Following research to determine a baseline and expose barriers and motivators to using non-toxic alternatives to pesticides, Gigantic designed a multi-touch communications campaign that supported, and was supported by, a citizen coalition's on-the-ground efforts.
Citizens of Marin County were concerned about the effects of environmental toxins on the quality of their water and on the health of people and wildlife. The County Parks Department wanted to respond to these concerns with a public information campaign to raise awareness of alternative methods of pest control among residents.
Gigantic worked with Marin County Parks Department and the San Francisco Estuary Partnership to create a campaign aimed at reducing the use of chemicals, particularly weed killer, in residential gardens and yards. The project, eventually dubbed YardSmartMarin, began with a series of meetings with a citizen group and a public survey to research current awareness and use of garden chemicals, along with secondary research on similar efforts. The Think Before You Spray campaign plan emerged from these findings, and was rolled out as an integrated, multi-touch campaign with a goal of reaching at least 20% of Marin residents with a minimum of three "touches." Multiple print and digital advertisements, transit shelter ads, an advertorial and a video PSA (used in cinemas and online ads) were employed in a concentrated 8-week period in Spring 2017. The citizens group supported the campaign with in-person efforts, and Gigantic advised on the creation of the YardSmartMarin.org website to represent the project.
The campaign exceeded the goal of reach and touches by a significant margin, including over 1.6 million impressions and over 3,000 video views. Gigantic has been retained to help plan and implement a second phase of the effort.