As the final scene of 2025 rolls, we at CAN are hitting “pause” to reflect on a year of purposeful, ethical, and globally impactful advertising.
Advertising should inspire, innovate, and drive real results – but never at the expense of rights, freedoms, or societal trust. With a network of now over 200 members, we’ve challenged outdated norms, tackled waste and fraud, safeguarded society and the environment, and championed supply chain transparency.
This year has been a full feature of milestones, collaborations, and industry-leading impact, unlocking new opportunities for growth while ensuring effective advertising truly works for everyone.
Scene 1: Launching CAN Guiding Principles + Guides
Cue the opening credits: CAN rolled out six practical Guides alongside the CAN Guiding Principles, providing advertisers with actionable, ethical, and commercial results-driven steps. From inclusion to greenwashing, transparency to net zero, these resources make conscious advertising accessible, accountable, and measurable.
Scene 2: Annual Member Survey
Our Annual Member Survey captured what matters most to our community. Each year, our members share feedback on what’s working, what could improve, and where CAN should focus next.
This year’s key takeaways include:
- 95% of members are satisfied or very satisfied with their CAN membership, and 87% would recommend us to others in their network. This shows that our combination of advocacy, resources, and industry insight is making an impact.
- Guides and resources on Sustainability, Inclusion, and Information Integrity & Hate are among the most valued tools, helping you reach diverse audiences, build trust, and prevent campaigns from funding misinformation or harmful content.
- Implementation challenges include limited capacity and internal challenges in applying the Guides consistently across all brand teams and agencies. To address this, we are developing new toolkits, templates, and case studies that make it easier for members to embed CAN’s Guiding Principles into their work.
Scene 3: Expanding the CAN Cast
This year, we welcomed Blessing Lobho (Membership & Engagement Officer) and Ollie Swain (Research & Insights Officer), strengthening our capacity to support members, lead initiatives, and tackle pressing industry challenges from fraud and waste to climate and information integrity. Think of them as new leads in a blockbuster ensemble, bringing fresh energy and expertise.
You can learn more about Blessing, Ollie, and the rest of the CAN team HERE.
Scene 4: CAN on the Global Stage
The CAN team were live on set at global industry events, here’s a glimpse:
- Cannes Lions: Returning to Le Croisette, the CAN team returned stronger, sparking global conversations, and appearing on the official programme for the first time. Read more in CAN at Cannes Unpacked!
- MAD//Fest: Panel alongside VCCP & TfL focussing on “Effective Advertising That Works for Everyone: A Practical Guide for Conscious Brands”, featuring TfL’s Abuse Has Consequence campaign as a case study on implementing CAN’s Guiding Principles. Read about the campaign HERE.
- SMRS “All In” Day: exploring influencer marketing and consumer well-being, through the lens of CAN’s Guiding Principles and Guides.
- EACA’s x 5Rights #Creative4Change: CAN were at the Strasbourg launch, reaffirming CAN’s ongoing contribution to building a digital ecosystem where children’s rights are protected by design. Find out more about Campaign 4 Good HERE.
- AOP’s CRUNCH: CAN opened AOP’s CRUNCH session on “Investing in the future: how wider perspectives lead to inclusive narratives and engaged audiences”. Read the write-up HERE.
- ERA26: CAN were on the agenda of Ebiquity’s exclusive annual event focused on Effective and Responsible Advertising in 2026. Check out the replay on Integrity in AI HERE.
CAN members also appeared in roundtables and panels across the UK, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, covering disability inclusion, children’s rights, climate, and information integrity. Each appearance was a close-up on actionable, conscious, and inclusive practices in the industry.
Scene 5: Spotlight on new Members & December19 Collaboration
This year we welcomed JACK RYAN, Lucky Generals, UWE Bristol, 350.org, Purple Goat, Do Epic Good, ZBD and Lowkey Films to CAN’s membership.
Through Member Spotlights on LinkedIn, we celebrated campaigns effectively reshaping the industry.
Special feature: Following their IAB Gold Standard certification, CAN member December19 teamed up with us on a joint “CAN Principles + Certification” series. The certification required documenting practices in areas such as fraud prevention, brand safety, and supply chain transparency, revealing strong alignment with CAN’s Guiding Principles and Guides.
Together, we explored:
Certification provides operational guardrails; CAN provides the ethical compass – creating safer environments for brands and people.
Behind the scenes, this collaboration shows how ethical guidance paired with robust standards can unlock advertising that is effective, accountable, and designed to benefit everyone. At the end of each webpage (see links above), you’ll also find a downloadable, accessible two-page infographic to help teams put the key actions into practice.
Scene 6: CAN x UN & Global Initiatives
Our UN collaboration strengthened this year through a global tour of joint speaking appearances promoting advertising’s vital role in climate information integrity and the UN’s Five Global Principles, where we served as key advisors. Engagements included:
- Co-hosting a Bangkok roundtable with OHCHR on advertising, business, and human rights.
- Participation in global panels ahead of COP30, such as:
- COP30: Cementing climate information integrity as a core topic of discussion at COP30, marked by the launch of the Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change. Check out our COP30 wrap blog HERE
Each event was a critical scene, positioning CAN as a global advocate for responsible, impactful advertising.
Scene 7: Research & Advocacy Highlights
Our advocacy extended to UK Parliamentary Select Committee sessions, No.10 Downing Street roundtables, and other government engagements addressing online safety and social cohesion, our equivalent of cameo appearances that set new industry standards.
CAN is proud to have partnered with Outvertising to create the Advocacy Playbook, which is a practical, actionable guide designed to help advertisers build genuine LGBTQIA+ inclusion from the inside out. Bringing together data, principles and step-by-step guidance, it equips organisations to support their teams, strengthen their policies, and deliver more representative, inclusive campaigns.
Our Research & Insights work also focussed on topics such as protecting children from online harms, and the importance of protecting information integrity during extreme weather events.
Scene 8: CAN in the Media & Socials
Our LinkedIn and social media community grew to 5,000 followers, sharing insights, case studies, and updates. Our expanding blogs and explainer series have covered topics such as inclusion, transparency, targeted advertising, net zero, and UN principles, providing the behind-the-scenes director’s cut for conscious advertisers.
Final Scene: That’s a Wrap
Thank you to all the individuals and organisations who have continued to support us, including our fabulously supportive pro bono PR partners, Propeller Group! We wish you all a happy holiday season and a consciously creative new year.
#TogetherWeCAN
