Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection

Marketing materials in 10 languages promote widespread adoption of recycling practices.

Services

THE CHALLENGE

Montgomery County (MD) wanted to engage and encourage its diverse population of residents and businesses to participate in its waste reduction and recycling program. To do so, they sought a creative services firm that could design, write, and translate into multiple languages an array of educational and promotional materials.

OUR SOLUTION

Montage developed branded, audience-centered marketing materials for Montgomery County businesses and residents. Products included self-mailers, tip and fact sheets, brochures, and postcards pertaining to relevant recycling best practices. Tip sheets about backyard food scrap composting were directed to single-family residents whereas businesses like restaurants were targeted with information about recyclable alternatives to Styrofoam.

Understanding the language diversity of the County, Montage translated each creative product into English, Spanish, and Mandarin. More widely distributed materials were also translated into Amharic, Farsi, Vietnamese, Russian, Japanese, and Korean. We heavily utilized visual elements to support universal comprehension and relevance regardless of language preferences.

To align with the County’s zero waste goals, materials were printed on high quality, post-consumer recycled paper and cardstock.

THE RESULTS

  • Montage designed and delivered creative materials reaching more than 30,000 local businesses and 250,000 residences throughout the County.
  • Our language experts created cultural relevance and understanding by translating materials into 10 languages.
  • These efforts contributed to widespread awareness of waste reduction and recycling practices including reducing reliance on #6 plastics, preventing recycling contamination, and food scraps composting.

Results that resonate