Keep America Beautiful Launches New Litter Prevention Campaign for This Generation

STAMFORD, Conn., June 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A sign of the times, Keep America Beautiful (KAB) is launching a new litter prevention campaign, “Littering Is Wrong Too” (www.LitteringIsWrongToo.org), that utilizes social media, events and viral marketing to engage young adults and increase awareness of the problem of litter. KAB affiliates nationwide are taking to the streets and airwaves to make sure the message is heard.

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"Not since the iconic Iron Eyes Cody public service announcement of the '70s has KAB issued such a broad-scale national litter prevention message," said Matt McKenna, president and chief executive officer of Keep America Beautiful Inc. "Unfortunately, litter still exists and its impact on a community is more costly than ever. It's time for a fresh campaign to capture the attention of today's young adults and inspire them to make a change."

Unveiled on Earth Day, 1971, "The Crying Indian" PSA is still regularly recognized as one of the most iconic and memorable campaigns of all time. But in today's more fractured and dynamic media landscape, the organization recognized that a different approach was warranted.

The new campaign calls attention to the inappropriate act of littering and is targeted at young adults ages 18–34, which KAB research pinpointed as including those most likely to litter as well as be motivated by a public education campaign. It links littering with other undeniable—and often humorous—wrongdoings, such as eating "gas station sushi," "texting during surgery," or giving a kid "sugar at bedtime."  

"This campaign is not only attention-getting, it demands interaction and involvement," said McKenna. "Littering isn't top-of-mind for most people. We need to first get people talking and, in the process, begin establishing the social norm that littering is a socially unacceptable behavior."

The campaign is being executed in communities across the country through KAB's national network of local affiliates, which will bring the campaign to the streets at public events and through traditional media. Billboards, posters, online and print ads, radio, cinema and TV spots, T-shirts, coasters and other materials will all garner attention and drive traffic to the website. KAB affiliates will bring the campaign to the streets at events and other locations in their local communities for Americans to pledge their support by submitting their own "wrong" to the campaign website. Additionally, creative materials such as billboards and posters will garner attention around what is as wrong as littering and drive traffic to the website.

At www.LitteringIsWrongToo.org, Americans everywhere are encouraged to "write their wrong" directly, pledge their support and add their own voice and creativity to the campaign. Visitors can share their own "wrongs," including uploading photos and videos that will all help generate more buzz for the problem of litter. People can also take part via the campaign's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LitteringIsWrongToo) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/litteriswrong) with the hashtags #litter and #litteriswrong.

The campaign was piloted in Cincinnati last year by KAB and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful. A post-campaign survey by Opinion Research Corporation showed significant breakthrough, awareness and self-reported behavior change among the target audience.

ABOUT KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of over 600 affiliates, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community's environment. To learn more, visit www.kab.org.

SOURCE Keep America Beautiful

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