Partners in Virginia conducted extensive research to better understand who plans balloon release events – and, most importantly, why balloons are selected to celebrate and memoralize in lieu of other actions.

The Virginia Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program received grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program and Office of Coastal Management to focus on this question and to develop a social marketing campaign to “sell” litter-free alternatives to balloon releases.

Understanding Our Audience

The Virginia CZM Program and Clean Virginia Waterways worked with the research firm OpinionWorks to conduct interviews, focus groups and surveys to determine the underlying drivers of celebratory or bereavement behavior associated with balloon releases. Conducting this research was the first and most important step in developing social marketing strategies that change behavior and reduce mass balloon releases.

The Campaign Strategy

This research, and additional message testing with engaged and married couples, informed the design of the Joyful Send-off campaign to reduce balloon releases at weddings and, by extension, other celebratory events these couples may engage in the future. The Joyful Send-off campaign “sells” memorable, joyful, picture-perfect, and litter-free send-offs. The goal is that brides and grooms will learn that all released balloons become litter, and will not organize or participate in a balloon release in the future. The Joyful Send-off campaign strategy focuses on the positive and includes colorful, vivid, and captivating imagery and multi-media, including videos with couples sharing their personal experiences. The strategy engages venues, planners, and other wedding businesses, who influence the decisions of couples, and share behavioral prompts with couples. The pre-campaign research was carefully comprehensive so that it not only informed the Joyful Send-off campaign strategy, but laid a foundation for development and implementation of additional strategies to reduce balloon release during other “celebratory” and “memorial” events—engaging other non-traditional audiences, including funeral directors, car dealership employees, sports team managers and school administrators.