2010 Winners & Shortlists

Results and Effectiveness

EEG's Can Collection Drive became a super success. Through this innovative medium that we developed, we achieved much more of a response than any regular media exposure would probably give us. The sticky posters created a message that also got stuck in people's minds and eventually changed their behaviour on recycling. The posters, which were put up for only 6 days, collected a total of 1458 cans. Some people actually collected more cans and landed up at the EEG Centre as well, increasing the number of people who joined the Can Collection Drive by 12%.

Creative Execution

Using regular media of print and TV to spread awareness in a limited budget was not an option. However we achieved our objective by using traditional media with a non traditional twist. We created regular looking posters with an awareness message with one simple difference - they were sticky. On these unusual posters, people could actually stick their cans after use and give them for recycling. Making it an innovative medium to collect cans for the Drive. These sticky posters with the recycling message were strategically placed right next to the trash cans at places where people buy canned drinks – at food courts and restaurants in Dubai. These innovative sticky posters worked in two ways. They spread the message of recycling cans at the right place and at the right time. Making it easy and simple for people to recycle their cans right next to the trash cans.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Emirates Environmental Group, an NGO dedicated to recycling in the UAE was organising a Can Collection Drive. The main objective was to spread awareness. The second was to get general public to bring cans for recycling to the centre. But in a city where cans are thrown away soon after use with no thought, to get people to make such an effort was no easy task. This communication would only be effective if we caught people at the point when they were just about to trash their cans and offered them a recycling solution right there. So we took our drive to the people instead of asking them to come to us. The solution was relevant to the target audience as it made them recycle cans in a unique, engaging way. As for the client, who is an NGO, this solution helped increase can collection at very little cost.