Johan Pihl, ECD/CINO and co-founder of Doconomy, has an incredible track record as a creative within the advertising industry, having been awarded internationally and domestically at multiple times.

A few years back he made the decision to leave the industry to see if he could apply his creative mind and experience to make an impact on a grander scale. Together with Mathias Wikström he founded Doconomy in 2018, a company that has grown to become a leading impact fintech company providing banks with innovative tools to drive climate action and financial wellbeing. In a relatively short time Doconomy has reached a position where they are not only leading change but building a strong viable business model. A testament to that is the recent closure of one of Europe’s largest funding rounds in the sector.

Interestingly, Johan’s transition from advertising to driving change within climate literacy and sustainability has resulted in even more acclaim from his old industry. In 2019 he won the Grand Prix at Cannes Lions of DO Black: The Carbon Limit Credit Card and in 2021 they repeated that feat winning the Cannes Lions Grand Prix with the ’The 2030 Calculator’. Throughout his career, Johan has won a total of four Cannes Lions Grand Prix and was inducted into the Swedish communication industry Hall of Fame, Platinaakademin, in 2022.

Talking to Johan is an opportunity to learn.

JA: What inspired your transition from a successful career in advertising to focusing on innovation services within the sustainability sector?

JP: The saying “the best advertising in the world is not advertising” still rings true for me. I guess my relationship with the advertising industry has always been complex—not necessarily negative, but ambiguous regarding my own role and purpose. While advertising has the power to influence attitudes and behavior, I believe it must be directed towards positive impact to stay relevant in today’s world. My goal has always been to channel my creativity where I hope it can make a real, tangible difference. And for a creative mind, the desire to radically reshape the world, for better or worse, is fundamental, so exploring a new direction was a natural progression.

I was fortunate to discover business model innovation as an approach where I felt I could have the most impact. My transition to sustainability wasn’t driven by deep-seated expertise in the field, but rather by a profound realization of the existential threat that urgently requires innovative solutions. I’ve always felt a pull towards complex problems. And the climate crisis is a colossal challenge that demands creative disruption of outdated, slow-moving models to accelerate radical change. My focus on sustainability stems from the drive to leverage my creativity to address one of the most pressing issues of our time.

JA: How do you leverage your extensive creative skills and experience in advertising to drive innovation and success within Doconomy?

JP: I appreciate the simplicity of the quote, “Innovation is creativity with a job to do,” as it underscores the importance of directing creativity towards solving real problems. At the core of addressing the climate crisis lies the necessity for behavioral change at scale. Creatives from the advertising industry, who are experts in influencing consumer behavior, are thus perfectly positioned to contribute significantly to the necessary transition to a more sustainable society.

Personally, I believe that climate literacy is 95% about communication, as the educational effort of introducing new data for better decision-making is key. If you can make something relevant and engaging, you can influence people at scale, thereby accelerating our collective capacity for real change.

I foresee an era of unprecedented transparency, where environmental data becomes readily available, driving consciousness across all areas of life. Brands, in particular, can play a pivotal role in guiding their customers towards a more mindful and sustainable lifestyle through more informed decisions. This alignment of innovation, communication, and transparency is a deeply transformative force, fostering the behavioral changes necessary to alter our current trajectory.

JA: What have been the most significant challenges and opportunities you’ve encountered so far in moving from a traditional advertising environment to the startup world within the sustainability sector?

JP: When we decided to enter the sustainability sector, it was a space dominated primarily by reports from experts and political protests by activists. While experts and academia are the true champions in pushing the agenda, they are unfortunately poor communicators. The same can be said for the sense of urgency driven by activists, as it is mostly fueled by a guilt-driven narrative, which sadly does not lead to the necessary behavioral change. Given the overwhelming nature of the problem, we realized an opportunity in framing climate action as something applicable to everyday life.

When we started Doconomy, we pinpointed the challenge as being the balancing act of introducing solutions that enable users to change behaviors and routines while also ensuring data accuracy and measurability. Currently, the advertising industry faces the dilemma of counterproductive oversimplification of climate data, which risks ending up as greenwashing. For this to change we must all become more responsible and recognize the educational efforts required to develop relevant and effective solutions. We need to find ways to curb the fast throwaway culture of today’s consumers, with an emphasis on data-driven insights, which are crucial in guiding consumers toward more sustainable choices. Environmental data needs influence purchase decisions and become as important as price or quality.

Being part of this industry, we are all accountable—not necessarily because we are part of the problem, but because we can be part of the solution.

JA: Traditionally, creativity & innovation and the financial sector might have been perceived to be on opposite sides of the fence. Doconomy has found a way to establish a high level of trust between the two it seems. How did you manage that?

JP: Today, Doconomy works with over 100 banks globally. Part of Doconomy’s core vision is the conviction that banks hold the potential to play a pivotal role in the transition to a low-carbon society. As individuals, we need to recognize that our spending is the strongest link to how our lifestyles impact the planet. Extending this thought, it becomes clear that banking can be crucial in accelerating the sustainability transition for both individuals and corporations.

Through innovation and our partnership with Mastercard, we have successfully illustrated how banks can drive positive impact. Much like a towboat redirecting giant cruise liners, we have been steering global banks towards sustainable banking. We have also invested heavily in our data and behavioral science, which gives us a competitive edge, as accuracy and measurability are integral to our partnerships.

However, banks will always maintain a conservative, risk-minimizing approach. In summary, trying to accelerate change in one of the most conservative industries in the world is not easy, but the potential for transformative change is what drives us.

JA: Has your creative process evolved as you’ve shifted from developing advertising campaigns to creating sustainable innovation solutions?

JP: The process is different as my focus is on deeply understanding the problem we are trying to solve. The process of “staying with the problem” represents the largest investment we make. This approach is purpose-driven, prioritizing long-term impacts over short-term gains. We emphasize the development of entirely new business models aimed at creating positive change, recognizing that traditional models will soon fall short in addressing the needs of a growing market of conscious consumers and new regulations.

The real opportunity lies in identifying and introducing innovative solutions that effectively guide users towards sustainability. We are entering an era of data-driven transparency, which forms the basis for fostering deeper relationships between brands and consumers, centered around shared responsibility. This new type of relationship marks a radical starting point for the future of design, manufacturing, and sales.

One of the advertising industry’s legends, George Lois, famously said, “I only work with desperate clients.” This resonates today, as we undoubtedly live in desperate times. His point was that creativity often involves taking significant risks. The climate crisis drives us all to take these risks, making bold, transformative actions essential.

JA: When you and I have talked on earlier accounts you’ve mentioned the need for improved climate literacy. We have jointly identified Digital Out Of Home as strong vehicle and catalyst to help drive that change. In your view what makes DOOH and OOH in general such a strong channel in this regard?

JP: Climate literacy is a significant hurdle that contributes to the ever-widening intention-action gap. The challenge is similar to introducing a new language, which, by definition, takes time. Understanding how brands and consumers navigate a new context where impact data is essential in defining a product’s value is complex and demanding. However, this also presents an opportunity for brands to create innovative and sophisticated new propositions.

I believe public spaces are vital in these educational efforts, as they can play a crucial role in disseminating information on a large scale. It is essential to find new ways to inform the public by introducing transparency around environmental impact, as the public has the right to be informed and understand how the climate crisis affects us all. Addressing climate literacy using out-of-home advertising can become a powerful and disruptive force, assuming some of the responsibility that our governments should have taken long ago.

JA: In advertising, success can be measured through metrics like brand awareness, shifts in market share and sales. How do you measure the success and impact of your initiatives in the sustainability space?

JP: At Doconomy, we work long-term with global banks and financial institutions, gathering substantial data that supports behavioral change by connecting spending and climate awareness. For us, the biggest leap will be supporting banks in their ability to help their customers make new and conscious financial decisions to drive the transition to a low-carbon lifestyle. Every household could drastically reduce its climate impact with the right tools and financial incentives, which is where banks come in. Banks should be about creating a positive impact on society, nothing else. The goal is measurable reduction of emission through behavioral change.

We also see that circularity is gaining ground where corporations’ ability to demonstrate responsibility in manufacturing processes and, more importantly, in the afterlife of products, will completely shape business in the future.

JA: You will be one of the speakers at the Creative Summit in conjunction with the Digital Creative Competition Awards in Stockholm in October. Anything from your presentation that you can share already now?

JP: I haven’t decided yet. The topic will most likely be about transparency and how it will change consumption as an overarching theme. Alternatively, I might focus on the power and importance of ideas as the true transformative force in times of crisis,

JA: What is your long-term vision for Doconomy, and how do you see it contributing to the broader goals of sustainability and environmental stewardship?

JP: Mathias and my goal is to reshape the way banks approach sustainability altogether. By using innovation to accelerate efforts in introducing financial tools for positive impact, we envision banks having a completely new role in driving the transition to more sustainable societies. This includes reshaping consumption and introducing a foundation of accountability and responsibility. Personally, I believe that in the future, we won’t think twice about including environmental impact as a prerequisite for making sound financial decisions; we just need the right tools.