R-Advertising, Jacadi & Greenmetrics
A winning partnership for effective and responsible campaigns
In today's digital advertising landscape, brands are increasingly seeking ways to balance performance with environmental responsibility. The fashion industry, in particular, faces growing scrutiny over its environmental impact across all business operations, including marketing and advertising activities.
To integrate a more responsible dimension into these campaigns, we partnered with Greenmetrics to measure and optimize the environmental impact of each impression in programmatic display. This innovative approach allows brands like Jacadi to maintain their marketing effectiveness while significantly reducing their digital carbon footprint.
R-Advertising manages the programmatic display campaigns for Jacadi to generate visibility and conversions across its various European markets. As a premium children's fashion brand, Jacadi recognizes that environmental stewardship must extend beyond product design and manufacturing to encompass every aspect of their business operations, including digital marketing strategies.
This practice can encourage all sites to consider their impact, allowing advertisers to reflect their CSR commitment even in their advertising strategy. By implementing sustainable programmatic practices, brands can demonstrate authentic environmental leadership while potentially improving campaign efficiency and reducing media waste.
Understanding the Environmental Impact of Digital Advertising
Digital advertising's environmental footprint extends far beyond what most marketers realize. Every programmatic bid, every ad impression, and every click generates carbon emissions through data center operations, network infrastructure, and device energy consumption. The entire ecosystem—from demand-side platforms (DSPs) to supply-side platforms (SSPs)—contributes to this environmental cost.
The hidden carbon costs of programmatic advertising
Research indicates that digital advertising generates approximately 1% of global carbon emissions, equivalent to the entire aviation industry. Key contributors include:
- Bid processing: Millions of automated auctions occur every second, requiring significant computational power
- Data transmission: Creative assets, user data, and bid responses travel across global networks
- Ad rendering: Displaying advertisements on user devices consumes energy
- Measurement and analytics: Tracking pixels and measurement technologies add additional data processing requirements
For luxury brands like Jacadi, understanding and addressing these environmental costs has become essential for maintaining brand integrity and meeting consumer expectations around sustainability.
The Jacadi Case Study: Measuring and Optimizing Campaign Impact
Objective: Measure and reduce the environmental impact of display campaigns across different countries
Jacadi's commitment to environmental responsibility extends throughout their organization, from sustainable materials in their children's clothing to eco-friendly packaging. When it came to their digital advertising strategy, they wanted to ensure their programmatic campaigns aligned with their broader sustainability goals without compromising marketing performance.
Campaign setup and methodology
How?
- Testing Greenmetrics measurement on a 15-day campaign, broadcast across 5 countries (France, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Italy)
- Optimizing delivery on the most visible placements: it is estimated that 40% of a campaign's carbon impact comes from the bidding process. Increasing visibility on creatives reduces wasted bids and unnecessary carbon emissions
- Implementing real-time optimization: Using environmental impact data to make bid decisions alongside traditional performance metrics
- Publisher sustainability scoring: Evaluating media placements based on their environmental efficiency and renewable energy usage
The campaign targeted parents and gift-buyers across multiple touchpoints, including fashion websites, parenting blogs, and lifestyle publications. Creative assets showcased Jacadi's latest seasonal collection while maintaining the brand's premium positioning.
Remarkable results achieved
5 million impressions delivered
0.5% average CTR across all markets
26% less environmental impact compared to standard programmatic delivery
30% of publishers avoided due to poor environmental performance
Despite reduced delivery volume, campaign performance was maintained, with an ROI above 2 across all tested markets. This demonstrates that environmental optimization doesn't require sacrificing marketing effectiveness.
Performance breakdown by market
The results varied significantly across different European markets, providing valuable insights into regional variations in digital advertising sustainability:
- France: 28% carbon reduction, 2.3 ROI - benefiting from higher renewable energy adoption in data centers
- United Kingdom: 25% carbon reduction, 2.1 ROI - strong performance on premium publisher sites
- Germany: 24% carbon reduction, 2.4 ROI - efficient targeting reduced waste impressions
- Spain: 27% carbon reduction, 2.0 ROI - mobile-optimized placements showed better environmental scores
- Italy: 22% carbon reduction, 2.2 ROI - fashion-focused sites demonstrated good sustainability practices
Implementation Strategy: How Sustainable Programmatic Works
Real-time environmental measurement
Since the successful pilot campaign, Greenmetrics measurement has been activated in real-time on Jacadi's RTB campaigns, optimizing both their environmental efficiency and their performance. This continuous optimization approach ensures that every impression serves both marketing objectives and sustainability goals.
The implementation involves several key components:
- Carbon scoring integration: Environmental impact scores are calculated for each potential bid opportunity
- Green publisher verification: Media placements are evaluated based on hosting provider sustainability and renewable energy usage
- Bid modification algorithms: Traditional bidding strategies are enhanced with environmental impact considerations
- Performance monitoring: Continuous tracking ensures that sustainability optimizations don't negatively impact campaign KPIs
Technical integration process
The technical implementation required close collaboration between R-Advertising's programmatic team, Jacadi's marketing department, and Greenmetrics' sustainability platform. Key integration steps included:
- API connectivity: Establishing real-time data connections between the DSP and environmental measurement platform
- Bidding logic modification: Updating campaign algorithms to incorporate carbon impact alongside performance metrics
- Reporting dashboard development: Creating comprehensive reporting that includes both traditional advertising metrics and environmental impact data
- Quality assurance testing: Ensuring that environmental optimizations maintain campaign delivery and performance standards
Best Practices for Sustainable Programmatic Advertising
Campaign optimization strategies
Based on the Jacadi case study and industry research, several best practices have emerged for brands seeking to reduce their programmatic advertising environmental impact:
- Viewability optimization: Focus budget on placements with higher viewability scores to reduce wasted impressions
- Frequency capping: Implement strict frequency controls to minimize redundant ad exposures
- Creative file optimization: Reduce creative file sizes without compromising visual quality
- Green publisher prioritization: Develop preferred publisher lists based on sustainability criteria
- Geographic optimization: Consider regional energy grid sustainability when planning geo-targeted campaigns
Publisher and platform selection
Choosing the right partners is crucial for sustainable programmatic success. Key evaluation criteria include:
- Data center efficiency: Partner with platforms that utilize energy-efficient server infrastructure
- Renewable energy commitment: Prioritize publishers and ad tech providers powered by renewable energy
- Carbon offset programs: Work with partners that actively offset their operational carbon emissions
- Transparency and reporting: Select platforms that provide detailed environmental impact measurement
Measuring Success: KPIs for Sustainable Advertising
Traditional metrics enhanced with environmental data
Successful sustainable programmatic campaigns require a balanced scorecard that includes both traditional advertising metrics and environmental performance indicators:
- Carbon efficiency ratio: CO2 emissions per thousand impressions (CPM equivalent)
- Sustainable reach: Percentage of campaign reach delivered through environmentally efficient placements
- Green conversion rate: Conversions generated specifically from sustainable ad placements
- Environmental return on investment (eROI): Revenue generated relative to carbon emissions produced
Long-term impact measurement
CO2 emissions measurement can be activated on all programmatic campaigns: IAB display, native, video. For Jacadi, this comprehensive measurement approach has revealed valuable insights:
- Video campaigns: Generate 3x more carbon emissions per impression but often deliver higher engagement rates
- Native advertising: Shows 15% lower environmental impact compared to standard display formats
- Mobile placements: Demonstrate better carbon efficiency due to optimized creative formats
- Retargeting campaigns: Achieve higher conversion rates with lower overall environmental impact due to precise targeting
Industry Impact and Future Outlook
Setting new standards for responsible advertising
The success of the Jacadi campaign demonstrates that sustainable programmatic advertising is not only possible but profitable. This case study has influenced other fashion brands and luxury companies to reconsider their digital advertising strategies and implement similar environmental optimization practices.
Industry-wide adoption of sustainable programmatic practices could result in:
- Significant carbon reduction: If adopted broadly, these practices could reduce digital advertising emissions by 20-30%
- Improved campaign efficiency: Environmental optimization often correlates with better targeting and reduced waste
- Enhanced brand perception: Consumers increasingly value brands that demonstrate authentic environmental commitment
- Regulatory compliance: Proactive sustainability measures help brands prepare for future environmental regulations
Technology and innovation roadmap
The future of sustainable programmatic advertising will be shaped by continued technological innovation:
- AI-powered optimization: Machine learning algorithms that automatically balance performance and environmental impact
- Blockchain verification: Immutable records of environmental impact claims and carbon offset activities
- Real-time renewable energy tracking: Dynamic bid adjustments based on current renewable energy availability
- Consumer choice integration: Allowing environmentally conscious consumers to opt for sustainable ad experiences
Conclusion: The Future of Responsible Digital Marketing
The partnership between R-Advertising, Jacadi, and Greenmetrics represents a significant step forward in sustainable digital marketing practices. By successfully reducing environmental impact by 26% while maintaining strong campaign performance, this case study proves that responsibility and effectiveness can coexist in programmatic advertising.
For brands considering similar initiatives, the key lessons include the importance of real-time measurement, strategic partner selection, and comprehensive performance tracking. The technology and methodologies demonstrated in this campaign are scalable across industries and markets, offering a roadmap for widespread adoption of sustainable advertising practices.
As consumer awareness of environmental issues continues to grow, brands that proactively address the environmental impact of their marketing activities will gain competitive advantages through enhanced brand perception, improved campaign efficiency, and future-proofed marketing strategies. The Jacadi case study demonstrates that sustainable programmatic advertising is not just an environmental imperative—it's a business opportunity that forward-thinking brands cannot afford to ignore.
