FCB London has devised a new campaign for National Highways, featuring three of the animals most affected by roadside rubbish.
The campaign sees a CGI rabbit, hedgehog and squirrel – created in collaboration with King Henry Studios – standing shocked at the side of a road next to the line, “Litter kills 3 million animals a year”.
It forms the first wave of a National Highways’ three-year plan to drive awareness of the impact of littering on road networks, presenting it as socially unacceptable behaviour and inviting drivers to “Lend a Paw”.
The creative agency has targeted families, young drivers and commercial drivers through the campaign, using arresting images to highlight the impact of litter while offering ways to improve the roadside environment.
Lend a Paw encourages people to dispose of their waste at their destination or a motorway service area, as even throwing an apple core from a car window can cause harm by attracting animals to the side of the road, putting them at risk of being hit by passing vehicles.
Other national organisations like Keep Britain Tidy are on board with the campaign, as National Highways and FCB London seek to make the work as impactful as possible.
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FCB London chief creative officer Owen Lee said: “This emotive approach reveals the impact roadside litter has on our much-loved wildlife. It gives an animal-loving public a clear incentive to bin roadside litter.”
National Highways’ head of marketing and events Alison Holliday said: “Littering is a social problem and we’re working hard to tackle it on our roads. Drawing attention to the impact it can have on wildlife offers a stark and compelling reason for people to act responsibly.
“FCB’s creative has the power to help educate drivers and influence their behaviour to protect our environment, road workers and wildlife. The simple truth is if people didn’t drop litter in the first place it wouldn’t need to be picked up – so we are urging road users to take their litter home.”
The Lend a Paw campaign will run on OOH, social and radio.
