The City of Penrith
Sorted Waste – community engagement campaign
A thriving and sustainable community
The City of Penrith, located in the West of Metropolitan Sydney, is home to over 200,000 people of various backgrounds, experiences and beliefs. In 2019, Icon won a highly competitive pitch to produce and execute an integrated, multi-stage waste behaviour change campaign.
As part of this, Icon was tasked with creating and executing a targeted communications campaign aimed at helping to remind Penrith residents of how to correctly dispose of waste, and to reassure them that waste collection services would be carrying on as usual.
A turbulent time
COVID-19 has turned the whole world on its head, and life as we know it has been fundamentally changed. With lockdowns, restrictions and new requirements throughout the country, it can be hard to tell what services have and haven’t been adversely affected.
Within this context, it would be important that Penrith City Council were effectively communicating the state of waste services, and assuring residents that it was business as usual. In addition, with residents spending much more time at home, it was the perfect opportunity to reinforce messaging around what waste goes in what bin to help reduce landfill and protect the environment.
Stressed out and distracted
With news emerging every day about changes in COVID-19, and people stuck at home, household stresses are high and people are uncertain about the future. It was imperative as such that our tone of voice was soft and encouraging. People didn’t need another voice demanding they do this and that, but rather one that was reassuring and comforting.
COVID-19 has also made issues like waste management and proper recycling seem small in comparison. We would need to remind residents that as a community, everyone has a part to play in helping to keep recyclables and FOGO out of landfill.
Let’s get it sorted
Our creative team set about developing a range of collateral to be used in Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Visuals featured hero bin characters and simple illustrations of what can be put in what bin, and things to remember when recycling, all of which was supported by short, informative taglines. Overall the creative is friendly and non-authoritative, giving residents a gentle nudge to do the right thing.
Campaign collateral included:
Videos
Social media tiles
Digital ads
Results
The campaign reached 107,970 Penrith residents and achieved really high engagement (1,400). It also generated over 6,000 clicks to the 3 Bins landing page. The Facebook and Instagram video link ads reached a total audience of 107,970.
Services included:
Graphic design
Illustration
Creative ideation and direction
Digital marketing
Social media content development and management
Copywriting
PR and influencer
Campaign strategy
