Omnicom Media Group (OMG) UK has today launched OMG Impact, an ESG accountability tool to help advertisers gain greater visibility of the societal and environmental impact of investment across the media supply chain. OMG Impact, powered by global ESG data specialist Legacy Media, allows OMG UK to measure media owners on environmental, social and governance practices. The group will use this to benchmark how media investment strategies align with clients’ ESG commitments.   

The UK Government is the first to use the new ESG tool, which will be available to other UK clients across the group in coming months.  The tool provides an ESG index for historical media investment (powered using Legacy Media data) with the ability to deep dive into scores around 12 ESG categories ranging from Energy and Climate Change, through Community and Development to Diversity and Labour Rights.  The data is refreshed monthly to ensure that media owner efforts in this area are recognised, and OMG will work with media partners to highlight the areas where they are behind their peers.  

OMG Impact was developed to help the UK Government and OMG UK’s private sector clients make responsible and better-informed media investment decisions based on the ESG credentials of media partners. The new tool complements the current focus on climate to also align reporting to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The UK Government will access OMG Impact – which will be integrated into the Omni open operating system that supports all Omnicom agencies – through its Omnicom Media Group buying agency OmniGov at MG OMD.  

The partnership between OMG UK and Legacy Media allows OMG clients to make ESG a reporting metric so that the wider impact of their media supply chain investment can be measured. Legacy Media will have access to OMG’s resources and in-house specialists to grow its dataset of rated media suppliers, utilising a methodology agreed by both parties. Notably, this will allow OMG to expand measurement to media specialising in underrepresented groups including minority owned media channels, small and medium enterprises. 

OMG will share its ESG data to any media owners that have been measured by Omnicom teams to support the work that is taking place across the industry.   

The UK Government is using a custom algorithm to report against social value, a variation on ESG.  The total average performance rating for the advertising industry is 56.4 out of 100.  Initial results from OMG Impact have shown that the UK Government has a higher ESG investment performance rating than the total advertising average.   

OMG Impact adds to OMG’s existing suite of ESG products and initiatives designed to help  brands commit to safer and more responsible practices, including its Carbon Calculator that helps planners quantify the carbon generated through each channel planning scenario; its Council for Accountability and Standards in  Advertising (CASA) which advocates for quality, safety and transparency in media investment; and the Diverse Creators Network, a curated marketplace designed to help brands discover and partner with Black, Hispanic, Women, AAPI, and LGBTQ+  creators who align with their objectives and KPIs.  

Bhavin Balvantrai, Chief Market Analyst at OMG UK, says: “OMG Impact offers a proactive solution to any client that wishes to invest in the media owners who align with their values and those of their audience. It’s the first of its kind in helping to bring accountability to an advertiser’s media supply chain, often one of the largest investment areas within a business, and it demonstrates our broader commitment to helping clients balance marketing efficacy with ESG values.  The launch of OMG Impact marks the first time Legacy Media has partnered directly with a global agency partner and opened access to its full datasets. This stands as testament to OMG’s status as a trusted partner across the media ecosystem.”  

Andy Power, CEO & Founder at Legacy, adds: “Our mission is to improve the understanding and activation of responsible media investment, through an ESG lens, leaving a lasting positive effect upon the world. The partnership with OMG UK and OmniGov allows us to greatly scale our offering in the UK and work towards full representation for media owners, crucially in minority owned media and other under-represented cohorts.” 

Stephanie Parry at Crown Commercial Service concludes: “It is all-important that the public sector is able to work with media owners that represent all sections of the British public. Measuring the ethics of the platforms they invest in, and then benchmarking them against our social value framework, will ensure the right investments are being made. It allows us collectively to minimise risk relating to impacts on society and the environment, and ensures media spend through our framework agreement is accountable to all stakeholders.”