Case Study: NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability

Engaging New Yorkers on the critical environmental issue of single-use plastics through a multi-year partnership & campaign, rooted in behavior & culture change.

The Bring It video (adapted for social) encourages New Yorkers to ditch the disposables and make the switch to reusable water bottles.

Credits:

Director | Savannah O'Leary
Producer | Kieran Altmann
Cinematographer | Henry Zaballos
Editor | Savannah O'Leary

Colorist | Ryan Berger
Sound Design & Mix | Bobb Barito 
Agency | Purpose
Client | GreeNYC

Breaking down the challenge…

  • The climate crisis is here, and cities and towns around the world are facing accelerating impacts. With a federal government in denial, NYC established a bold plan for a strong, sustainable and resilient city.

    But a mission this big needs the power of the people. With the stressors of every day life, climate change was not a priority for New Yorkers.

  • How could we shift New Yorker’s mindsets to see sustainable behaviors as part-in-parcel with being a New Yorker — and to act on it?

    The NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability (GreeNYC) wanted to understand how New Yorkers perceived the notion of sustainable living. What motivated them, what held them back, what were they already doing, and what would they be willing to do if given the opportunity? In addition to a public campaign, they were looking to update their brand strategy.

  • In line with client’s priorities, we launched a multi-year campaign called Bring It. Focused on behavior change, the campaign began with NYC public school students—in partnership with NYC Department of Education and S’well—and challenged them to reduce disposable plastic waste through advocacy and action. The Climate Week 2018 launch was covered in the NYTimes.

    Building upon Bring It, we continued our work with the GreeNYC team in a multi-year partnership to expand Bring It to a wider New Yorker audience, and reimagine GreeNYC. This involved primary audience research, quantitative and qualitative, secondary research; brand and marketing strategy development; creative production; marketing planning; and ongoing creative and marketing support.

    Campaign wins included:

    • Re-positioning GreeNYC as the ally to New Yorkers

    • Leveraging New York specific humor to make sustainable actions relatable, actionable and accessible

    • Supporting New Yorkers prepare for the plastic bag ban

  • As the lead strategist and project lead, I shepherded the brand strategy process and execution of the campaign over the course of a year.

One interesting insight from this work

For most New Yorkers, the environment is not a top tier issue, and they tend rank issues like the cost of housing and homelessness as greater priorities. While they think the environment is important, they don’t feel a sense of urgency or see how the issues are personally connected to their day-to-day lives. When asked to give the best reason to protect the environment, the idea of preserving the planet for future generations really popped.