Keep Britain Tidy / Cigarette-related litter
Showing how a small, discarded butt can cause a lasting impact
Bin it or take it with you
The challenge
Cigarette butts make up an astonishing 66% of all littered items! This creates a big issue as cigarette butts are made of plastic and can take up to 14 years to break apart. Cigarette litter is harmful to wildlife and seeps toxins into the earth and our waterways. We needed to stub out smoking related litter.
The Insight
Dropping a cigarette butt is a subconscious habit. For smokers, cigarette butts are not seen as environmental litter - as soon as they are flicked, they become someone else’s problem. They are unaware that such a small act has such significant, long-term effects.
Watch the case study
The Solution to create Change
Our strategy aimed to connect the short-term flick habit to the long-term environmental consequences by continuing the story from that seemingly small act to show 14 years’ worth of consequences. Considered targeting ensured we reached our audience at key junctures in their day as well as locations where the correct behaviour needed reinforcement (to bin their butts or take them with them).
Watch the TV spot
Impact
+9%
increase in knowledge about how long it takes for a cigarette butt to break apart
89%
of the audience were more likely to bin their cigarette butt or take it with them after use
Awards
The campaign was shortlisted at the Purpose Awards and was a winner at the Beijing International Public Service Advertisement Conference.