Did you know that a lot of your recycling doesn’t actually get recycled?
Liquid or food spilled in a recycling truck can ruin cardboard & paper, making it un-recycleable.
Recycling jurisdictions in reported that most marketing campaigns don't change recycling behaviors, but that community-based social marketing does. The “I Recycle Smart” campaign rolled out statewide, educating Californians at the community level about how to properly empty & dry their recyclables. This campaign stayed positive, encouraging Californians to keep up the hard work, because we’re all doing our part to save our planet.
I Recycle Smart Campaign Video
CLIENT
California Recycle
⬇️ Scroll to the end to see the great stats on this campaign
WHAT I DID
Pre-production
Concepted messaging and strategy
Art directed visuals for a cohesive ad campaign
Selected wardrobe and shoot locations
Selected VO and acting talent
Production
Art directed on-set for video spots
Directed VO for video and radio
Worked with a composer and singer to produce a jingle for the spot
Worked with a choreographer to create a dance for the spot
Concepted & worked with an illustrator to create a brand mascot character
Worked with an animator to bring the brand mascot to life in the spot
Post-production
Art directed final cuts and motion graphics
Radio Spots
Other Campaign Pieces
Measuring Success
A pilot program measured how these advertising messages impacted recycling habits in LA and Sacramento counties.
1
PRE-MEASUREMENT
Tested for a baseline before the campaign roll-out.
The test looked for dirty recyclables, contaminated cardboard, and recyclables put into trash bins instead of recycling bins.
2
BEHAVIOR-CHANGE EDUCATION
Homes received iRecycleSmart door-hangers and flyers and were geotargeted in the media rollout (broadcast video, social & digital ads).
3
POST-MEASUREMENT
The recycling of the same neighborhoods was tested a few months later to find out if anyone’s behavior changed.
The Results
All Goals Met In The Test Neighborhoods
The the proportion of clean recycling in the test neighborhoods increased by nearly 25% after 5 weeks.
There was a big decrease in the proportion of contaminated cardboard, making more of it able to be recycled.
More recyclables went into the recycling bins instead of into the trash bins than they had before.
