Recycling service change campaign billboard

Our success with our transformation campaigns has been extended to Northern Ireland. You may remember our BCME cans and our Shropshire plastics recycling campaigns. These campaigns have proved to be popular and this was further reinforced when we were approached by Alupro to work in Northern Ireland to cover the arc 21 group of local authorities.

Alupro, the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation, represents the leading aluminium packaging producers and reprocessors in the UK. They are working to help this industry exceed government aluminium recycling targets by working with industry, waste processors, local authorities and the recycling sector.

arc21 is a partnership of 11 local authorities in Northern Ireland centred around Belfast. To see some of the other work we have done with them in the past visit the arc21 case study.

One of our plastics recycling transformations leaflets

The plastics transformation leaflets were delivered in March 2011 to households in North Shropshire. Following this, plastic bottle recycling shot up by almost 10%. Taking the data for the first 8 months following the campaign, we can predict an increase of around 38 tons in North Shropshire's collected plastics per year!

The benefits are obvious. Of course the prime concern is to address the environmental issues but there are also the inherent benefits of recycling a valuable product and saving money on landfill charges.

It is satisfying to see a small investment leading to big changes in peoples behaviour and the gains that this brings. For more information on the campaign take a look at our Shropshire Council: Promoting plastic collections case study.

BCME cans recycling transformations leaflet

We are delighted to announce that the BCME Metal Matters campaign produced and delivered by Get it Sorted has received the CIWM Award for excellence - Best Communication Campaign of 2011.

An original design it has really captured peoples imagination and we have also received a great response from our Shropshire Where Does The Plastics version. 

 To read more about this campaign visit our BCME Case Study and the related Shropshire Where Does The Plastics blog.

Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most commonly used presentation tools worldwide. Its simple interface allows, with minimal training, an easy way to put together text, images and statistical information. Primarily used for lectures and meetings the visual link it provides can be highly beneficial.

However, there is an issue. PowerPoint’s sheer simplicity can lead to presentations that are either visually excellent or similarly terrible! When an organisation has dozens of users the problem is compounded and presentations can lack consistency, quality and brand identity. A sloppy and inconsistent approach only creates an impression that the content is worthless. 

We have worked with the London Re-use Network to create a PowerPoint template matched to their corporate identity. This includes opening and closing slides, slides customised for the use of images and matching colour schemes and styles for the presentation of statistical information. With this well designed template it is easy for anybody working for London Re-Use Network to create a presentation that maintains their brand identity and produces a high quality outcome.

As part of our work on advertisements, guidelines, presentation material and literature it was necessary to produce a range of photographs to match the materials. These were both for use in the work we produced and as part of a library of resources which are to be made available to partner organisations.

Discussions led us through a number of options. Isolated photographs were rejected, though they are often effective it was decided to work towards a “lifestyle” appearance. The re-use items were to appear of a high quality and in settings that could be related to and importantly aspired to. This was with the intention of illustrating the point that the London Re-Use Network provides people with the chance to buy high quality goods for less whilst reducing waste. Technical considerations were to allow them to be cropped square, a format preferred in this case, and suitable for use in both colour, black and white and tinted versions.

Taking photographs on location brings its own technical challenges. This included lighting entire rooms and individual objects, the control of reflections and the necessity of creating a naturalistic appearance. We photographed a range of different materials, maintaining a consistent style throughout.

The production of consistent, high quality photography is something many people don’t consider. However, take a look at any good quality publication, including photographs, and notice the difference the quality of the images makes to your perception of the article, concept or product. We are all highly aware, whether consciously or not, of the quality of imagery. Consider this and you can begin to see how a photography package can transform your next campaign.

Large print leaflets are fairly simple to produce, typically scaling leaflets up to a more suitable size. For example, an A5 leafet could be printed at A4, thereby doubling the size. These are usually printed on digital presses that offer cost effective print runs of small quantities, typical with these specialist documents. Of course, if the scaling up of pages isn’t suitable and the original page size has to be maintained we can reset the artwork to allow larger type and distribution of elements that are suited to those people with visual impairments.

Where large print isn’t suitable we also provide audio transcriptions. With a relatively low cost these are another great option. Files are available on both audio CD and tape.

It is important to remember that we have an obligation to helping people with visual impairments to be able to carry out their daily activities even if this is as simple as knowing when your collection day is and what can be recycled.

If you are interested in discussing any of these services
contact us!

Russian translation of N & D introduction leaflet

One recent example was the introductory leaflet we produced for the Northampton, Daventry and Enterprise partnership. Seven different languages were requested: Bengali, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Somali and Turkish. These were set around the original artwork, using matching fonts, to maintain the quality of the original artwork. These translations can be supplied either in pdf format for downloading, normal large number print runs or in small numbers as digital prints depending on the requirements.

We often find that the setting of translated work by other companies is not treated with the same attention as given to the English original. When trying to reach those members of the community who require translations the same rules that demand appealing, high quality and easy to understand artwork for effective communications and motivation still apply. Anything less will only make your campaign less effective.

Garden waste contamination sticker and service change bin hanger

Paper, cans, plastics, card, garden waste, glass, food waste and household waste; it’s not surprising that many councils introducing new services expect some contamination in their different collections. It is impractical for collection crews to knock on doors or write notes to residents explaining why they haven’t collected their waste. However, without educating the resident it can only be expected that the mistakes will continue or the council will receive complaints about their missed collection.

Since our beginning we have used a wide range of devices to inform people of contamination. We have used a number of our favourites in a recent campaign for Enterprise plc. Taking over collection services for Northampton and Daventry Councils in a very short timescale we used these to educate the residents and minimise any additional workload for the crews.

For an overview of the entire campaign visit the new Northampton and Daventry case study.

The first of these devices is the bin hanger. Although not used for contamination in this case, it was actually hung on the bin to warn residents that this was their last collection according to the old calendar, they are an effective and attention grabbing piece of media. Their advantages include:

• High quality print
• Completely weatherproof and as such are ideal for outdoor bins
• Can be cut to loop through themselves like a luggage tag to increase security

Recycling box contamination card

Secondly we used stickers. In this case we had two. The first told the resident that the bin had been left out on the wrong day and (although collected this time) would only be collected on the new collection day in future. The second, necessitated by the removal of cardboard from garden waste collections, warned of the contamination and explained how to dispose of garden waste and cardboard properly. The stickers allow:

• High quality print
• A weather proof surface ideal for all bins
• A permanent reminder, ideal for reinforcing the collected materials

The third was a contamination card for the kerbside dry recycling box. These were marked with an apology on one side with illustrated tick boxes for why the waste hadn’t been collected on the other. These cards offer:

• High quality print
• The option for easily markable tick boxes
• Easy to pop into a collection box
• Printed on card with high levels of post consumer waste

None of these products are superior to the others, each has its place and application. What they do achieve is a simple, cost effective and appealing way of helping residents to get the best possible use out of their services, preventing them wasting their time and yours. 

They look like miniature magic eye illusions; an indistinct pattern of perpendicular black lines, their borders forming a square. Quick Response (QR) codes are becoming increasingly popular. In essence all these lines are is a block of information that can be read by the majority of recent phones by taking a picture of the block.

It is what this allows you to do that is important. We have started using QR blocks for two main reasons. The first of these is that the block can fire your internet browser and open the relevant campaign page, taking you straight to a source that can provide much more detail than could be fitted on a leaflet, poster, billboard or adshell. The second of these is the ability to tie these to SMS systems. A text message can be automatically sent with more information and even used to create a subscription to service updates. Alternatively they can be used as a quick way for taking contact details. 

In this way the QR code creates bridges between different media types and the customer, increasing the campaigns efficacy and user experience.