Havas London Launches Anti-Waste Campaign for Vanish

Vanish, the world’s #1 stain removal brand, has launched a campaign urging UK families to love their clothes for longer – after research revealed that more than 300,000 tonnes of clothing is sent to landfill every year1.

 

The Love for Longer campaign, from creative agency Havas London, aims to educate the public that much of this waste is avoidable – challenging the public to think twice before needlessly throwing away clothing, by removing everyday stains and hence extending the lifespan of our clothes.

 

A new television commercial, which runs for four weeks, dramatises this message in literal terms – depicting people hunting through a landfill site for stained clothes that have been discarded unnecessarily. These clothes, which were then washed using Vanish and restored to wearable condition, will be sent to key fashion influencers as part of an outreach and PR activation.

 

As part of the PR campaign, Vanish commissioned original research2 which revealed:

 

- Over a quarter (29%) of people confess to having thrown out wardrobe items simply because of a stain.

- Almost a third (32%) admitted to only putting the item in the washing machine as usual, without any special treatment. When the stain didn't come out immediately, they threw it away.

- A quarter (23%) never even attempted to remove the stain because the item of clothing was cheap.

- One in five simply threw the item away as they thought the stain was 'tricky'.

 

As well as this PR campaign and the TVC, which was directed by Gold Cannes Lion-winning documentary filmmakers Greg and Jacob through Unit 9, the campaign also includes digital and social activations.

 

Ferran Rousaud, UK Marketing Director Hygiene Home at RB, says: “300,000 tonnes of clothing is sent to landfill every year – many items simply because they are stained. This is a huge issue. According to research we commissioned, a large proportion of the population genuinely believe a stain is the end of their clothes. We hope this campaign educates the public that this doesn’t have to be the case, giving them the knowledge to change their behaviour at home with Vanish, so that we can reduce landfill together.”

 

Elliot Harris, Creative Director at Havas, adds: “Too often, cause-based marketing feels adjacent – and at worst, irrelevant – to the brand it is attached to. On this occasion, the issue of clothes waste is a very natural space for Vanish to play in, and a conversation the brand should absolutely have a voice in, and a point of view on. Raising awareness of the issue and providing an easy solution can only be a good thing – for the brand, for families and for reducing this problem in the future.”