How to Discover and Effectively Communicate the Ideas that Work for Your Zero Waste Initiative, Product or Service
Start by Dispelling the Myths
If you want to get folks to recycle, drop-off their food scraps, and take other steps to reduce waste, of course, you have to make it ‘easy’. But, FIRST, you have to help folks think it’s a good idea to do so. Start by dispelling the myths, misperceptions and other negative thoughts that make people think whatever you’re offering might actually be a bad idea.
The Myths That Stand in The Way of Zero Waste
For example, if people believe that recycling is a waste of time because it ‘mostly winds up in a landfill anyway so why bother’ (a growing misperception among Millennials in particular), no amount of messaging letting them know how ‘convenient’ or ‘easy’ or ‘good for the planet’ will motivate them to pitch in.
Good Ideas Need to Replace Bad Ideas
If you want to get folks to recycle more, you may first need to help them understand how their actions will make a difference.
And then replace those myths with new thoughts that help them change the way they view recycling – the new ideas. This is what Jacquie Ottman and her NYC-based team can help you do in order to help you achieve your ‘zero waste’ goals.
TAKING ACTION: Our Three-Step Process
- Conduct qualitative research to gain deep insights into the perceptual barriers that exist to the desired form of environmentally and socially responsible behavior.
- Generate and test ideas that can help remove the barriers. We develop the ideas, and / or facilitate your team in doing so. Then, using qualitative and quantitative testing methods, we help you identify the ideas that will be most motivating to your target audience or segments.
- Oversee communications development for getting people excited about taking part in the new behaviors. We work with your team to help develop and evaluate TV, print, social media, billboards, editorial (PR) – the form of communication follows from the nature of the audience, the size of the task.