PaintCare - 3 Simple Rules - The Martin Group

3 Simple Rules. Endless Impact.

Challenge

The Martin Group had previously worked with PaintCare, a national nonprofit organization focused on safely and simply recycling leftover paint, to announce the expansion of its program into New York State. With that successful campaign under our belt, a new challenge arose. With leftover paint often getting stored in homes or expiring before it can be used, PaintCare sought to further educate paint consumers in California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Illinois, Rhode Island, Vermont, Oregon, Washington, and New York. Our assignment: to explain the benefits and process of paint recycling in the simplest and most compelling way possible to break through communication clutter and inspire audiences to take action to recycle via PaintCare.

Solution

We developed a campaign centered on simplicity that left little room for error in interpretation. From there, our “3 Simple Rules” concept was born, highlighting the three basic but incredibly meaningful actions that consumers can take to limit waste and boost recycling: (1) Buy only what you need; (2) Use up what you have; and (3) Recycle the rest. In addition to social media tactics highlighting the rules themselves, we also created outdoor advertising, direct mail pieces, and print advertising that delivered straightforward recommendations to stop wasting paint. Taken as one collective story, the campaign offered a refreshing brevity and simplicity to break through clutter and have audiences recognize and appreciate the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling paint.

Results

The campaign yielded outstanding results for PaintCare, including more than 740,000 new users interacting with their webpage, 1,123.9% overall increase in website sessions, and 1,000+ direct clicks from consumers looking for information to drop off paint.