WASTE AND WATERWAYS CAMPAIGN
The Australian Academy of Science is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to inform, build trust and promote engagement on scientific matters within the community.
This waste and waterways campaign is a hypothetical campaign aiming to instill the belief that anyone can make a difference to the amount of waste along Australia's waterways. This is done by focusing the campaign on anti-littering and targeting young children (aged 3–10) due to their eagerness in being proactive with good waste practices.
NARROWING THE FOCUS
Australia generates more waste and recycles less than other developed countries. Looking into peer-reviewed research studies into current waste practices, factors like lack of incentive and social embarrassment among adults were some of the reasons that tonnes of plastic and waste have entered our waterways. This is despite the fact that adults are aware of the impact waste pollution has on waterways. This meant that the challenge of this campaign was bridging the gap between people's attitudes and behaviours.
This led to a shift in focus onto young children as they were found to be more likely to adopt and retain good waste practices are being taught them. Targeting children also has the added potential of impacting their family and friends as children who engage in repeated actions are capable of influencing others to adopt those same actions.
Having defined the audience, litter prevention was chosen as the focus because it has been found to lead to higher waste reduction. Children also have a high perception of litter being the cause of waste in waterways. By focusing on something that children already know, the message is able to target primarily on behaviours, rather than attitudes.
EFFECTIVE MESSAGING
Since the target audience of this campaign is young children, the overall design and message of the campaign was kept simple. The slogan, "Make our oceans glitter, pick up litter", uses rhyme to make the message more memorable. It also uses positive messaging to help reinforce and validate good behaviour which is picking up litter. The inclusion of the turtle acts as a focal point to grab the audience's attention.
ROLLING OUT THE CAMPAIGN
For this campaign to be effective, the posters and prints need to be strategically placed in locations that are commonly frequented by children and are prone to litter since the poster is more of a call to action than an informatianal campaign. Implementing this campaign into these locations' wayfinding systems to direct children to the nearest bin further educates children on what to do with the litter after picking it up. To further reinforce the message, the campaign should be integrated into educational packages in schools to allow children to learn about the issue in more depth.