Lauria’s Law

“Compassion and consciousness are two values we should keep top of mind every day. Not just as professional creatives, but as human beings who share this planet with others.” 

So says Gustavo Lauria, for whom sustainability isn’t an afterthought; it’s a way of life. It’s about respecting the planet, animals and ecosystems; not a filter to be applied at the eleventh hour of delivering for a client when it transpires there’s a ‘sustainability’ box that needs ticking.

His New York-based independent agency, We Believers, co-founded with Marco Vega in 2014, positions itself as ‘creating advertising that goes beyond advertising, encouraging brands to generate a real impact in people's lives and in the world.’ Long before the pandemic normalised remote working, the team at We Believers were already doing it for environmental reasons. What’s more, the agency incorporates sustainability and impact into its process.

The industry is heeding the call. The work we’re seeing is braver, smarter, and more committed to real impact.

Lauria says: “Whether we’re briefing or developing ideas, we’re always asking: how can this project make a real difference; not only for the brand, but for people and the planet? We push ourselves to come up with ideas that are bold, scalable, and rooted in real-world impact.”

ABOVE: AXA's groundbreaking campaign underlines the gravity of domestic violence by adding it as a risk in home insurance policies.

A year ago, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Lauria used his platform as Jury President for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Lions to urge the industry to “keep their superhero brains working” to make a difference to the SDGs. Twelve months later, how does he think the industry has responded to his call-to-action? “The industry is heeding the call. The work we’re seeing is braver, smarter, and more committed to real impact. Our 'superhero brains' are being put to good use to build things that make a difference. And that’s exactly what this moment calls for.”

Even brands not known for taking bold creative risks are stepping into this space in meaningful ways.

He adds: “I feel more and more proud of the people who work in this industry because we’re not just seeing creatives stepping up; we’re also seeing decision-makers on the client side investing in real-world solutions; campaigns that move beyond storytelling and into problem-solving. 

 He cites a few examples that have, in his view, made a difference to the sustainable development goals, some of which are shortlisted for Cannes Lions 2025. “Provocative and powerful work like Plastic Blood from OKA [via DM9 São Paulo]; SATO 2531 in Japan [by Dentsu Digital Tokyo and shortlisted for Glass: The Lion For Change]. And So Many Dicks, from e.l.f. Beauty [shortlisted for Titanium and Glass: The Lion For Change]. They are all sharp, original, and focused on change.”

ABOVE: This remarkable campaign featured an exhibition of 3D-printed objects made from microscopic particles of plastic found in disposed human blood.

Lauria also singles out Three Words from insurance brand AXA in France (by Publicis Conseil, Paris, and shortlisted for the 2025 Titanium Lions and Glass: The Lion For Change) which saw its home insurance policies protect and support victims of gender violence. Lauria comments: “That’s not a symbolic move, that’s structural change.”

He also cites Fixables from Philips (by LePub, Amsterdam, and shortlisted in the Innovation Lions) that allows parts of Philips products to be 3D printed to keep broken appliances out of landfill: it’s estimated it will prevent 4.2 million Philips products from being thrown away. Lauria says: “It promotes repair culture for a more sustainability-conscious generation. It’s product-led but also values-led. It shows that even brands not known for taking bold creative risks are stepping into this space in meaningful ways.”

Lauria can recognise these solutions as bold creative risks because he’s often been the brains behind similar ones. His last decade at We Believers spawned the’ Edible Six Pack Rings’ for Saltwater Brewery. This biodegradable and compostable innovation doesn’t only package up a six-pack of beer; it can also feed fish and sealife versus strangling them, a big issue with the plastic version. It’s evolved into a separate company, E6PR, distributing to more than 400 breweries worldwide. Lauria explains: “It’s a product, a business, and a real way to reduce plastic waste at scale.”

Also achieving scale was the Plastic Fishing Tournament for AB InBev-owned beer Corona. This initiative invited local fishing communities to use their skills and equipment to fish for plastic. It led to the signing of the Pacific Alliance, a multinational agreement that recognised plastic fishing as a legal practice: in China alone, there have been more than 100 tournaments across different coastal areas.

ABOVE: Corona’s ingenious plastic fishing tournament is a long-term commitment from the brand.

“The tournaments became an entry point,” says Lauria, “a way to connect local fishing communities with recycling companies, giving them a new source of income by fishing plastic instead of fish. It turned cleanup into livelihood. What started as a campaign became a long-term commitment from the brand and, more importantly, a programme that became part of people’s lives.”

Humour is one of the most under-rated tools in driving real impact... when used smartly, it opens people up.

Then there’s ‘The Cows’ Menu’ from Burger King. This three-year global initiative changed the diet for cows to include more lemongrass, meaning they would release less methane into the atmosphere. A two-minute music video, shot by Michel Gondry and starring viral cowboy kid Mason Ramsey, educated the public and raised awareness for the initiative. At the heart was an original song designed to entertain and make people laugh; lyrics included,  ‘when cows burp and fart and splatter / it ain’t no laughing matter’ as well as ‘and that methane from their rear / goes up to the atmosphere / and pollutes our planet, warming me and you!’

“Humour is one of the most under-rated tools in driving real impact, especially when it comes to the SDGs,” says Lauria. “People don’t change their behaviour because they feel bad; they change when they feel something. Humour, when used smartly, opens people up. It disarms defensiveness, creates emotional connection and makes messages stick.

Not everything has to be solemn to be serious. Sometimes, the best way to make people care is to make them smile first.

 “When we worked on the Burger King methane reduction campaign, we knew we were dealing with a complex, even uncomfortable topic. But by using humour and a bit of absurdity, we started a conversation at scale. Suddenly, people who had never thought about cow diets or climate change were talking, sharing, and laughing. That’s the power of humour: it breaks through the noise without preaching. We need more of that in SDG-related work. Not everything has to be solemn to be serious. Sometimes, the best way to make people care is to make them smile first.”