mind changing, business transforming,
 Award winning, Social Change creative specialist.

The Challenge

40% of food is wasted in America 

It's a shocking statistic that few know. Our first goal was to educate by highlighting the enormous environmental effort it takes to bring food to our door. The larger task is to change behaviour. 

The solution

a fully integrated campaign committed to long term change

Partnering with The Ad Council and SapientRazorfish, NRDC launched a Save the Food brand to directly address food waste. A cross platform "Best If Used" awareness campaign also included education, tools and hints online and off. We partnered with Amazon to provide STF functionality to Alexa so that the AI tool can dish out advice on smarter food storage, tips for evaluating whether something is still safe to eat, and tricks to revive food that's past its prime. We worked with Disney to contribute the Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Grammy award winning soundtrack. We also enlisted renowned chef, Dan Barber, to create gourmet meals for unsuspecting foodies made from food that would normally be tossed away. I was client CD on this project. Click here to see it live.

The Challenge

Skyrocketing cases of syphilis 

An alarming number of Syphilis cases have been reported prompting the health ministry to take immediate action. Most of this was attributable to a large population of 18 to 24-year-olds who knew about safe sex practices, but were jaded by traditional sexual health messages.

 

The solution

Speak to the target in their language

This integrated campaign, playing off the name of a well known dating site, was one of the most successful heath care initiatives in Alberta history. It made news in all mainstream media. On a personal note, one of my proudest professional moments was when I repeatedly overheard strangers talking about it.

The Challenge

"What do they do again?"

Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada provides a safe, inclusive and reliable after-school environment for children and youth. Through guidance and mentoring, they equip kids for life and help them realize their full potential. The challenge was to get the word out. 

The solution

SHow successful Alumni as Children

BGCC has many success stories. One alumnus is Anthony Bennett, the first Canadian to be drafted number one overall in the NBA. Not bad. We created a series of videos that featured several accomplished former members but not as they are today but as they were then. 

The Challenge

Young, SIngle vacationers are at risk

Bow Valley has one of the highest rates of of sexually transmitted disease in the country. 

The solution

Don't bring something home you may regret

An unexpected and unwelcome keepsake is something to be avoided. 

The Challenge

We were charged to excite young children about the potential of solar energy at their school. Classroom time is precious and the demands for teaching the prescribed curriculum are high. With the vast majority of programmes geared toward core exams, these classes were eager for science content that's easy to "get". 

The solution

Solar makes more than just environmental sense, it also makes economic sense. We can offset ever tightening education budgets by reducing our energy bill with solar and students’ voices—and actions—can make a difference. The Solar Schools video appeared in schools aimed at proving we can help inspire ordinary citizens to take actions in support of positive, sustainable efforts that take place in their own backyards.

The Challenge

REGRETTABLY, Hate speech is Ubiquitous

Homophobic language is too often used thoughtlessly, even if it’s without malice. But rather than tell people to think before speaking, we showed them what they were saying.

The solution

It's so common it's happening this moment

In real time, via live tweets, homophobic language was displayed for all to see, without judgment or comment from us. Visitors to the site could, however, interact with the tweeters featured. Within 24 hours, the site had over a hundred thousand visitors, and was trending on Twitter. It received global media coverage from the likes of The Economist, The Atlantic, The Guardian, CBS, Reddit, Upworthy, CBC, CTV, Mashable, BuzzFeed, and even Aljazeera. Note: I left the agency before this project was completed.  Click here to see it live.

The Challenge

Too many riders drive recklessly

Traditional safety messages don't resonate with free-spirit riders. They believe they write their own rules which is liberating—until injured. 

The solution

Borrow from biker culture with a twist

With clever language juxtaposed against a Hell's Angels graphic treatment, reach out to motorcyclists in a visual language that is both immediate and layered. 

The Challenge

How to Turn Social Reactions into real Actions?

NRDC Action Fund builds political support for protecting the planet and its people and most people that see political events in their feed often react with an emoji of some kind. But too often it ends there and an opportunity to genuinely act is lost. 

The solution

Today, as in the past, Actions speak louder than words.

Launched on Presidents Day, we juxtaposed great historical speeches that truly inspired action with "light" social reactions to remind people that nothing beats doing. 

The Challenge

Generate excitement for the sharks exhibit

Doubly difficult was the challenge that the Aquarium was undergoing renovations.
 

The solution

Tap into the common fear of sharks

Along with conventional media, we also included the moons gravitational pull revealing our message in Vancouver waters. Not as expensive as you might think! Click to see some of the Buzz.

The Challenge

Encourage KFC to stop UNNECESSARY use of Antibiotics

With a limited budget, we needed to convince the Colonel to stop feeding antibiotics to his chickens. 

Feeding antibiotics routinely to animals that are not sick kills off weak bacteria and creates an environment for antibiotic-resistant bacteria to thrive which threatens public health. The practice promotes drug-resistant superbugs that infect two million Americans a year. 

Unfortunately, data-driven science was not convincing enough to make KFC change course.

The solution

create a character they can't ignore

Auntie Biotic, an improv comedian in a pill-covered chicken suit, visited KFC spreading the word about antibiotic use to the audience KFC cares about most—its customers.

We filled KFC’s social media channels, Tweeting and Facebooking her way to more than 500,000 video views in her first month of life. Followers could petition KFC and donate to support the message. She appeared on a mobile billboard outside of their head office in Kentucky. She went on the road to major cities across the county. 

Within six hours of the campaign’s launch, the phone rang at NRDC… it was the Colonel. And within the year KFC publicly announced it would no longer regularly use antibiotics.