Food Waste is a Crime

THE BRIEF Create a campaign for the United Nations World Food Programme ("WFP") to raise awareness about food waste. THE CHALLENGE The WFP’s message “Stop Food Waste” doesn’t resonate with the younger demographic (18-35). This audience wants to join the conversation about sustainability but is tired of the cliched and holier-than-though tone of most media campaigns and influencers. ​ Most consumers are aware of the food waste problem, yet very few of us take action. We all know we shouldn’t waste food, but we struggle to make any changes. We need to promote meaningful behavioural changes, rather than simply “raise awareness” and hope for the best THE INSIGHT Previous WFP’s campaigns against food waste raised awareness about the issue but failed to inspire behavioural changes. Why? Because they lacked focus. Instead of talking about all the different ways we can minimise food waste, we should focus on just one, easily actionable behaviour. And the first step to stop wasting food is the simplest: look inside your fridge. That’s how our FRISK YOUR FRIDGE idea was born. THE IDEA We’re done sugar-coating things and assuaging people that “baby steps are enough”, while the mountains of food waste are growing every day. Drastic times require drastic measures, so our message is simple: you have to FRISK YOUR FRIDGE before you shop because wasting food is a crime. It isn’t illegal, but what if it was…? We invite the audience to ponder this question as they watch an alternative future unfold on their computer and phone screens. The video is just a starting point for an integrated multi-platform marketing campaign, which will revolve around an online “correctional facility” for food criminals and extend to social media channels that are most relevant for our audience (18-35): Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.