More than a mural: Amplifying the possibilities of recycled paint   

Every year, consumers across New York State purchase an average of 36.6 million gallons of paint, and about 10 percent of that product—or 3.6 million gallons—goes unused.  

To remedy this waste, PaintCare—a national nonprofit created by the American Coatings Association (ACA) to help manage leftover paint in states that have enacted paint stewardship laws—provides ways for residents and businesses to recycle leftover household paint, stain, and varnish conveniently and sustainably. Since first arriving in New York in 2022, their work has collected more than two million gallons of leftover product and has ensured that that excess product is recycled into new paint, disposed of in an environmentally responsible way, or reused for creative endeavors that can transform communities. 

Like an incredible mural on a downtown parking structure.  

To show how the initiative’s work can brighten any location in this exact way, PaintCare worked with The Martin Group on an integrated communications plan to initiate, develop, and execute plans with the Albany Parking Authority (APA) and muralist Quill Harrison to turn the side of Albany’s Quackenbush Parking Garage into a giant piece of art—and amplify the possibilities of reused paint.  

Crafting a plan 

The installation of public art to brighten a city block, accent an urban corridor, or enrich a community is an idea that’s been employed by locales across and outside New York for decades.  

But utilizing leftover and reuse paint to create an eye-catching downtown mural was just part of the plan. Against the backdrop of Albany—which boasts more than 50 paint drop-off sites for residents to bring leftover paint, stain, and varnish—we wanted to promote PaintCare’s mission of paint collection and related consumer education in a new and engaging way. 

To do that, The Martin Group devised a multifaceted strategy—featuring public relations, public affairs, digital, social, and media support—to cultivate a landing page and blog content, promote and unveil the work through available channels, and extend campaign messaging through a series of strategic earned media touchpoints. If this strategy worked well, we aimed to tell a compelling and regional story, all while raising awareness of PaintCare’s mission across key audiences and industry stakeholders throughout New York State—and see that the work reverberated long after the paint was dry.   

Painting (and promoting) with purpose 

To drive this idea from conception, our integrated team coordinated and developed a plan that leveraged a range of tactics—including media relations, press engagement, targeted stakeholder outreach, television sponsored placements—to create consistent touchpoints from start to finish.  

Amid facilitation of these touchpoints and overseeing all mural logistics between PaintCare, APA, project stakeholders, and Harrison, our team was keen on driving interest to a central location where Capital Region audiences could learn more about the project and its principals; read original content about recycling, sustainability, and the extent of PaintCare’s ongoing initiative; and follow along with news coverage highlighting the impact of the mural project and work it aimed to promote.  

To do this, we leaned on our digital team to construct an original landing page devoted to the mural project, then employed our content professionals to create a pair of blog posts that could both educate and engage readers interested in PaintCare’s work. The overall messaging focused on the importance of recycling and reusing paint—but it expanded the possibilities of each. With the creation of two separate posts on processing unused product and art meeting sustainability, we created engaging ways to detail PaintCare’s mission and successes while connecting each to a larger conversation of sustainability, creativity, and community impact.  

At the root of its ongoing mission, PaintCare’s work is about communities. Our messaging reflected that, connecting this mural project to other renewal efforts invigorating neighborhoods across New York State.  

With the website and its content complete, our public affairs and public relations teams were able to engage media targets to promote the mural work; coordinate involvement from government leaders, community stakeholders, and PaintCare’s local partners at the eventual unveiling; and accumulate press coverage for the mural, community collaboration, and the extent of PaintCare’s success in recycling and reusing paint.   

Basking in the results 

In the end, all deliverables helped lead to an incredibly successful mural unveiling and, in the shadow of a colorful new art installation, advanced the mission of PaintCare across New York State.  

Thanks to the public event to dedicate Harrison’s latest Capital City creation, development of the event website, distribution of original content, and efforts from our PR and media teams to spread the word, the initiative earned coverage from all the Capital Region’s key broadcast outlets, including significant coverage leading up to the event and for weeks following the grand unveiling. 

But more important than the publicity the event earned was the opportunity to show how PaintCare’s work is able to support its communities. Across New York and an area like Albany, they can now see how the unused product taking up space in the basements and garages can enable change and support sustainability.  

And those who now drive or walk past Albany’s Quackenbush Parking Garage can enjoy an ebullient testament to successful collaboration and strategic communication. 

To learn more about The Martin Group’s extensive work with nonprofit organizations, click here.