This campaign is built upon solid research. To get here, we did the following:
- Administered two telephone surveys (1,200+ interviewed)
- Set a benchmark of recycling awareness
- Tested messaging
- Identified target audience(s)
- Conducted two focus groups (Atlanta and Savannah)
- Tested initial campaign concepts
- Explored messaging and recycling barriers
We learned many things that are outlined in an Executive Summary and in a PowerPoint presentation.
At a glance, the research uncovered the following:
- Georgians, as a whole, are concerned with the environment.
- 84 percent of Georgia residents have recycled something in the past 12 months.
- Just over half (55 percent) say that they recycle always or often.
- 21 percent recycle sometimes and 22 percent do so rarely or never.
- The biggest barrier to recycling is the lack of curbside recycling in communities.
- Providing more information on recycling options will make more residents more likely to start recycling or become more diligent.
- More than half of Georgians say they would be very likely to recycle/recycle more if they received more information about recycling in their community.
- There is no “magic bullet” message, but facts and information that are personalized to Georgia or about children (their future, setting a good example, etc.) seemed to resonate when surveyed.
Our target audience = 25- through 34-year-olds
While this campaign will reach many people throughout the state, our main target audience is 25- through 34-year-olds living in the state. This group is the most likely to be moved to action through our campaign. Some characteristics about this age group, specific to recycling, follow:
- Fall into several subgroups: young stay-at-home moms; blue-collar/restaurant workers and young white-collar professionals.
- Busy raising children/launching a career and feel it is not important to take what little time they do have to recycle.
- Are not "anti-recycling," they just don't feel strongly about the importance of recycling or give it priority.
- Less committed to the environment and don’t know as much about recycling.
- Less likely to feel that one person can make a difference.
- Need more information on the importance of recycling (especially facts).
- The Web is the most effective way to disseminate info to this group. However, they are not actively looking for information on recycling.
The research also uncovered that non-committed recyclers (45 percent of the population) are a broader audience for and could also benefit from the campaign; however, we will focus most of our energy on the above group. Some characteristics of this broader audience are that they:
- Recycle with less frequency or not at all.
- Need more information about recycling (do not have as much knowledge about what can be recycled).
- Feel it takes too much time to separate recyclables.
- Agree they should be compensated for recycling.
- Say they'd recycle at all/more if it was easier to do.
- Are 18 to 35 years old, are renters rather than homeowners, live in a small city or town and are newer residents of Georgia.