Radio campaign to educate public on plastics

According to Monya Vermaak, Plastics|SA marketing and communications executive, this will be the first time the association is advertising on broadcast media, although the decision has been a long time coming.

"During our first plastics conference that took place at Propak in Johannesburg last year, the industry made it clear that they wanted to see more proactive marketing of plastics as a material to a wider audience. This has given us the mandate to proceed with our plans and long-term strategy to hit the airwaves with the message about the good qualities of plastics."

Three national radio stations have been selected based on the demographics of their listenership and ability to reach a wide selection of the industry's target market - SAFM, Radiosondergrense (RSG) and 5 FM for the first phase of the campaign at various time slots.

The first radio campaign will run during the last weeks of February, March and April and will raise awareness of the versatility of plastics and how it has made modern convenience a possibility.

"However, the message is also clear that plastic is reliable, recyclable and safe for your health and the environment. By directing listeners to our website, we are hoping to offer them further insights about the recycling of plastic and why this is truly the material of choice."

Second radio campaign

A second three-month campaign will begin during the last week of May, focussing more on the message of plastics recycling. "We are hoping to conclude this year's advertising campaign with a broader selection of radio stations and possibly also a television advertising campaign on selected DStv channels, which will coincide with our national Clean-Up and Recycle campaign which take place in September each year."

Plastics|SA will continue to contribute news and views to magazines, newspaper articles and interviews through its PR strategy, but believe that the advertising campaign will play a major role in managing the public's perception and understanding of the important role plastics plays in job creation, the economy and modern convenience. "Advertising on radio and television is more expensive than advertising in print. However, we believe it is a necessary step to directing our available resources to this medium."

Success with social media

Last year, the Plasticsinfo.co.za website and social media platforms attracted close to 8000 unique visitors per month, and the Plastics|SA public relations strategy generated exposure worth more than R18 million - compared to R4.5 million during 2012.

"Our voice and message is finally being heard and understood by the public. However, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels or ease up on our campaigns as there is still a groundswell of factually inaccurate reports about plastics that need to be addressed and corrected," concludes Vermaak.