Imagine heading to work in downtown Vancouver and seeing this bird sculpture being strangled by a gigantic plastic six-pack ring. I’m sure it would stop any one in their tracks for at least a few seconds to consider why it was there in the first place, which is exactly what the Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) was aiming to do.

Over the last few years, the dangers of plastic in landfills and in the environment have become more prominent and this publicity stunt’s main purpose was to protest “against the mass consumption of single-use plastic.” I personally found this approach very unique because usually most companies that are trying to educate consumers on switching from using typical plastic bags advertise at the point of purchase where you can find company branded alternatives to plastic bags. Instead, the PPC has took it upon themselves to do a public demonstration to raise awareness about this critical issue.

It is hard to gauge how effective it actually was but if we consider the AIDA model, you can see how this form of promotion could lead to the end goal of reducing single-use plastic items. The first step is to raise awareness and with the gigantic plastic six-pack rings on display in downtown Vancouver, this is definitely something that would catch people’s attention. The next step is to get people interested and that is closely tied with awareness because, for example, when I saw the image, I was curious to know what the message behind it was and learning more about the facts of plastic. The third step is desire – convincing the consumer they want a product or service – and that is linked closely with action which entails leading consumers toward taking action. While it is difficult to say if the PPC was successful in the last two steps, it is surely possible if it builds on its awareness and interest.

Everything aside, I love the idea and uniqueness of this idea and I feel the message was definitely delivered!