Reducing food waste is a classic behaviour-change challenge: the message needs to be clear, memorable, and trusted — but also simple enough to prompt action. Somerset Council asked us to create a campaign encouraging households to recycle food waste correctly and to order a free food bin if they didn’t already have one.
The creative centred around a fully animated hero advert explaining what goes in the food bin and why it matters, supported by cut-downs for digital platforms. We combined character-led animation with real photography for elements such as the “wrong bin” and its contents — a deliberate contrast that helped ground the message in real-world behaviour while keeping the tone friendly and accessible.
The campaign was designed to work across platforms with different roles: YouTube driving engagement and measurable action, and ITVX reinforcing trust, recall, and message retention in a premium broadcast environment. With a series of 10 second Facebook videos to act as the conversion layer.
YouTube delivered:
~36% view-through rate (significantly above public-sector benchmarks).
With 100% delivery to parents aged 25–44 (requested demographic)
While ITVX achieved:
Impressions exceeding the delivery plan.
98.1% completion rate
97.5% verifiability and 99.9% verified viewers
Initial insights shared by Somerset Council include:
1,950 campaign page views, with 1,677 driven via social media
Facebook activity using our video and design assets delivering:
50,000 reach
2,200 link clicks
2,900 video ThruPlays
Positive early engagement across both still and video formats
Further evaluation is planned, including analysis of direct bin orders and food waste collection weights, which will provide a clearer picture of long-term behaviour change.
A key creative decision was to avoid messaging that relied on guilt or statistics alone. Instead, the animation focused on clarity, reassurance and ease, helping people understand that ordering and using a food waste bin is simple and worthwhile.
By keeping the tone friendly and visually engaging, the campaign was designed to work well across repeat viewings — particularly important for behaviour change messaging delivered via digital platforms.
This campaign was designed as the first phase of a longer-term approach, with creative assets that can be refreshed, extended or adapted as further insights emerge.
As Somerset Council continues to review results and plan next stages, the work provides a strong foundation for future food waste and sustainability communications — combining clear instruction with an approachable, human tone.
Full campaign evaluation, including behaviour change metrics, is ongoing and will be updated as results are finalised.
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