OzHarvest is the most recognisable brand within the food charity space, and has a strong loyal base of volunteers who are passionate about the issue of food waste. While OzHarvest has been successful in raising mass awareness of the problem, last year was the first time the organisation had engaged directly with consumers.

In late 2018, OzHarvest was looking for help to develop an Influencer model that would leverage its highly engaged and passionate volunteer base to increase its impact about food waste prevention at home. Household food waste being the largest single group contributor to the food waste epidemic.

CEC conducted consumer interviews, which incorporated concept testing. Through the use of hypothetical scenarios and products, concept testing helped us to understand the behavioural mechanics of how the model would work, what consumers would respond to and what best motivates consumers to change their behaviour.

During interviews, the concept of financial loss emerged as the overarching theme most social groups could identify with, regardless of their environmental awareness, living situation or socio-economic status, making it a key avenue for OzHarvest to increase engagement as part of the future strategy.

CEC’s key learnings and recommendations have been utilised in the foundations of the Influencer strategy. Equipped with these actionable outputs, OzHarvest now has greater understanding and direction to empower and engage its volunteer base in the fight against food waste.