Water conservation and scarcity is an increasingly pressing issue. A major manufacturer approached us about helping people appreciate the value of water as a way to drive the sale of water-conserving products. We knew from our ongoing market insights work that the bigger problem to solve wasn’t lack of appreciation. It was obliviousness: people don’t even realize they’re wasting water.
Convincing consumers to stop wasting water
After a deep dive into our ongoing Pulse survey data, we discovered that two-thirds of Americans were concerned about freshwater supplies, but they weren’t actually acting on that concern. In the moment of using water — brushing their teeth, washing their car, etc. — they didn’t realize when they crossed the line from using water to wasting it.
In order to hit home the moment when using water becomes wasting water, we focused our creative on those specific, relatable scenarios. While wasting water is a serious topic, we used humor to motivate behavior change by shifting people out of their autopilot, water-wasting habits and toward conscious (and smarter) choices.
Leveraging those insights and our behavior change strategy, we developed a PSA campaign called “Wasting Water Is Weird.”
The campaign featured a character named Rip the Drip, who showed up when people were unknowingly wasting water and made that moment so awkward, no one could forget it.
Awkward humor. Delightfully un-awkward results.
The campaign included online videos, TV, outdoor, digital ads, and social media outreach from Rip, all driving to a developed website to learn more about the issue and the work of the partner brands to address it.
Overall the campaign racked up 432 million impressions. It drew attention to our partner brands’ sustainability stories. And 29% of consumers who saw the campaign said it caused them to change their water usage habits.