Casey Binkley
CEO, Movia Media
Casey Binkley is the CEO of Movia Media, a tech marketing company that places trackable ads on delivery trucks as a moving option to traditional billboards. It may be a little counterintuitive to think that a marketing company that relies on large trucks to operate would be sustainable, considering how much carbon emissions these trucks give off, but Binkley says his company can actually be more sustainable than old-fashioned advertising like billboards.
“A digital billboard that’s on the side of the highway uses 20 times as much electricity as a single house does,” Binkley says in an interview. “And then those big digital billboards, they basically have a lifespan of around 10 to 12 years and then the signs wear out, the bulbs wear out, and they have to be recycled.” Binkley says this creates a ton of e-waste.
Focusing on sustainability
Movia, by contrast, puts ads on trucks that are on the road regardless, so they are not actually adding any carbon emissions, only taking advantage of a resource that already exists. In this way, he says, his ad model is actually more sustainable than other strategies.
Binkley is passionate about sustainability, and his company goes further than simply minimizing the waste they are adding to the environment. He says that to compensate for any carbon emissions his operations do produce, they have partnered with two not-for-profit organizations, one in Binkley’s native Canada and one in the United States.
“In the U.S., we work with Trees for the Future, and in Canada it’s Highway of Heroes. Basically, we plant trees in partnership with these not-for-profits to help offset our campaigns and operations.” He says his company plants 100 trees for every truck per month. “So far to date, we’ve planted about 45,000 trees.”
Trees for the Future’s forestations projects happen all over the world. “A lot of the time, planting happens in developing nations, and they’ll actually do partnerships with local farmers,” Binkley says. This is not only good for the environment, but also helps spur the local economy.
According to the organization’s website, Trees for the Future trains farmers over a four year period to sustainably revitalize their land. Through the forest garden approach, “farmers plant thousands of trees that protect and bring nutrients back to the soil. This helps farmers grow a variety of fruits and vegetables. Forest garden farmers gain increases in income and food security, even in the first year.”
Changes in the trucking industry
Movia, by its nature, relies on the trucking industry, which is undergoing some seismic changes, especially as corporations and governments try to steer industries toward more sustainable operations. Some changes and advancements within trucking include changing the kind of vehicles used to be more eco-friendly, such as electric or self-driving vehicles. Binkley says he thinks his business model fits well with the greener direction he sees the transportation sector heading in.
“I already have some advertisers that really appreciate our sustainable approach,” he says. “They’re also keen on sourcing electric trucks to carry their ads. So it kind of goes full circle. I think it will actually continue to strengthen our business as that progresses more.”
Binkley says that while brands talk about sustainability with regards to their products and services, this conversation isn’t really happening within the advertising community. “When it comes to how they’re advertising, the traditional platforms and networks themselves aren’t really sustainable. So it’s kind of a counterintuitive thing to me.”
When it comes to corporate responsibility to the environment, Binkley’s philosophy is that the golden rule still applies, just as it would for human beings. “It’s like, ‘Do as to your neighbor as you want done to yourself.’ I look at this amazing natural world around us, and I want to help protect it. We have all the science that shows how important the environment is, and how we need all these different ecosystems to support it. And I feel industries should really respect that.”
He says if you’re going to treat your neighbor as you would want to be treated, you should do the same for the planet. “Without a healthy environment, none of us can really operate.”