by Merrily E. McGugan

One man's take on One Young World

Todd Vanderlin doesn’t consider himself to be in advertising. Spending more of his time playing with iPhone software and virtual reality toys within the metal think-tank known as Arnold Boston’s R&D lab than actually making ads or talking to clients, Todd has a different take on the world. Two weeks ago, Arnold sponsored Todd’s participation in Havas’s inaugural One Young World youth leadership conference in London. There, the 25 year-old tech wiz (also an avid rock climber and skateboarding enthusiast) joined young people from 192 countries in a discussion about how today’s youth can play an instrumental role in resolving longstanding global issues.

ONE YOUNG BRAND FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE

“I didn’t realize how truly global this event was going to be until I actually got here,” Todd admits on a call from London. “Each time one of the youth delegates got up to speak, they announced where they were from. In three days, I never heard anyone mention the same country twice!”

Being amidst a sea of young doctors, farmers, non-profit volunteers and entrepreneurs left Todd wondering at times where advertising fit in. ”But David Jones [CEO of Havas and co-founder of One Young World] framed the opportunity up in a perfect way. Havas is good at marketing—so why not make a brand for young people to voice their opinion…and bring it directly to world leaders who can help their opinions become solutions?”
 

He seems inspired by Havas’s clear commitment to global social responsibility. “It’s awesome to see a large international company like Havas taking the initiative and doing their part to foster real change that reaches across the entire world. Sometimes companies and their brands can do even more than governments when it comes to reaching people and getting them interested enough to act. And Havas isn’t just talking. Havas is doing.”
 

WHEN BEING BETTER MEANS BEING GOOD

 “There aren’t too many brands out there that stand for something young people truly care about—that help make the world a better place,” says Todd. “A brand like truth is unique because it takes social responsibility into account when assessing ROI and designing its messages. The most relevant brands for my generation—for the types of people who are here at OYW—are definitely those that stand for something good. Project (RED), or The FEED Project? Two really great, powerful brands.”

He seems excited to bring the idea of solving real social problems—while marketing a client’s product at the same time—back to Arnold.  “We already do it, but we can focus on it even more. Burt’s Bees makes a profit and sells things, but they are a zero-waste company. They’re a great example of a company making a change to make themselves better.”

SOMETIMES MORE TALK IS BETTER THAN LESS

A range of companies, youth delegates, and global leaders were all given the chance to speak during the three-day OYW conference. “Everyone was there—from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to Kofi Annan, to a 16 year-old kid who was the youngest person ever to ski to the north pole!” says Todd. “And for those who couldn’t be there in person, they were streamed in on video monitors. Distance didn’t matter—they figured out the technology to get everybody connected.”

France, Italy, and dozens of other countries are already bidding to host the next One Young World. Todd seems amazed. “Havas treated OYW like it was a brand, like advertising—because that’s what they do. But the success of it all is amazing. These young people have been staying up until 3am every night, talking about things they can do as soon as they get back home. It’s wild. Havas gave the delegates something to be proud of—something to promote. By creating OYW, Havas built a brand for young people to own.”

“Kofi Annan said that it sounds like we young people feel his generation hasn’t done a good enough job tackling the world’s problems, and he hopes that we take on that responsibility and do a better job ourselves. That was a heavy hitting comment, hearing it from this world leader,” says Todd. “I have to think about that more. I do a very unusual thing at Arnold, working in the R&D lab. We’re constantly trying to think of something new and solve problems—how to get more people to connect to a screen. I come to this event and I think, maybe I can get people to engage with a screen to connect to an even bigger cause.”

“IT’S NOT ABOUT TALKING—IT’S ABOUT DOING”

Todd has to go; noise is building in the background behind him. You can almost hear the energy. It’s the last day of the conference. “People are already discussing groups they’re going to form when they get back home,” he says. “And what I’m taking away from my experience here is that change isn’t about talking—it’s about doing. How can Arnold help change the world? Well, we can integrate social responsibility into everything that we do. We’re a global company—we deal with great global brands. Put a little ‘good’ into our already great work, and before you know it… really powerful things are going to start happening.”