Lamar Advertising And Recycle Across America Create ‘Live Stream’ Billboard Celebrity PSA Campaign
Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
Lamar Advertising Company, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has partnered with Recycle Across America, a nonprofit organization that provides standardized recycling bin labels to businesses, municipalities and schools nationwide, to make it easier for society to begin to recycle right.
The partnership will create what is believed to be a world’s first with out-of-home advertising. Lamar Advertising is donating the use of hundreds of digital billboards across the country, which will display a celebrity PSA campaign live-streamed from a photo shoot April 21/16 in Los Angeles.
This live-stream photo shoot is expected to result in more than three million PSA ad spots across the U.S., promoting Recycle Across America’s Let’s recycle right! campaign. Lamar is providing use of the digital billboards at no cost to RAA during the April 21 event and the entire Earth Week. This significant donation is valued at over $350,000 in ad contributions for the week.
The April 21 evening event called, ‘Let’s pose for progress!’ will be hosted at MILK Studios in Hollywood, CA. Famed celebrity photographer, Timothy White, is donating his talent to conduct the live-stream photo shoot of celebrities who are lending themselves to promote the nonprofit standardized labeling solution for recycling bins; to help recycling and closed loop manufacturing begin to thrive; and to prevent waste from going into oceans.
Some of the celebrities that are currently involved in the ‘Let’s’ campaign include: Kristen Bell, Angie Harmon, Bill Maher, Ian Somerhalder, Alanis Morissette, Gabby Reece, Anthony Mackie, Stana Katic, Elvis Nolasco and Josie Maran.
“Recycle Across America provides a simple, effective solution to help millions of people across the U.S. recycle correctly,” says Allie McAlpin, Lamar’s communications director. “We wanted to help promote their standardized label solution in an innovative way, and the idea of ‘Let’s pose for progress!’ came to life. Using our live-streaming technology on digital billboards, we’ll bring this massive PSA campaign to millions of people across the U.S. for Earth Week. This is the first time a celebrity PSA photo shoot will be live-streamed to digital billboards, and we are excited to be a partner in this groundbreaking endeavor.”
To support this, Participant Media’s television network, Pivot, is donating free ad time. Pivot is providing ongoing airtime for RAA’s PSAs and running a Social Action Campaign to help spread the use of RAA’s standardized label solution, which is proven to expedite environmental progress.
“Recycle Across America is extremely grateful to Lamar Advertising, Pivot, Timothy White, all of our brand partners and the amazing celebrities involved,” says Mitch Hedlund, RAA’s executive director. “Their generosity will help bring this critical PSA campaign and solution to millions of people nationwide, while also making advertising history! The timing of this event is vital as the recycling industry is struggling here in the U.S., indicated by recent mass closings of recycling plants nationwide, including 200 in the state of California alone.
“Most people aren’t aware that recycling in our country is on the verge of collapse due primarily to the mistakes people make when recycling. The solution of standardized labels on recycling bins is deceivingly simple, yet profoundly impactful and it works. So this historic event to promote the Let’s recycle right! campaign and the standardized label solution has the ability to significantly transform society’s environmental impact, which is why we’re so grateful to have these leaders involved.”
At the evening event, RAA will also announce the first state in the US to adopt the standardized labeling system statewide. Therefore, the standardized labels will be displayed on recycling bins throughout the state.
The recycling theme will be carried on throughout the evening. Outdoor gear and lifestyle brand RAREFORM will be repurposing a Lamar billboard vinyl featuring RAA’s Let’s PSA campaign into one-of-a-kind, limited-edition surfboard and duffle bags that will be given to celebrities at the event.
The Let’s pose for progress! event is one of two sustainability-focused events held that day. In the morning, the Brand Leaders Solution Summit will be hosted by Pivot and Recycle Across America in conjunction with executive speakers from brands such as Whole Foods Market, Kiehl’s Since 1851, TerraCycle and 1% for the Planet.
There is a misconception that recycling is collapsing in the U.S. as a result of the low-cost virgin commodity pricing and the trend toward mixed recycling systems. Although those reasons are contributors, simply by preventing the widespread contamination issue that is causing the processing costs for recycling to be so exorbitant, can make a difference. Everyday millions of tons of garbage are thrown in recycling bins due to public confusion arising from inconsistent recycling labels on recycling bins, making it tremendously expensive to remove the contamination during the recycling process.
RAA’s standardized labels for recycling bins are proven to address the contamination problem at the source, helping people recycle right and recycle more. In fact, the standardized labels are proven to increase recycling levels between 50-100%, while significantly reducing the amount of garbage that typically contaminates the recycling bins.
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