London Recycles is a campaign to promote recycling in London. 18-34s in London say they care about the environment but are some of the worst recyclers in the UK.
Research suggested that young Londoners simply don't identify as recyclers. So we took a new approach to recycling campaigns, using ‘self-consistency theory’ to call out the inconsistencies between what people claim, and what they actually do.
This audience likes to think of themselves as pro-environment. But recycling is one of the simplest ways to support the planet. This campaign is designed to create "cognitive dissonance" – discomfort that’s only resolved by closing the gap between your words and your actions.
Relevance was critical – visually and verbally. We used models the audience could relate to, chosen based on representative demographic data. And copy drew on cultural events, interests and lifestyles.