Don’t be Dick - Dublin City Council, South Dublin County Council | Clapboard Ad Archive

Don’t be Dick is a 2018 public interest campaign by Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council, crafted by JWT to tackle the environmental impact of disposable coffee cups in Ireland through a direct and relatable narrative. The campaign introduces Dick as a personification of careless behavior that everyone is occasionally guilty of, using humor to highlight the thoughtless act of grabbing a takeaway coffee in a disposable cup that is not recycled locally. This clever anthropomorphizing of bad habits serves as the creative hook to engage an audience often resistant to environmental messaging, framing the problem of 200 million disposable cups discarded annually with no recycling solution in Ireland. JWT’s approach aligns with what Clapboard identifies as FORMAT#2—Show the Problem—by clearly illustrating the environmental issue before presenting the actionable solution: choosing to reuse cups. The campaign’s tone balances bluntness with wit, making the ecological call-to-action both memorable and socially resonant without resorting to guilt-tripping or alarmism. This strategic framing leverages Dublin City Council’s authority as a government body while deploying a contemporary cultural sensibility to make the message accessible and shareable. The film medium asset employs straightforward storytelling, inviting the public to reconsider routine behaviors with a simple choice that contributes to sustainability. The campaign earns 55/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. Don’t be Dick matters because it demonstrates how government communications can adopt a frank, personality-driven style to spark conversations and shift everyday habits in public interest campaigns, signaling a move away from abstract appeals toward more grounded, culturally tuned messaging.