingham and Manchester.
Passers-by that stood in front of the screen saw themselves in a visualisation with realtime live pollution data for their location, showing how this was higher than acceptable levels from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Pollution particles were then shown clouding around the person’s face on-screen and being drawn into their mouth and nose, giving the invisible threat a dramatically visible form.
The AR experience attracted impressive engagement levels. 2,636 people interacted with the screens across the three days that they were live, which drove awareness and education.
As one member of the public told us, “It really gives us a visualisation of what’s currently going on. I don’t think we realise how much pollution we’re breathing day to day.”
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Wind, water and sun – three words to save the world
Sustainable World
Wind, water and sun – three words to save the world
Agencies: BC&F, OMD | Market: New Zealand
Client: Meridian EnergyThe case for renewable electricity is well documented, but the jargon associated with it means little to most people. Meridian Energy, a 100% renewable electricity supplier in New Zealand, found widespread consumer confusion and asked us to help get the message across in a simpler way.
One of New Zealand’s most distinctive qualities is that it is an island nation with ever-changing weather. Talking about the elements gave us a simple context to connect with New Zealanders. We therefore created a campaign showing how Meridian harnesses wind, water and sun.
We launched an integrated campaign with the story of everyday New Zealanders engaging with the elements. Through our media activity and strategic partnerships, we reinforced how Meridian is actively making a difference to the environment and society with its clean electricity.
To connect Meridian in people’s minds with “wind, water and sun”, we started a long-term sponsorship of the national weather forecast in TV and press. We also partnered with a national TV network to develop a three-part series about ‘The Power of Weather’. In a New Zealand market first, we used our proprietary dynamic technology to match the content of
Meridian’s out-of-home advertising displays with current weather conditions. We also partnered with Wellington brewery Garage Project, to create a beer brewed with the help of 100% renewable electricity.
Within three months, Meridian’s “wind, water and sun” message went from zero to 22% national awareness, as did public recognition of Meridian as New Zealand’s largest producer of 100% renewable electricity.
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Calling for an end to child labour
Fair and Open Society
Calling for an end to child labour
Agency: dentsu impact | Market: India
Client: My Choices Foundation“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children,” said Nelson Mandela. But in India, despite the Right to Education Act and antichild-labour laws, child labourers haven’t vanished from society. Rather, they remain hidden, robbed of their childhood and their future.
During the festival of Diwali, millions celebrate the victory of good over evil. Since Children’s Day and Diwali fell on the same day in 2020, we thought it the ideal time to address this.
We worked with My Choices Foundation to highlight this ongoing and often hidden scandal of child labour, with a discussion starting film campaign.
Dentsu Impact launched a film that chronicles the stories of child labourers, who have to do physical, often dangerous, jobs in factories, construction sites, homes, restaurants, eateries and shops, to support their families.
The film showed the stories of these child labourers, who often go by the slang name “Chotu” in every industry that they serve in. The film raises awareness of Chotus and urges every citizen to report cases of child labour, by calling 1800 419 8588 or visiting www.mychoicesfoundation.org.
The film was released on social media platforms including Facebook, LinkedIn and
Twitter. The campaign has achieved powerful results, reaching 3.1 million people and generating 1.05 million video views, giving the issue the attention it deserves.
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Encouraging action against domestic abuse
Fair and Open Society
Encouraging action against domestic abuse
Agency: dentsumcgarrybowen Thailand
Market: Thailand | Client: Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation (WMP)Progressive Movement Foundation (WMP) Domestic abuse is often a hidden problem, particularly when witnesses don’t want to get involved. We helped WMP highlight this issue.
From the statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO), one third of women worldwide are abused and harassed by their families. In Thailand, on average, five children and women are abused per day. Most witnesses of this abuse choose to ignore it, rather than help.
We came up with the idea of “The Daily Fight”. In a real boxing ring, we set up a scene showing a man and a woman fighting. The unexpected scene shocked the audience
When the truth behind the stunt was revealed, the audience were informed that fights like this happen in real life at home.
We launched the video on International Women’s Day, to raise awareness and get the public to act when they see domestic violence. It attracted 164,600 views on the WMP Facebook page, generating wider social discussion of the issue.
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Representation for all the colours of our world
Representation for all the colours of our world
Crayola believes every child should be able to colour themself into the world they see around them. That’s why we worked with the brand to launch its inspiring new Colours of the World crayon set.
Crayola began its inclusion journey back in 1992, by launching the first multicultural crayon pack, featuring a collection of crayons representing different skin tones. Over the years, the brand acknowledged the need to modernise the pack to meet the growing diversity of today’s world, by increasing representation within creativity.
Crayola’s objective was to completely reimagine its eight-pack crayon set and turn it into an inclusive pack that celebrates the colours of the world, in partnership with major influencers and diverse figures in the beauty industry. We partnered with beauty industry experts to help Crayola develop a global palette of 24 colours that authentically reflects the full spectrum of human complexions.
We worked with Crayola to launch the new set on 21 May 2020, the United Nations’ World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. As part of this activity, we wanted to engage children in meaningful and authentic activity using the crayons. When we asked teachers how they would use the new crayons in their classrooms, they resoundingly told us that drawing self-portraits helps build self-esteem and self-confidence in children. With this learning, we created the Draw Your #TrueSelfie campaign – inviting children to submit crayon self-portraits to the #TrueSelfie gallery at Crayola.com – celebrating beautiful and truly representative and inclusive selfies.
To date, the launch has resulted in 2.7 billion impressions, as well as celebrity social advocates such as Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Aniston and Kristen Bell. The campaign was also a finalist in the Shorty Awards 2020 in the Social Good Campaign category.