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| RACE AGAINST WASTE |
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An interesting brief. Challenging targets. And real results. |
Agency:
Client:
Team:
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Lyle Bailie International
Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
David Lyle
Juilie-Ann Bailie
Andrea Corrigan
Dawn Reid
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INTRODUCTION
An interesting brief. Develop a
marketing campaign that at its heart
challenges consumerism. In a world of
shiny TV advertising convincing you
that cleaning the floor with your new
disposable mop makes you a better
mother, or shaving with the new
throw-away razor means you emerge
as a veritable Venus, that’s a tall order.
Never mind competing with the hefty
marketing budgets of every global,
national and local brand advertising in
Ireland, relentlessly persuading us to
buy, buy, buy - use, use, use - and buy,
buy, buy some more.
Such was the brief from the
Department of Environment, Heritage
and Local Government. Create a
campaign to persuade the public to
think more about what they consume
and subsequently the waste they
generate; to become active in
preventing waste, as well as managing
the waste they do produce responsibly
and sustainably.
Race Against Waste has delivered
awareness levels of 71%, influence
scores of 89% and in some local
authorities increased volumes for
recycling by 47%. People in Ireland
now believe they have a personal
responsibility for the environment.
An interesting brief. Challenging
targets. And real results.
BACKGROUND
Waste management, one of the
most challenging environmental issues
in Ireland:
• Almost 2.3m tonnes of household
and commercial waste generated in
2000, an increase of almost 62% in
five years.
• Licensed landfill site capacity was set
to run out in 2006.
• Domestic waste charges hugely
contentious.
• Historical dependence on landfill.
• Little or no awareness that
individuals should take responsibility
for their own waste.
All of this compounded by a
widespread lack of awareness,
understanding and appreciation of the
problem.
MARKETING OBJECTIVES
To turn awareness into action at
home and at work and thus achieve
the following ambitious targets:
• By 2005, 50% diversion of
household waste away from landfill
Over fifteen years:
• minimum 65% reduction inbiodegradable municipal wastes to
landfill
• materials recycling of 35% of
municipal waste
• minimum recovery of 50% of
construction and demolition waste
within a five year period
Ultimately delivering a sustainable
waste management culture, providing
a healthy platform for inward
investment and economic growth.
THE TASK
Our task was to communicate a
national message with local relevance
upon which people would act.
But the advertising activity faced a
steep challenge. There is little
consistency in the facilities for waste
management across Ireland, and
without this infrastructure the public
simply would not recycle. We had to
position the campaign away from what
to do with waste, to actually
preventing waste generation.
However it is a significant task to
force behavioural change where the
outcome will be perceived as making
life more difficult on a culture
embedded in, and persuaded by the
merits of, convenience.
THE STRATEGIC SOLUTION
The strategy for the achievement of
the marketing objectives was in two
phases:
• Climate Shaping - Set the moral
context.
• Interventions - Provide memorable
do-ables.
Awareness was key and had to
communicate a message that would
deliver ‘emotional markers’ to deliver
the personal ownership necessary to
shift attitudes and consequently
behaviour. The process is based on
Asch’s ‘order effects’ theory of 1946
whereby setting a positive (moral)
context leads to positive perception.
Once the context for change was fully
established, providing the ‘how-to’
would lead to actual behavioural
change.
THE IDEA
The creative idea was to dramatise
the consequences of running out of
landfill on our children’s future and
was designed with talkability in mind.
It would define the problems, the risks,
the urgency, the challenge – the
solutions. It would avoid simply
appealing to people’s better nature,
running the risk of being ignored as a
"worthy-but-not-for-me" cause.
This creative approach ensured the
rational and emotional involvement of
the public.
The creative hook was highly
emotive and infinitely flexible for use
across the phases of the campaign –
climate shaping to interventions – and
across media. It could talk to
individuals – vitally important when
ultimately a sense of personal
responsibility is the goal.
The qualitative creative pre-testing
confirmed this approach.
Having probed for emotional
triggers that would work, the idea was
tested using Real Time Response
Testing. Meanscores for ‘interest’ &
‘makes me think’ were extremely
positive - above 50% in five of the six
groups. Importantly, those who found
it most interesting and thought
provoking were those who do not
currently take waste action.
THE COMMUNICATION ACTIVITY
Climate Shaping Phase 1
TV:
• 13th October to 30th November
2003
• One 60 second edit – ‘WHY WITH
DO-ABLES’
• RTE, Net2, TV3, Sky, TG4, E4
• 1050 TVRs
Outdoor:
• 3rd to 16th November 2003
• One 48 sheet execution – ‘RACE
AGAINST WASTE’
• Nationwide
• 155 sites
Press Launch:
As the first spot was in the movie ‘Armageddon’, the press launch
was developed to advertise the spot
and capitalise on the association.
• 13th October 2003
• Various Sizes – ‘NEVER MIND’
• Main, daily titles
• 7 insertions
Interventions Phase 2:
TV:
• 25th December 2003 to 30th April
2004
• Three 30 second edits; ‘WORK’,
‘FAMILY’, ‘HOME’
• RTE, Net2, TV3, Sky, TG4, E4
• 1539 TVRs
Outdoor (1):
• 29th December 2003 to 4th
January 2004
• One 48 sheet execution – ‘NEW
YEAR REVOLUTION’
• Nationwide
• 120 sites
Outdoor (2):
• 29th December 2003 to 18th
January 2004
• 9th to 22nd February 2004
• Three 6 sheet executions – ‘NEW
YEAR REVOLUTION’; ‘CHOOSE
LOOSE’; ‘’PREVENT PACKAGING’
• Nationwide
• 155 sites
Outdoor (3):
• 12th to 25th January 2004
• Two DART executions – ‘’WORK’ &
PACKAGING
• Dublin and surrounding areas
• 456 sites
Outdoor (4):
• 5th to 18th April 2004
• One 48 sheet execution – ‘TURN
OVER A NEW LEAF’
• Nationwide
• 155 sites
Radio:
• 9th February to 18th April, week
on/week off
• Five 30’ executions – ‘PAPER’,
‘GLASS’ ‘BOTTLES’, ‘COMPOSTING’,
‘PACKAGING’, ‘ALUMINIUM CANS’
• 26 stations, Nationwide
Press:
• w/c 26th January 2004
• One 36x8 or 25x5 execution – ‘CUT
IT OUT’
• Local, weekly titles
• 56 insertions
Trade Press:
• February 2004
• One full page execution – ‘insert
name’
• Trade Press
• 14 insertions
THE RESULTS
"The Race Against Waste campaign
[has] been very successful – certainly
got the message to the public mind
and the results are there. The fact of
the matter is recycling is growing at an
enormous rate on the island. We’re
not there yet, but in a very short
period of time we’ve gone from about
8% recycling to 21% in less than about
18 months. And I believe that it is
because of the message in the
campaign. It has made people think,
it’s making people talk, it’s making
people take responsibility, it’s making
people understand that everybody
doing a little bit makes an enormous
difference in the communitive sense
when you put the totality of all of that
together."
Speech by the Minister for the Environment
Heritage and Local Government,
Martin Cullen
TD, 14th September 2004
The TV campaign, planned and bought on an all-adults, all-channels basis, achieved the following coverage levels:
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Climate Shaping Phase: |
Interventions Phase: |
ATTITUDINAL SCORES/BEHAVIOURAL
CHANGE
I. A 49% increase in those who feel
individuals/the public have the main
responsibility to look after the
environment (47% Sept-03 to 70%
May-04).
2. Awareness levels of 71% in May-04,
7 months after the launch.
3. 92% agreed the campaign made
them think a lot/a little about the
waste problem in Ireland; 57%
agreeing it made them think a lot.
4. 89% agreed the campaign
influenced them a lot/a little; 53%
agreeing it influenced them a lot.
5. 90% agreed they are very/fairly
favourable towards the campaign;
63% agreeing they are very
favourable.
6. Tracking research (May 2004) shows
the campaign messages are clearly
understood.
We can conclude that these
influence and favourability scores led
to reported behavioural change.
An increase in the number of
people who report to regularly or
occasionally recycle:
- 26% increase in glass recycling (58%
in Sept-03 to 73% in May-04)
- 34% increase in aluminium cans
recycling (53% in Sept-03 to 71% in
May-04)
- 35% increase in paper recycling
(51% in Sept-03 to 69% in May-04)
- 32% increase in plastic recycling
(44% in Sept-03 to 58% in May-04)
- 40% increase in clothes recycling
(30% in Sept-03 to 42% in May-04)
An increase in the number of
people who report to always or often
shop in an environmentally friendly
manner:
- 24% increase in those who try to
shop in an environmentally friendly
manner (33% in Sept-03 to 41% in
May-04)
- 82% increase in those who pay
attention to the amount of
wrapping / packaging used before
deciding to buy (17% in Sept-04 to
31% May-04)
- 122% increase in those who choose
not to buy something that uses too
much packaging/wrapping (9% in
Sept-04 to 20% May-04)
Among those aware of the
campaign reported behaviour changes
following the introduction include:
- 78% have thought more about
reducing, recycling or preventing
waste
- 73% have increased the amount
they recycle
- 77% have made an attempt to
reduce the amount of waste
generated at home
- 75% have made an attempt to reuse
more items they would have
previously put straight in the bin
RECYCLING VOLUMES
Comprehensive data will be
available from the Environmental
Protection Agency in the coming
weeks. Early indications from the EPA
and Local Authorities – as indicated by
the Minister’s speech - are that the
figures for materials recycled are
strong.
Furthermore, the average monthly tonnages collected in Q2 2004 in one Civic Amenity Centre in Cork were some 47% higher than in Q3 2003 (just prior to the campaign). Rehab Recycling note the following volume increases in glass collection: |
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CONCLUSION
The purpose of the Phase 1 advertising was to challenge the perception that waste was the responsibility of the Government, Local Councils, Businesses etc. The advertising promoted personal
ownership and that objective has clearly been achieved . A score of 89% for the influence of the campaign, followed by increases in reported and actual recycling behaviour shows a clear correlation
between the advertising and its effect, and that the ‘awareness into action’ objective was also met. |
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BRAND EVOLUTION
It is clear from the awareness,
influence and favourability scores that
Race Against Waste has come from
nothing to being a recognised national
brand - a badge for a collective
conscience.
The public, businesses and local
authorities now discuss ways to join
the Race Against Waste. The brand
has evolved to become a statement of
intent or description of actual
behaviour. The long-term effect of this
is evident. The achievement of
sustainable waste management
requires a continued pressure on the
public to engage independently and
communally in the issue.
PAYBACK OR RETURN ON
INVESTMENT
The return on investment will be
seen in the medium to long-term
economic health of Ireland. Without a
comprehensive, modern and
sustainable waste management
culture, Ireland cannot hope to attract
inward investment, economic growth
and job creation.
The ultimate payback however must
be measured in terms of the long-term
environmental benefits of preserving
natural resources when we reduce,
reuse and recycle.
SUMMARY
Race Against Waste was designed in
its first phase to shock the Irish people
into realising that waste is a real
problem for today. This set the moral
context for ‘Daily Do-ables’; the second
phase demonstrating the small steps
everyone can do at home and at work
to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Through applied, research-based
creativity and intelligent, targetted
media planning which married the
message with the medium, the
campaign has universally engaged the
people of Ireland to address the issue
of waste – a challenge that the public
have taken to their hearts through an
emotive creative execution which
pricks the collective conscience, and
upon which they are beginning to act
following a dramatised, solutionproviding
campaign.
The Race Against Waste advertising
campaign has produced a significant
49% shift in perceived responsibility
for the environment away from
government/local authorities to the
individual. Awareness levels of 71%
demonstrate that the waste issue has
moved to become one of personal
ownership due to the advertising – a
key objective of the campaign. The
huge ‘influences me’ score of 89% and‘makes me think’ score of 92% support
the reported behavioural changes,
which in turn are confirmed by a
recorded increase in actual recycling
volumes.
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