Amidst the big name corporations from around the world that attended this week’s BSR conference in San Francisco, there were also two little names. Pereira and O’Dell. PJ Pereira and Andrew O’Dell are the founders of this hot advertising agency with clients as varied as Lego, Pop Chips and Phoenix University. Matter Network sat down with Andrew, PJ and Director of Business Development Colin Spooner to find out what these Mad Men are doing at a sustainability conference.

Matter Network: So, why is an advertising agency at this show?

Andrew O’Dell: OK, OK, first of all there are a lot of our clients that are interested in this topic and I think that fundamentally advertising agencies are about big ideas and we are aware that many of the new big ideas are about this world and sustainability, and we want to become a source of information about it for our clients.

Colin Spooner: Whether it is Pereira & O’Dell as an advertising agency or reaching out to the community with our Barrel Houseventure, we are always looking for original content and we have to be and want to be aware of what is cool and relevant and important. So for our business, in some sense it is not as simple as it used to be and we have to think about everything: our footprint, and our client’s footprint and it is our responsibility for this world.

AO: It is also important because when we talk to these companies that are serious about this thing and they look at us, they may not know where we fit in. Unfortunately, we rarely hear about our type of business ever doing anything that gives back to the community; we are the “talk talk talk” and we wanted to do something that was unique and give back and get more. PJ and I want everybody to know what those companies do and we can do that. We are fortunate that we can lead that effort into our community, maybe get involved as more than just the traditional agency.

MN: So, trick question. What is the definition of “sustainability” to you?

AO: We look at it in terms of what we do and our clients, so we have had conversations about that definition, and that word was batted about and what we ask ourselves is what does this mean to individuals and people? To me and PJ what it means is what are you willing to put in? At that level it becomes easier to think about this and then it becomes more than a word like sustainability and becomes a conversation about what you put in and what you take out.

PJ Pereira: Sustainability is one of those things that we do with these events at the Barrel House and we throw these amazing events with 300 people and have displays and information for people. And we have to explain and we have to explain, this is not a crazy dot-com kind of event, this is the opposite of that and we have our space and we invite our clients to come and raise money for a charity that they like and respect and this is really about finding ways that you can help.

MN: Marketing is about increasing consumption and creating “addition,” while most of the conversation here at BSR has been about “subtraction.” How do you resolve that?

PJ: We have a unique ability to make the world a better place by doing what we are doing and help companies, help them to build their images through doing good and realizing that this is not about quick change; sometimes it takes a while. Some of the work we do with our clients is about moving them to a more meaningful way to be a better citizen or corporation to society and being better for themselves

AO: Take for example Pop Chips. Here is a company that is growing and they are looking at their packaging like most other chip companies, but for their size that impact is not great. However the small thing they have done is with their sampling programs out in the market. Instead of using gas powered vehicles they get an electric vehicle, and that small piece can at least start to install some ethos into that company that says at least we are trying. And sometimes that is what is most important: figuring out that first step.

MN: You have said that sometimes sustainability takes time, but isn’t advertising about creating that big “game changing” move?

AO: With advertising and what we are doing here, they don’t have to be contradictory. For instance we would flip that on its head and say that BSR had a great story to tell, but is it really reaching the people it needs to reach to make it bigger and tell the stories that don’t frighten people or try to scare people into action? Here in San Francisco or on the coasts people are getting the message, but now how do we bring that message and bring it to everyone else? An advertising agency can be the best assistance or the best vehicle to carry that message.

CS: At the end we are storytellers and we are reflection of what is going on in pop culture, and what is going on is a sustaining movement. But to build on Andy, I think that we are perfectly positioned to advance that story. There is that stigma that we are bad guys or “Mad Men,” but these are good stories that need to be told.

MN: Do you as an agency feel a responsibility to bring up this discussion with your clients?

PJ: Most of the time we find that they have already been talking about this and our goal is to help them tell that story to a consumer. Our clients are already involved in education; they are exploring organic materials, and creating seed farms that help small schools. So there are these things happening already and there is that energy already there and we need to bring that energy to the brand in a way that is going to be authentic and real and reflect what they are doing. And never fake it.