2020 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

While many Canadians are concerned about plastic waste, there’s currently no law prohibiting the use of plastic straws – a product so ubiquitous that it has become a symbol for the larger environmental movement. With its “Straw Shaming” campaign for Greenpeace, Rethink used provocative images of a turtle, fish and seagull choking on a plastic straw in a glass of water in print and out-of-home ads. The campaign then turned to digital channels. The agency transformed the images into GIF stickers on Instagram, allowing consumers to shame businesses that were still using plastic straws when they encountered them in restaurants. By snapping a photo of the straw, the user could then share the Instagram Story and tag the offending business. The Instagram GIFs have been viewed globally more than four million times. And with no media budget, the effort garnered more than 700 million impressions.

Credits

Executive Creative Director: Aaron Starkman, Christina Yu
Creative Director: Joel Holtby, Mike Dubrick
Art Director: Joel Holtby
Designer: Joel Holtby
Writer: Mike Dubrick
Strategy: Hannah Newport, Sean McDonald
Producer: Todd Harrison
Print Producer: Narine Artinian
Production Company: R+D Productions
Editor: Stephen Parker, Dustin Gamble
Photography: Instill Image Co.
Audio House: Vapor Music
Account Director: Caleb Goodman