TORONTO/OTTAWA—The Ottawa office of public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard asked Toronto design firm Key Gordon to work on its green bin project with the City of Ottawa because of its environmental expertise.

Key Gordon president and creative director Grant Gordon says his design firm specializes in the environmental sector. The project with the City of Ottawa involved getting the community, especially young people, behind the implementation of green compost bins in the city.



“The Ottawa community wasn’t entirely gung-ho about incorporating bins into their lives and we wanted to make it seem like it wasn’t something we were cramming down people’s throats,” says Gordon. This was solved through transferring the voice of the city to the voice of the green bin with taglines including “Keep your Eyes Peeled!” and “Feed Me!”

The campaign includes print and online banner ads, outdoor transit and in-bus advertising as well as television and radio spots.
 
To appear young and fresh, bright colours are used throughout the campaign. Shortcut, a distressed font, is used for the speech bubble in the print advertising. “The font is a reflection of a gruff, funny character,” says Key Gordon art director Joe Gorecki. “Combined with the bright colours, it creates a nice vibe for the younger audience.” The background of the print ad lists items which can be put in the bin. All ads are clearly branded with the City of Ottawa logo. Contact: Keygordon.com