A chemical in tires—6PPD-Q—is washing into Puget Sound and killing Coho salmon. One simple fix? Keep tires properly inflated to reduce wear. But how do you convince people to change their habits? Our team set out to answer that with a research-driven behavior change campaign aimed at drivers in the Puget Sound region.
We used a social marketing approach, starting with a multilingual survey of 589 residents to identify target segments. Then, 80 interviews helped refine messaging and visuals. “Terry the Tire” stood out as the most engaging concept, while videos with real people—especially women—made tire care feel doable. These insights shaped the “Don’t Wait to Inflate” campaign to drive behavior change.
