Meet John Higginson, Co-Founder of Higginson Strategy

John Higginson is co-founder of x+why member Higginson Strategy, along with his wife Clodagh. They are an award-winning agency supporting purpose-driven organisations to deliver positive change.

{{divider}}

Could you give us a brief introduction to Higginson and what you are about?

{{divider}}

We are a communications agency for purpose-driven organisations; We are three years old now with offices in London, Manchester and soon to be the US.

{{divider}}

Share a little more about your background and role within Higginson

{{divider}}

I am one of two founders with my wife Clodagh. We were both political journalists working in Parliament for national newspapers. I headed the media teams at two different public affairs agencies before launching Higginson Strategy.

{{divider}}

Why is purpose becoming such a central focus?

{{divider}}

Consumers are becoming much more aware of their power. While social media means they can speak directly and publicly to corporations. It’s a good thing because it means that organisations that try to bullshit their customers with greenwash get called out pretty quickly.

{{divider}}

Even 10 years ago firms might have been able to focus their communications on a very small portion of their business to magnify that. Oil companies did this for a while, where their entire communications and PR operation was all about 2% of their renewable output whilst the 98% fossil fuel business carried on as normal. This isn’t really possible any more.

{{divider}}

Organisations turn to us to help them change from the inside not stick a veneer on. We have a mix of clients: NGOs, charities and the public sector come to us because of our KPI driven business mindset. Corporations and businesses come to us because we genuinely act and think like an NGO.

{{divider}}

We have the heart of an NGO and the head of a corporation, we are always thinking about the triple bottom line but not forgetting profit which sometimes those looking to do good can do. Even NGOs are funded by someone – these funders want to clearly see the impact they are having by investing their money in one place as opposed to another, that’s where we come in.  

{{divider}}

How did you source your initial network and clients?

{{divider}}

We couldn’t bring over clients from our previous positions due to our contracts. So, we were in the unusual position of setting up with no clients. However, we were able to tap into the politicians and journalists we had connected with, providing two key aspects of the business.

{{divider}}

What are some notable projects you have worked on recently?

{{divider}}

Last week we launched a campaign to ban plastic sachets with one of our flagship clients, A Plastic Planet. They are hiding in plain sight, are almost impossible to recycle. They are usually made out of a mix of materials and even if they are recyclable they are too small for anyone to bother so they are a massive problem.

{{divider}}

We want to do the same with sachets as has been done with plastic straws. We are also creating a coalition of organisations trying to stop crap going to landfill called Real Circularity Coalition. It’s about making everyone on the product lifecycle to think about the circular economy – i.e what is going to happen to this thing when it is no longer wanted. This should be built in at the design and packaging stage.

{{divider}}

We are also working with vegan charity Viva! to try to make veganism more popular with people who might not normally consider it. We did this by creating an easy entry point, (becoming vegan for one day) getting James May from Top Gear involved and aiming stories at tabloid newspapers.

{{divider}}

What does it take to run a successful campaign?

{{divider}}

The best thing is to have a very clear objective: first identify the problem that needs solving, then identify the way to solve it. If you’re too broad in your campaign aim, it’s unlikely to be successful. It’s incredibly difficult to create change, so you’re much more likely to succeed by trying to change one very specific thing initially, and the rest will follow as secondary goals.  

{{divider}}

What have been some of your career highlights more generally?

{{divider}}

Getting a law change on Police Bail, which went from unlimited down to one month, getting a punitive tax on the use of virgin plastic in the 2018 Budget, and getting stronger laws on air pollution and a ban on the export of plastic waste to developing countries into the last Queen’s Speeches.

{{divider}}

How does lobbying to change the law work?

{{divider}}

To get law change – the first thing is to determine whether you need a law change, or a behaviour change. Determining the problem itself will often tell you what’s needed. For example, with our first campaign for Plastic Planet, we were trying to get supermarkets to think about the amount of plastic rubbish they facilitate, and campaigned for a plastic-free shopping aisle.

{{divider}}

In this instance, consumer pressure was more important than a law change. The general formula for law change is to look at the current policy, and then try to influence the politicians that will be debating these laws as they come up. There are laws in a whole load of areas that will be coming up in the next five years and lots of bills which we are looking to change. At the moment we are trying to shape the current Environment Bill in a whole host of areas.

{{divider}}

How different is your current role to working in the lobbying space?

{{divider}}

Its not massively different, which is a good thing as our clients depend on us having the expertise. The difference with our agency is the NGO heart with business mindset.

{{divider}}

In the past people felt as though they had to make a compromise between doing good and being successful. You would choose between getting the absolute best or going to an organisation in the ‘good’ space but they were often filled with people who had jumped away from the corporate grindstone and wanted an easier life.

{{divider}}

That doesn’t lead to the best service. There has also been this guilt from organisations that have really bought into the purpose element, with old-thinking around the idea that profit comes at the expense of good. We highlight that organisations don’t need to be shy about wanting it all, in order to attract the most ambitious people you have to tackle all 3 elements of people, planet and profit.

{{divider}}

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?

{{divider}}

Over 10 years ago I tried to set up a Green Index, where shoppers could make purchasing decisions based on a simple number from One-to-100, which would indicate the overall carbon footprint of the product. The idea was fundamentally sound but it failed because we did not have sufficient expertise or experience in the area at the time.

{{divider}}

Also I did not predict the level of pushback we would receive, even from companies that I thought were firmly in the purpose space. The lesson was to stick to what you know as closely as you can. If you stray too far it’s easier to fail. I also learned not to underestimate just how hard change is. The status quo in anything has a massive advantage. You also have to remember that whenever there is change, someone wins and someone else loses. It’s important to be aware of who is going to lose. Not only is holding a status quo easier but they usually have more money so you have to pick your battles carefully.

{{divider}}

How has what you do changed you as a person?

{{divider}}

It has made me more aware of the fact that we are all hypocrites in some way. Being a part of the ‘business for good’ movement forces you to take a harder look at  your own life. I offset the entire workforce by planting trees in Madagascar every month, using a Bristol-based company called Offset.

{{divider}}

Earth, who as a disclaimer, are not a client of ours. I also acknowledge that I’m not perfect.I still eat meat and dairy even though I have cut down. I still jump on a plane occasionally and drive a car. But I am more aware of my own actions whilst recognising that I cannot consign myself to living in a cave and doing nothing.  

{{divider}}

What’s your vision for the future?

{{divider}}

I see the 2020s as being a key decade, possibly the most important decade for any of us alive today, apart from those living through the Second World War. All the problems that we see in migration, in the way politics is going, stem from one fundamental problem in my view – man-kinds effect on the environment and what that’s doing to the world.

{{divider}}

I very much want to be a part of finding the solutions in what I believe to be make or break decade for the planet and I want Higginson to be a part of that. Whereas other communications agencies spend a lot on events and marketing their own services, we take that budget and put it into two homegrown campaigns that we care about – Nature 2030 and Empower.

{{divider}}

Nature 2030 is looking to solve the environmental problems of the 2020s such as pollution, climate change and biodiversity/species loss. Empower is a campaign for true female empowerment, as opposed to just equality of numbers and other financial elements. We are currently looking into job-sharing which especially benefits women.

{{divider}}

Essentially the more successful we are for our clients, the more we can put into the campaigns we have identified as being important. We use these because use them as flagships that demonstrate our capabilities.

{{divider}}

When working on your passion it can be difficult to put on the breaks and easy to burn out. How do you prevent this, and manage anxiety and stress?

{{divider}}

We try to foster a culture of not emailing people on holiday so they can properly switch off. My wife and I often get into Nordic crime box sets to switch off for an hour in the evening.  

{{divider}}

Any books or blogs on your recommended reading list?

{{divider}}

I read a lot of business and economics books for pleasure. Currently it’s David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell, but I also like Freakonomics, Thinking Fast and Slow and in the realms of fiction I find novels set in the near future very interesting – especially if they are dystopian. Brave New World, 1984 and The Road are all favourites.

{{divider}}

What do you love most about x+why?

{{divider}}

As a shallow answer, I love the green space and set-up and feel of the environment. We haven’t been here in the summer yet but the garden was one of the fundamental reasons why we wanted to move in, coming from WeWork in Aldgate..

{{divider}}

In terms of the deeper reasons behind the decision to join, having an organisation that links people together under the umbrella of purpose fosters a more collaborative atmosphere. When organisations are linked by what they do, you’re often stuck with your competitors and it’s harder to bring the barriers down. When you’re all driven by purpose, it’s easier to exchange services under the shared mission to ultimately achieve the same aims.

‍