RecycleMania Promo Strategies:Tips from Oregon State University

Andrea Norris, Marketing & Development Coordinator

Oregon State University Overview

OSU by the numbers:

• 26,393 students

• From all 50 states and

100 countries

• Instructed by 3,481 faculty

• On a 400 acre campus in Corvallis, OR

• Since 1868OSU goals for RecycleMania• Promote and develop recycling and waste

reduction habits year-round• Gauge OSU’s waste stats over time

TIP #1:Go where the people are

Play a role in an already-popular event

• Co-sponsor an event• Make an

announcement or give a presentation• Offer “zero waste”

event services• OSU Example:

Presented to ~300 attendees at the 2013 Recycled Fashion Show

Organize activities and competitions in res. halls

• OSU Example: Res. Hall Competition• 3 weeks long; based on per capita

recycling • Halls will be rewarded points in an

already existing Inter-Hall Challenge• Lessons learned:• Mobilizing and involving housing staff

can be challenging and takes time• Peer-to-peer promotion is important –

recruit building captains if you don’t have Eco-Reps

• Post weekly results to provide feedback during the competition

Host a booth, activity or display in high traffic area

• Locations might include dining centers, rec centers, memorial unions, etc.

• OSU Example: Annual scrap sculpture display• Accompany display with RecycleMania logo, calendar, recycling tips, etc.

Host a booth, activity or display in high traffic area

Host a booth, activity or display in high traffic area

TIP #2:Involve students & staff

in planning

Involve students and staff in planning

• Include both to maximize your creativity and capacity• Involve students in all

stages, including planning events and marketing• OSU Example: Student

volunteer team plans much of the activities and assists with carrying out event and marketing tasks

TIP #3:Collaborate with other

groups

Collaborate with other groups

• Organize events together• Invite other groups to put on waste reduction-related events

during RecycleMania• You gain more activities and awareness while they gain more marketing

• OSU Examples: • Clothing swaps sponsored by the

Womens Center• Career Wardrobe exchange• Scrap vinyl pride stickers by the Pride

Center

TIP #4:Promote existing

programs and services

Promote existing programs and services

• Offering something you want people to know about? Now’s the time to promote it!• Promote it under the umbrella of

RecycleMania, i.e. encourage people to participate to help your university compete

• Might include services (e.g. event recycling), products (reusable to-go containers) or programs

• OSU Example: Host department compost luncheon

TIP #5:Tap into people’s

competitive nature

Tap into people’s competitive nature

• Host competitions within your university • Piggyback on an existing school rivalry• OSU Example: Oregon State v. Oregon Civil War• Established in 2010; based on per capita recycling + compost• Promoted via scoreboards in high traffic areas, website, social

media, school newspaper, etc.

TIP #6:Establish and stick to a

standard design

Establish and stick to a standard design

• Create a “visual identity” – a look and feel repeated across all marketing materials• May include standard fonts, colors, graphics, layout, etc.• Repetition across materials makes them more memorable

• Use RecycleMania logo and provide logo(s) to partnering groups to use on their materials too

• OSU Examples: Utilize “visual identity” standards for OSU along with RecycleMania logo and trash can graphic

Poster

Hall Poster

¼-S

heet

Flie

r

TV Slide Web Graphics

Questions?

For more information:

Andrea NorrisAndrea.Norris@oregonstate.edu http://recycle.oregonstate.edu