BC Liquor Stores – Bring ’em Back

Environmental recycling implementation

British Columbia’s biggest retailer, BC Liquor Stores, wanted to mobilise the entire province to participate in a green campaign.

To mobilise the general public and businesses to get on board with a wine and beverage deposit and refund program. In addition; engage other stakeholders such as local, provincial and federal governments, television, radio, print media, and suppliers.

To connect deeply with all the stakeholders, development of the brand story and the conversation around it was crucial. This “people-centered” approach developed the Bring ‘Em Back campaign, clearly communicating the narrative to return used beverage containers. We identified critical contact points; outlined where the brand message would have the highest impact and developed a stakeholder map to identify the relationships. Through a journey mapping process, we identified that employees were the key to delivering the message at the point of sale. It was the last thing customers heard as they left the store “bring ’em back”.

We simplified the message, the interaction, and the process. We built awareness and established an emotional bond with stakeholders using conversational messaging. Success rate was an 85% return on used containers: far exceeding the client’s expectations. An unexpected by-product was the whole-hearted participation by urban recyclers who were instrumental in spreading the word about the program. This campaign was recognized by the Retail Council of Canada in the “Excellence in Retailing Awards” under the Socially Responsible Retailer category.