Overview
The Responsible Recycling campaign was launched in July 2013 to help increase awareness about the importance of the proper recycling of electric and electronic scrap. The campaign was launched in Ghana, and as it was part of a larger project in that country, concerning climate change, it was also specifically aimed at the Ghanaian public.
The campaign is built around an animation, created in a style that matches the Ghanaian target market. It features E-Scrap Man, who tells the "Story of Recycling" in order to fit into the African culture of storytelling. For the campaign, the animation is prominently
Background
From mid-2010 to early 2013, the Raw Materials Group in Sweden managed a project about the recycling of electric and electronic scrap (e-scrap) in Ghana, funded by the Nordic Development Fund (NDF). The project aimed to assess the potential effects on the climate change footprint by the increased recycling of e-scrap. One of the secondary objectives of the project was to 'train and increase awareness'. For this part of the project, it was decided that an awareness campaign would be most suitable. The 'recycling culture' in Ghana is at a stage where raising general awareness is considered the most important step in the process. Rather than training individuals to work differently, and telling the public what should not happen to their scrap, it was decided that it's better to inform them of the importance of recycling first, and to motivate investors and businesses to enter the recycling market in Ghana and promote a change to more responsible recycling practices.
Process
A number of brainstorming sessions were conducted, supported by research into Ghana, in order to understand the background of the target market, and the context in which the campaign would take place. Since the other partners in the awareness raising campaign had not been to Ghana before, they were immersed into the culture and mind-set of Ghanaians through this research.
It was decided that the most effective communication tool in a country such as Ghana would be to convey the message in the form of a story. Stories are a big part of African culture, as they are used to pass life messages and skills down from generation to generation. It was also decided that a figure was needed to tell the story. E-Scrap Man, a robot-like figure consisting of numerous electric and electronic devices was designed to do just that.
Using a figure such as E-Scrap Man enables the public to associate the word E-Scrap with the various devices he is made of, as well as associating these devices with the story he is telling.
A clear directive from the client was that the campaign should not have the feel of 'a European campaign in Africa'. It was important that a strong and thorough identity was created, whilst at the same time fitting in with the culture and style of the target market. This led to the visual style being reminiscent of storybooks, with hints of Ghanaian colours. An African voice talent was chosen in order to further enforce the African feeling, and to appeal to the Ghanaian public.
My Role
During this project, I was responsible for all communications between the client and the design team, as well as taking a lead in the creation of the concept and structure of the campaign. My affinity and experience in Ghana made me the ideal lead on this project, as I was able to step into the shoes of the target market, while at the same time understanding the constraints and concepts behind the execution of the project. This background was especially useful in the collaboration with DoubleMatured and Thijs van Iersel to create the concept for this campaign.
Partners
DoubleMatured – Design Agency
DoubleMatured was involved in the conceptual phase of the project, as well as the execution of the design and image of the campaign. Together with Sun Jung Hwang, DoubleMatured was responsible for creating all the designs for this campaign, including the animation, the website and the Facebook page.
Thijs van Iersel – Animation
Thijs was also involved in the conceptual phase of the project, after which his main responsibility was the creation of the animation, together with DoubleMatured as the designing party.
Sanjo Ogunseye – Voice-Over
As a leading voice actor in Africa, Sanjo was chosen to provide the voice-over for the animation. This ensured the correct feel of the story, as his voice complemented the visual design of the animation.
Final Products
Animation
The final animation is available on Responsible Recycling's YouTube channel. In addition, it is also published on the website.
Website
The website for the campaign is located at http://www.responsiblerecycling.org.
Facebook page
The campaign's Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/ResponsibleRecyclingGhana