Media: Russell Davies.(advertising agencies)(Viewpoint essay)

If a group of alien anthropologists arrived from a distant planet and started to study advertising agencies, what do you think they'd conclude about our purpose?

I suspect they'd conclude that agencies are in the business of putting bits of polyboard in taxis and driving them around town. Or that maybe they exist as places for big, black cars to wait outside, engines idling. Or that they're machines for getting huge wodges of paper, putting very few words on them and binding them together so they can, again, be put in taxis and driven around town.

I don't think they'd conclude that communications agencies are at the cutting edge of sustainable practise.

And we're not, are we? We're happy to do alarmingly dramatic and award-winning ads about green issues and carbon neutrality; we're less inclined to make sure computers are switched off in the evening.

Frankly, all you hard-nosed business types could be forgiven for not caring less about my funny little morality parable if it wasn't for the fact that, just around the corner, your financial existence may depend upon your ability to get things switched off and your understanding of what kind of inks you're using in your Christmas cards. And it's all because of Marks & Spencer.

Its rather splendid 'Plan A' initiative feels like a ...