Who: Recycle BC (BC’s recycling program), with longstanding agency partner Elemental for creative and strategy; LaRue for production; The Squid Productions for post production; and Cossette for media.
What: Coach Rick Cycle, the new face of a campaign directing British Columbians to the Recycle BC website to learn about best recycling practices.
When & Where: The campaign is live across British Columbia until late November, distributed through broadcast TV, connected TV, online video, digital and social.
Why: Recycle BC seeks to drive action by engaging consumers through it’s owned platforms. By directing BC residents to the website, the brand offers consumers a shortcut to actionable insights, without requiring them to search for the information themselves. “That’s where Coach Rick Cycle came in to be a ‘material mentor’,” said Elemental’s partner and head of strategy, Dustin Brown.
How: In a previous Recycle BC campaign, Elemental aimed to differentiate from the recycling category by using positive reinforcement, rather than ominous references to climate change which are common for the subject matter.
“We wanted to pivot into a more educational place to drive further action for recovery rate and decreased spoilage,” said Brown. “That’s why we landed where we did with the coach, shifting more into the how in support of the why vs. the other way around.”
In the spots, Coach Rick Cycle adorns a monochromatic blue tracksuit emblazoned with the Recycle BC logo, and a whistle around his neck. He’s energized, encouraging and kind of dad-like (he drives a Dodge caravan).
Throughout the campaign he quite literally coaches BC residents on best recycling practices, such as rinsing your containers before you recycle, and checking what goes into the bin before committing. All the while, he treats the matter like a sport, delivering wholesome phrases like “good form,” “let’s show em’ what we can do” and (our favourite), “when we bin together, we win together.” Each creative element concludes with a redirect to RecycleBC.ca.
“[He’s] a genial face for the brand, one that’s ready to give residents the facts about how to make the most of their recycling practices,” said Brown. Elemental plans to continue this platform into the new year, with Coach staying on to mentor BC residents through a successful recycling season.
