Environment Protection Authority NSW appoints 303 MullenLowe following a competitive pitch

303 MullenLowe’s expertise and legacy in driving behaviour change to help solve tough societal issues has been further reinforced with a new appointment.

Following a competitive pitch, the agency will work with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) NSW to help people understand the real harm littering has on wildlife and waterways. This work will see 303 MullenLowe evolve the long-standing ‘Don’t be a Tosser’ platform to help prevent littering amongst complacent young Australians.

303 MullenLowe Sydney CEO Joanna Gray (above left) says the win, teamed with previous and widely recognised work in the area reinforces the agency’s position as “an industry leader in effective behavioural and social change”.

“Not only do we have significant experience partnering with the Federal, NSW and WA governments on behaviour change campaigns, but also with organisations within the not-for-profit and private sectors interested in motivating consumers to change their perceptions, and in turn their actions,” she explains.

“We’re looking forward to extending this expertise to the EPA, which is involved in incredibly important work that requires finding new ways to motivate behaviour.”

303 MullenLowe Sydney Chief Strategy Officer Jody Elston (above right) said the ability to unlock and deploy scientific principles effectively and consistently within public communications campaigns was a key factor in 303 MullenLowe’s recent appointment, and past campaign success.

“Our deep understanding of decision science combined with our ability to create big creative platforms over the long term is key to our success. Given the scale of these societal challenges, we need to create, what we like to call, unfair advantage to drive a disproportionate change relative to investment.”

303 MullenLowe’s behaviour change expertise was recognised at the 2024 Effie Awards Australia where it won a silver for ‘Insight and Strategic Thinking’ and a Bronze ‘Positive Change’ Effie for its ‘Arrows’ campaign developed with the Cancer Institute NSW. Results from the campaign to date show it has helped avert more than 2200 skin cancers from developing, equating to a lifetime cost saving of over $20 million.

It also scooped two Bronze Effies at the Australian Effie Awards in 2022 for its ‘One Drink’ campaign developed for the WA Mental Health Commission in collaboration with Cancer Council WA. Leading national retirement operator Levande also recently hired the agency to help shift perceptions of retirement living, utilising its behaviour change expertise.

Adds Elston: “Focusing on driving salience, emotional priming, memorable mnemonics and consistency over the long term is just as important for our social change work as it is for our commercial clients. Whether we’re provoking young males to be aware of the impacts of their littering behaviours or reshaping how Baby Boomers feel about retirement living, it’s all behaviour change. We’re excited to apply our smarts to these new clients, while continuing to provide our proven expertise with established partners.”

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