ACT Responsible
ACT Responsible is a Switzerland-based international non-profit association, founded in 2001, that curates and showcases purpose-driven advertising campaigns through exhibitions at Cannes Lions, juried awards, a 30,000+ ad database, and a public-voted recognition program, serving advertising agencies, brands, NGOs, and institutions across 76+ markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersChalais, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ACT Responsible does
ACT Responsible is a Switzerland-based international non-profit association founded in 2001 that promotes social and environmental responsibility in advertising. The organization curates and showcases purpose-driven advertising campaigns through an integrated programme of initiatives: the ACT Good Ads Database (a searchable library of over 30,000 campaigns powered by AdForum and growing by more than 1,000 ads annually), the ACT Exhibition at Cannes Lions (held since 2002, occupying 800 sqm and reaching 8,000+ daily attendees), the ACT Care Awards (in partnership with EACA and supported by the European Parliament, running since 2008), ACT Tributes (public-voted recognitions for campaigns and Champions of Good), and the ACT Good Report (an annual ranking produced with WARC since 2014). The 2024 ACT Good Report evaluated 1,250 campaigns from 804 agencies for 995 advertisers across 76 markets. The organization does not own proprietary AI technology; its technical infrastructure is provided by AdForum for submissions and database hosting, and by WARC Rankings for the report's ranking methodology.
The organization's revenue model is diversified across four streams: annual membership fees (four tiers ranging from a free Supporter level to Leader at €10,000, with Believer at €5,000 and Advocate at €8,000), per-campaign submission fees to the ACT Programme (€450 per submission with degressive pricing for multiple entries), event sponsorships (starting from €5,000 for ACT in Cannes and the ACT Care Awards), and media/broadcast partnerships (Euronews, Africanews). The customer base spans advertising agencies, brands, NGOs, government bodies, and media organizations across more than 76 markets, with named strategic partners including WARC, AdForum, Cannes Lions, EACA, European Parliament, Nielsen, Google, Havas Group, RTL, and RTL AdAlliance. ACT Responsible is led by co-founders Sophie Guérinet (Content & Agency Relations) and Isa Kurata (Communications, Development & Partnership), with Hervé de Clerck serving as DreamLeader. The organization is independently funded through these commercial activities with no disclosed parent company, investors, or external funding rounds, and operates with a lean 1-10 employee base from Chalais, Switzerland.
ACT Responsible firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ACT Responsible
- Legal name
- ASSOCIATION ACT RESPONSIBLE
- Website
- https://act-responsible.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ACT Responsible is a Switzerland-based international non-profit association, founded in 2001, that curates and showcases purpose-driven advertising campaigns through exhibitions at Cannes Lions, juried awards, a 30,000+ ad database, and a public-voted recognition program, serving advertising agencies, brands, NGOs, and institutions across 76+ markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ACT Responsible industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advertising Industry Responsibility Association
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (54181), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cause/Sustainability & Purpose-Driven Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design (MPAAAGAA), Consumer Rights & Public Interest Advocacy (BPAGAFAK), General & Multi-Industry Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAA)
Keywords
Where ACT Responsible is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chalais
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
ACT Responsible business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Annual membership fees at four tiers: Supporter (free/optional contribution), Believer (€5,000), Advocate (€8,000), and Leader (€10,000). Higher tiers include complimentary campaign submissions to the ACT Programme.
- Campaign Submission Fees: Entry fee of €450 per campaign submitted to the ACT Programme, with degressive pricing for multiple submissions. Submissions are not eligible until payment is validated.
- Event Sponsorships: Sponsorship opportunities for ACT in Cannes at Lions Impact Hub (June) and ACT Care Awards at EACA Effie Europe (December), starting from €5,000. Provides brand visibility, networking opportunities, and recognition as a leader in responsible advertising.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | €450 per campaign submission with decreasing rates for additional campaigns |
| Subscription | Annual | Free membership with flexible contribution options |
| Subscription | Annual | €5,000 annual membership including 2 complimentary campaign submissions |
| Subscription | Annual | €8,000 annual membership including 3 complimentary campaign submissions and Advisory Board seat |
| Subscription | Annual | €10,000 annual membership including 4 complimentary campaign submissions and maximum visibility |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Event sponsorships starting from €5,000 for major ACT events |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels11 records
ACT Responsible product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ACT Responsible curates, showcases, and promotes purpose-driven advertising campaigns addressing social and environmental issues through a portfolio of programs including the ACT Good Ads Database, annual ACT Exhibition at Cannes Lions, ACT Care Awards, ACT Tributes, ACT Good Report, and the ACT Programme annual call for work. The organization operates a four-tier membership program (free to €10,000 Leader) and charges per-campaign submission fees (€450 with volume discounts) plus event sponsorships from major advertising industry partners.
Product overview
ACT Responsible is an international non-profit organization (not a typical product company) that operates a comprehensive suite of programs and initiatives focused on promoting responsible advertising. The core portfolio consists of the ACT Good Ads Database (a searchable collection of purpose-driven campaigns), the ACT Exhibition (annual showcase at Cannes Lions), ACT in Cannes (industry presence), ACT Tributes (public-voted recognitions), ACT Care Awards (juried awards with European Parliament support), ACT Good Report (ranking with WARC), and the ACT Programme (annual submission system). Supporting initiatives include the ACT Care Youth Favourite (student jury), One Minute of Responsibility (TV broadcast on Euronews/Africanews), Champions of Good recognition, ACT Community Membership tiers, and sustainability research partnerships. The ecosystem is anchored by AdForum technology for submissions and content hosting.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ACT Good Ads Database: A curated, searchable database of purpose-driven advertising campaigns addressing social and environmental issues, developed in partnership with AdForum.
- ACT Exhibition
- ACT Care Awards
- ACT Good Report
- ACT Tributes
- ACT in Cannes
Products and services
- ACT Good Ads Database A continuously enriched, searchable, open-access online database of purpose-driven advertising campaigns addressing social and environmental issues, growing by over 1,000 ads every year. Developed in partnership with AdForum, it includes over 30,000 campaigns and serves as the foundational content layer for the ACT Programme.
- ACT Exhibition An annual curated selection of outstanding advertising campaigns addressing social and environmental issues, presented at Cannes Lions within the Lions Impact Hub. Occupying an 800 sqm space leading directly to the Debussy Auditorium (1,000 seats), it reaches 8,000+ daily attendees of the festival.
- ACT in Cannes ACT's presence at Cannes Lions celebrating Creativity for Good at the heart of the industry gathering, including Open House for Good events, Lions Impact Hub activities, networking opportunities, and the MyACT daily web show at the festival.
- ACT Tributes Annual public-voted recognition program honoring the best campaigns (Tributes to Creativity for Good) and the champions (Tributes to Champions of Good) inspiring responsible creativity. Winners announced during Cannes Lions festival week, with the 2024 edition receiving over 5,000 votes.
- ACT Care Awards Awards program recognizing creative work in promoting care for people and the environment. Established in collaboration with EACA and supported by the European Parliament, it features dual jury structure (Creative Jury and Expert Jury) plus the Youth Favourite distinction awarded by students from partner communication schools including IHECS.
- ACT Good Report Annual ranking report developed in collaboration with WARC Rankings, highlighting the world's best campaigns, agencies, and brands driving positive change for social and environmental responsibility. The 2024 edition evaluated 1,250 campaigns produced by 804 agencies for 995 advertisers across 76 markets.
- ACT Programme The annual ACT Call for Work (February-April) inviting advertising agencies, brands, NGOs, and institutions worldwide to submit campaigns on social and environmental issues for consideration across all ACT initiatives including the Exhibition, Care Awards, Tributes, Good Report, and inclusion in the ACT Good Ads Database.
- ACT Care Youth Favourite A special distinction awarded by students from partner creative communication schools including IHECS (Brussels), offering a fresh perspective on what resonates with younger audiences by reviewing shortlisted ACT Care Awards campaigns and selecting one winner.
- One Minute of Responsibility A TV program featuring inspiring short-form content drawn from the ACT Good Ads Database, broadcast on Euronews and Africanews, reaching millions of viewers across Europe and Africa with impactful social and environmental initiatives.
- ACT Community Membership Four-tier membership program (Supporter free, Believer €5,000, Advocate €8,000, Leader €10,000 annual) providing visibility benefits, access to ACT Community events, ACT Exhibition at Cannes Lions, ACT Tributes, logo usage on website and promotional materials, and complimentary campaign submissions (2-4 per tier).
- Champions of Good Recognition program celebrating bold personalities who have made the world a better place, with categories including Movement Maker, Non-Profit Organisation, Advertiser, Advertising Industry, and Rising Star. Winners are revealed during Cannes Lions week.
- Sustainability Industry Survey Comprehensive annual assessment of sustainability practices in the advertising industry, conducted in partnership with Nielsen, enabling creation of benchmarks for sustainability practices across advertising agencies and providing industry-level research insights.
Companies that use ACT Responsible
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ACT Responsible technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature2 records
ACT Responsible partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- IHECSminorPartnership with IHECS (Institut des Hautes Études des Communications Sociales) in Brussels for Youth Favourite initiative. Students from IHECS participate in Care Awards judging process.
- NielsenminorPartnership with Nielsen to conduct annual sustainability surveys of the advertising industry. Survey aims to highlight how advertising agencies embrace sustainability and create benchmarks for sustainability practices.
- IAA GlobalminorPartnership with IAA Global (International Advertising Association) for initiatives like Open House for Good. Hervé de Clerck serves as Chair of the IAA Global Sustainability Council.
- AdForumcoreTechnology partnership with AdForum powering the ACT Good Ads Database, submission platform, and digital campaign galleries. AdForum provides the technical infrastructure for the searchable database of over 30,000 purpose-driven advertising campaigns. All ACT submissions are managed through AdForum's platform.
- EuronewsMedia partnership for broadcast of 'One Minute of Responsibility' TV program featuring short-form content from the ACT Good Ads Database.
- AfricanewsminorMedia partnership for broadcast of 'One Minute of Responsibility' TV program featuring short-form content from the ACT Good Ads Database.
- e-artsupminorCreative partnership with e-artsup School of Creative Passion, forging collaboration for sustainable impact and engaging young creative minds in responsible advertising.
- WARCcoreStrategic partnership with WARC, the global marketing insights company and publisher of WARC Rankings. Collaboration on the ACT Good Report, an annual ranking of best campaigns, agencies, and brands driving positive change. WARC provides access to Creative 100 data and rankings methodology. Partnership has marked its 10th anniversary in 2024.
- European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA)coreFounding partnership established in 2008 for the ACT Care Awards. EACA provides institutional support and the ACT Care Awards ceremony is part of EACA Effie Europe program. Christian de la Villehuchet serves as both Jury President of ACT Care Awards and President of EACA.
- European ParliamentcoreInstitutional partnership for the ACT Care Awards, with support from the European Parliament. MEPs participate in the Expert Jury judging process. Dita Charanzová, Vice-President of the European Parliament, serves as Godmother and Jury President of the Care Awards.
- Cannes LionscoreLong-standing partnership with Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. ACT Exhibition presented annually at Lions Impact Hub within Palais des Festivals. ACT in Cannes events and Tributes celebrated during festival week. Partnership enables access to 8,000+ daily attendees.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ACT Responsible competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Effie Awards: Global marketing effectiveness awards whose Effie Europe program is the institutional host of the ACT Care Awards ceremony in Brussels. Effie and ACT share audience (agencies and brands) and overlap in recognizing positive change campaigns, with Effie providing a more commercially focused lens on effectiveness.
- Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity: The flagship global advertising awards festival that hosts the ACT Exhibition. While Cannes Lions is a much broader commercial awards and learning platform, ACT Responsible's core exhibition and Tributes programming are embedded within the festival, making it both a primary partner and a structural reference point for the same audience.
- WARC: Global marketing insights company and a 10+ year strategic partner of ACT Responsible on the ACT Good Report. WARC provides Creative 100 data and rankings methodology, and serves the same advertising agency and brand audience with adjacent benchmarking and effectiveness content.
- IAA (International Advertising Association): A global trade association for the marketing and advertising industry, with whom ACT Responsible partners on initiatives like Open House for Good. The IAA Sustainability Council (chaired by ACT's DreamLeader) creates direct thematic overlap in promoting responsible advertising standards.
Direct peers
- Clio Awards: A leading global advertising awards program that recognizes creative excellence across multiple categories including social good and sustainability. Clio directly competes for purpose-driven campaign recognition and serves the same agency and brand audience.
- Epica Awards: A long-standing ACT Responsible partner (six consecutive years of Epica Responsibility Grand Prix), Epica Awards is a global creative awards program that explicitly co-promotes a Responsibility category. Epica directly competes for sustainability and purpose-driven campaign submissions from the same agency universe.
- D&AD: A global creative awards organization running the D&AD Awards, D&AD Pencils, and sustainability-focused programming. D&AD operates a similar model of juried awards combined with a creative community and education platform, directly competing for purpose-driven agency participation and recognition.
- The One Show: Operated by The One Club for Creativity, The One Show is a major global advertising awards program. It runs a sustainability-focused category (Green Pencil) that directly overlaps with ACT Responsible's purpose-driven curation, and serves the same agencies, brands, and creative community.
Others
- AdForum: Technology infrastructure partner powering the ACT Good Ads Database and submission platform since 2018. AdForum is also a broader advertising industry creative resource and agency directory, serving overlapping agencies, brands, and creative community members.
Emerging players
- Lovie Awards: European counterpart to the Webby Awards recognizing excellence in digital and internet-driven creative work, including a Social category. Lovie serves a similar European agency and brand community with a sustainability and purpose lens, representing a complementary rather than direct overlap.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ACT Responsible social profiles
Digital presenceACT Responsible financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ACT Responsible leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
ACT Responsible funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ACT Responsible M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ACT Responsible
What does ACT Responsible do?
ACT Responsible curates, showcases, and promotes purpose-driven advertising campaigns addressing social and environmental issues through a portfolio of programs including the ACT Good Ads Database, annual ACT Exhibition at Cannes Lions, ACT Care Awards, ACT Tributes, ACT Good Report, and the ACT Programme annual call for work. The organization operates a four-tier membership program (free to €10,000 Leader) and charges per-campaign submission fees (€450 with volume discounts) plus event sponsorships from major advertising industry partners.
Is ACT Responsible a public or private company?
ACT Responsible is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ACT Responsible founded?
ACT Responsible was founded in 2001. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ACT Responsible based?
ACT Responsible is headquartered in Chalais, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does ACT Responsible make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are campaign Submission Fees and event Sponsorships.
Who are ACT Responsible's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Effie Awards, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, WARC and IAA (International Advertising Association). Direct peers are Clio Awards, Epica Awards, D&AD and The One Show. AdForum is listed as an others. Lovie Awards is listed as an emerging player.
Does ACT Responsible have an API?
No public API is recorded for ACT Responsible.
What industry is ACT Responsible in?
ACT Responsible's product category is Advertising Industry Responsibility Association. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAL, Cause/Sustainability & Purpose-Driven Creative Agencies, with a secondary code of MPAAAGAA, Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design. Its NAICS code is 54181 and its SIC code is 7311.