Trolley Odometers

Describe your idea and concept of your work in relation to the festival outlines:

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Food Connect, and have used their name as an example of a local CSA in my area.

My project is a marketing campaign promoting Food Connect's Community Shared Agriculture based system as an alternative to supermarkets because of the plethora of ecological and ethical benefits. The project works by invading the supermarket space in the medium of stickers attached to fruits, vegetables and shopping trolleys. A key visual of an odometer displaying the average distance produce travels to the supermarket is used to compare it to that of CSA. The physical media includes links and QR codes to a mobile website with further details on the differences between CSA and Supermarkets, presented in easily digestible infographic format.

What kind of communication approach do you use?

The project uses guerrilla marketing tactics, consisting of stickers to be attached to fruit, vegetables and shopping trolley handlebars which link to a mobile website that has been mocked up. There is also a poster form of the infographic content.

What are in your opinion concrete benefits to the society because of your communication?

My communication will invite people shopping at a supermarket to reconsider where they get their produce from. Ideally, this will mean they choose a CSA scheme and in turn create support for local growers and biodiversity, as well as cutting back on support for supermarkets and their unsustainable supply chain systems.

What did you personally learn from creating your submitted work?

I learnt about the already established CSA group Food Connect, and that there can be a tenfold or potentially larger difference in the 'food kilometres' (death to imperial measurement!) when comparing Community Shared Agriculture to traditional Supermarkets. I also came to the realisation of how something that is supposed to represent streamlined speed and efficiency (the Supermarket) is in actuality adding many unnecessary, costly and environmentally detrimental steps.

Why is your work, GOOD communication WORK?

My work is good communication work because it is provocative in nature and will encourage shoppers to actively seek more information on where their food is coming from. The work is meaningful to myself, as I personally have taken up the challenge of avoiding supermarkets for as much as possible.

Where and how do you intent do implement your work?

Within the supermarket, on the very fruits and vegetables they sell and the vessel that facilitates the purchase - the humble trolley.

Did your intervention had an effect on other Media. If yes, describe the effect? (Has other media reported on it- how? Were you able to change other media with your work- how?)

No.