Sea Cleaners & JCDecaux - Reverse Media Schedules (case study)

For decades, brands have carefully built visibility through media investment, but an unintended form of media has been growing in parallel: branded litter. Every discarded bottle, can, or wrapper becomes a negative brand impression in the real world, quietly damaging perception and reducing brand value. Research shows that exposure to branded waste can directly lower what consumers are willing to pay, making litter not only an environmental issue, but also a marketing liability.

Sea Cleaners and JCDecaux redefined this problem through *Reverse Media Schedules*, the first media system where brands don’t pay for visibility, but for disappearance. Instead of amplifying messages, the idea reframes litter as a measurable “negative media channel” and allows brands to actively invest in removing their worst impressions from the environment, turning cleanup into a strategic media decision.

Developed in collaboration with Sea Cleaners and JCDecaux ANZ, the system applies media planning logic to environmental action. Each piece of litter is treated as a negative impression that can be identified, valued, and systematically reduced. Using media modeling frameworks, Reverse Media Schedules enables brands to quantify the impact of branded waste on perception and allocate budgets toward its removal. Cleanup efforts are transformed into trackable media optimization, integrating sustainability into the core of media strategy rather than treating it as a separate CSR initiative.

The initiative established a new framework where environmental action and brand performance operate within the same system. Early projections indicate tens of thousands of items removed annually and hundreds of thousands of consumers positively reached through improved brand perception. With 75% of consumers stating they view brands more favorably when they support cleanup efforts, Reverse Media Schedules positions sustainability as a measurable driver of media effectiveness, brand equity, and real-world impact.