McDonald’s Norway Shows the Ugly Side of Its Packaging for Anti-Litter Campaign

From iconic packaging to iconic trash – McDonald’s Norway takes ownership of the littering problem by showcasing the ugly side of their packaging and encouraging customers to make sure that their trash ends up in the trash can.

Research shows that take away packaging is the third largest source of littering in cities, and as the country’s largest takeaway restaurant, McDonald’s Norway is a substantial part of the problem. McDonald’s trash that ends up in the street is very noticeable with its well-known logo.

“We’re one of the biggest and most visible parts of this massive problem, and to be honest we’re not pleased when we see trash from our restaurants lying around. It’s problematic for communities, cities and the environment – and we’re responsible for a lot of it. With our size and influence, we can do a lot better than we do today”, says senior marketing manager Mari Husby in McDonald’s Norway.

In a new advertising campaign developed by NORD DDB, McDonald’s takes ownership of this problem. With the message ‘Take away your takeaway’, the restaurant chain encourages all McDonald’s lovers to make sure that their trash ends up in the trash can. Photos of McDonald’s trash lying around in the streets of Oslo, captured by the photographer Jói Kjartans, are shown in print, social media, OOH displays and McDonald’s trays in order to reach as many customers as possible. Trash cans have been placed next to OOH displays, in order to let the iconic McDonalds arches guide the trash to where it belongs. The campaign also includes a commercial shown on TV and online.

“We’ve always done our part to prevent littering, and this campaign is to highlight that we’re taking serious action to reduce the problem. We want to be part of the solution rather than one of the biggest parts of the problem. In addition to driving attention to the issue through mass communication, our restaurants are out in their communities cleaning the streets these days. We have invited politicians, stakeholders and competitors to dialogue on the issue of littering, together we could really make a difference. We’ve also launched a research project with Keep Norway Clean that aims to prevent unconscious littering”, says senior marketing manager at McDonald’s, Mari Husby.