Advertising and Sustainability: The Case of “The Last Photo” Campaign

Abstract

The aim of the research was to investigate the construction of scenes for the socio-environmental campaign that won the most awards at the “Cannes Film Festival” in 2023, in order to identify and describe the media discourses that contribute to the production of culture and values in society. A theoretical-methodological analysis was carried out exploring the interactions between advertising, sustainability and symbolic production, with a focus on evaluating the trajectory of the Cannes awards, which recognise advertising as an agent of social and environmental transformation, identifying campaigns in these areas. The corpus was defined by the most awarded campaign in 2023 at Cannes, related to social and/or environmental issues, in this case “The Last Photo”. The analysis was conducted using a discursive approach, considering lexical elements, argumentative techniques, prominence and components external to verbal language. The results of the study showed that the campaign predominantly uses advertising discourse, especially audiovisual adverts exploring social issues. Scenography plays an important role in the construction of these scenes, lending credibility and emotion to the speeches. The campaign’s approach challenges the stereotypes surrounding suicide, using real cases to promote reflection. Transmedia storytelling and accessible language are used to reach audiences effectively.