| Title | The Majestic Plastic Bag |
| Agency |
DDB San Francisco
|
| Campaign |
The Majestic Plastic Bag
|
| Advertiser |
Heal the Bay
|
| Brand |
Heal the Bay
|
| Date of First Broadcast/Publication |
2010 / 8
|
| Business Sector | Environmental & Ecological Issues
|
| Philosophy | “The film drew people in in a way nothing had been able to before,” King said. Although AB1998 did not pass, King considers the campaign a success. Thousands of people beyond Heal the Bay’s usual supporters responded by sending letters. Local legislators – including Arnold Schwarzenegger, who watched video with his staff – have taken up the plastic bag ban cause. Schools and other institutions across the country have asked for copies of the video to distribute. The video demonstrated the power of storytelling and entertainment in campaigns that can otherwise be filled with “so much doom and gloom,” said King. “The outstanding production values, Jeremy Irons' understated narration, the stirring music and the bits of humor all made for an entertaining – rather than hectoring – film.” He added: “This made us look like a creative risk taker and smart communicator and advocate – and it now really is a calling card for us.” |
| Problem | The environmental advocacy group Heal the Bay has identified marine debris as a core problem – and an issue ripe for political action. “Sixty to eighty percent of urban runoff is plastic,” says the group’s Communications Director Matthew King. “You just need to take a walk along the shoreline after a rainy day and you’ll see. We have to do something about plastic.” For five years, the group has been sponsoring bag ban bills in state and local legislatures, educating on marine debris issues, and leading beach clean-ups and other actions. In spring 2010, when the California plastic bag ban – AB1998 – finally came up in the state senate, the group knew it needed a big push if the bill had a chance of becoming law. But Heal the Bay had no budget for a major media campaign. |
| Media Type |
Television & Cinema
|
| Creative Director |
Kevin McCarthy
|
| Voice |
Jeremy Irons
|
| Art Director |
Sarah Bate
|
| Copywriter |
Regie Miller
|
| Producer |
Vanessa MacAdam
|
| Executive Creative Director |
Matt Reinhard
|