Event Overview
Action is the only thing that truly drives change and makes an impact. It’s time to not just advance the conversation around responsibility, but create a forum that spotlights the business impact of responsibility and motivates real progress.
The Responsible Media Summit is a half-day event dedicated to bringing together brands, agencies, and partners for an elevated discussion about creating a more responsible advertising and marketing industry.
The event deep dives into all aspects of responsibility in the industry, expanding beyond the typical topics of sustainability and inclusion. Attendees will hear from and engage with the people and companies who are steadfast in their brand values and push the envelope to achieve their goals in a more impactful and responsible way.
The candid and transparent conversations will showcase how responsibility positively impacts the bottom line, not just society. Honestly level setting on the current status quo empowers all attendees to take the next step forward – be it the first step on their journey or upleveling their efforts.
The Responsible Media Summit provides value for anyone who oversees business results for their organization.
Key Information
Wednesday
February 12, 2025
11am - 6pm
Paramount Advertising
1515 Broadway, New York,
NY 10036
Sessions
The Responsible Media Summit is a half-day event dedicated to bringing together brands, agencies, and media partners to engage in meaningful discussions about creating a more responsible advertising and marketing industry.
We’re committed to addressing fresh, forward-thinking topics—not the same old conversations. Below are the 5 agenda topics we are looking for experts in the industry to share their perspective on in different sessions throughout the day.
Agenda & Topics
1. The Bottom-Line Benefit of Brand Values – Lessons from the OG’s
Focusing on the greater good is just good business sense. How do businesses with values ingrained in their DNA operate differently? If values-based missions have not been core to your business since inception, what lessons from the OGs in space can be applied to your company or department today to start seeing a positive impact on the bottom line?
This panel will gather some of the OG purposeful brands (ala Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Warby Parker, Bombas, TOMS, Thrive Market, etc.) to deep dive into the business value of values as well as explore the business cost of potentially alienating customers by not standing for something you believe in. Attendees will gain insight into how to determine an authentic model that would positively benefit their company’s sales in addition to society.
Panelist Participants - Brand
2. Commitment Dilemma? Carbon Emissions and the AI Factor
Plans have been plentiful to reduce carbon emissions over the past several years, but how are we progressing on our commitments? As we get closer to 2030 and 2040, will there be an uptick in extending the timeline of our promises?
The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that by 2026, electricity demand for data centers will globally use as much energy as Japan. Training AI models can use as much as 100X the energy of an average U.S. household. As AI advancements are skyrocketing, are companies tracking how these innovations are impacting those commitments to reduce carbon emissions?
Can Green AI truly exist? Are organizations having to navigate internal conflict between the goals of their AI and sustainability teams? Is prioritizing one team’s mission hindering others? Are companies strategically choosing to not chase AI advancement in the name of sustainability?
This panel will spotlight how companies are navigating these questions and more related to the inherent conflict between sustainability and AI.
Panelist Participants - Brand, Agency and Media/Tech Parnters
3. Navigating Selective Activism - Who Draws the Line and Where?
In a “quick to cancel” environment, many marketers can be hesitant to express or support any strong viewpoints, fearing backlash and perceived bottom-line risks. Agencies and partners have been dragged and stripped of their B-Corp status for supporting laggard brands, or brands whose missions are not aligned with future-forward values.
However, who gets to define where the line for a laggard brand is? Is a fossil fuel company drastically worse than a soda company that sells sugar packaged in plastic to children or an app that makes gambling easier and more accessible? There are watershed moments that can’t be ignored, but how can we navigate the selective outrage in the day-to-day?
How can we ensure that both conservative and liberal opinions are respected (as long as those opinions do not put others in harm’s way)? How can we ensure that the causes a brand does support are authentic to avoid accusations of virtue signaling?
B-Corp status is about being “a force for good,” but this is more attainable by interacting with others who hold a different perspective and values on certain issues rather than “canceling” them. Real change comes when we drive toward greater understanding and unity.
This panel will feature agency leaders and brands who are constantly toeing the line between cancel culture and the anti-movement.
Panelist Participants - Brand and Agency
4. Responsibility in a Consumer Led Data Ecosystem
The average customer does not have a strong understanding of what they are agreeing to when they “accept all cookies,” create a login for a retailer’s website or download a new app that asks to share their location.
Yes, there may be an assumed value exchange, but how many customers really understand their end of the contract? If they truly understood the ins and outs of all the terms and conditions they agreed to, would they still find the value?
While most of the players in our space are committed to consumer-first privacy policies and going above and beyond regulations, the customer experience is often overlooked.
What is the marketing and advertising industry’s responsibility to the consumer? What education do we owe them about what is behind the personalization they expect and enjoy? How can this be communicated properly without inciting unnecessary fear? How much does the average citizen want to know about the differences between first-party and third-party data? Who should spearhead the path from education to implementation?
This panel will gather data companies and the brands using them who will share how they manage and respect their relationships with their customers and those customers’ precious data.
Panelist Participants - Brand, Agency and Media/Tech Partners
5. DEI Backlash - Fact or Fiction? The Lasting Impact on Underrepresented Communities
There has been an increase in headlines surrounding DEI roles and programs are being slashed from brands like Molson Coors, Lowe’s, John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Zoom, etc. However, are these few programs truly representative of the marketing and advertising industry’s focus and commitment to DEI or simply “anti-woke” noise?
DEI is about more than race, LGBTQ, accessibility or gender. It is about human issues that younger generations are unwavering on – fair pay, reasonable parental leave, equitable opportunities, etc. It is about having more representation in the rooms where decisions are being made and ensuring that consumers see themselves in your advertising.
A focus on DEI and inclusive advertising is entirely within the marketing department’s control. It also has consistently proven to drive more sales (both short-term and long-term).
By embracing authentic representation, brands’ advertising has the unique power to not just reflect culture but help define it. This panel will gather brands who have seen the proven return of guaranteeing inclusivity and accessibility beyond just multicultural campaigns or the DEIB committee.
Panelist Participants - Brand and Agency
Sponsors
Industry Partners
Session Sponsors
Lunch Sponsor
