Keep Britain Tidy wants to tackle the problem of cigarette butts everywhere by helping smokers responsibly dispose. For its latest campaign, the UK-based environmental charity worked with VCCP London and Bernadette, a digital experience agency.
This comes after Keep Britain Tidy’s research found that smokers drop cigarette buds here and there because they are unable to find a bin. As such, the charity is making thousands of ‘Butt Boxes’ available for smokers to throw their cigarette butts in. Its latest campaign aims to educate people about the scale of the problem and allow them to do the right thing – use the ‘Butt Box’ until they find a dustbin.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, CEO of Keep Britain Tidy, acknowledged that cigarette butts are the country’s and the world’s most widespread litter problem. Billions of cigarette butts are either thrown on the ground or dropped down drains every year. “As a charity, we are always looking for new and innovative ways to engage the public and encourage them to do the right thing when it comes to litter,” she said. “We know that smokers need a solution for those times when they have finished a cigarette but there is no bin nearby. A portable ashtray is the perfect solution, and we want to see it become the norm for everyone who smokes to carry one.”
Frances Leach, Creative Director at VCCP, said cigarette butts are rubbish. She believes people drop more pesky butts in the streets than any other item. “We’re not here to tell anyone off, as this is just going to alienate our audience, so we felt the best way to tell people about our Butt Box and show it in action was humor,” Leach explained. “So Drake, our campaign mascot is back and this time, he’s here to offer people who smoke an easy solution to avoid dropping their cigarette butts and ensure streets are cleaner and fewer angry ducks are waddling about the place.”
The ad film features a special DOOH installation built on New Street in the center of Birmingham. It highlighted a smoke detector used to trigger a special interactive animation that grabs the attention of passing smokers and dispenses a ‘Butt Box’.
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