2013 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

The objective of the campaign was to remind people that wasting water can have a detrimental effect on our environment, especially in the United Arab Emirates.

Creative Execution

Land that has been affected by drought or severe water shortages tends to crack up because of dryness. Public washroom sinks are one of main areas where water is excessively wasted, since the user is not paying the utility bill and tends to leave the water tap running for as long as they desire. This was a particular issue in Al Ain Zoo, where visitors were being reckless with water usage in public restrooms.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We launched our execution on World Water Day, which falls on March 22nd every year. The idea envisioned a creative way to tackle the problem of water wastage right at the source. We pasted stickers in the sinks of the public restrooms at Al Ain Zoo. The stickers were made to look like the cracks you see in dried up earth, in order to show people what the side effects are of wasting water (draining the planet). Whenever someone would come to use the tap, they would be reminded of what might happen if the world’s water resources dried up.

Results

Immediately after installing the stickers, we observed users stopping to read the headline and react in a positive way. Taps that were turned on full were immediately slowed down to reduce the water flow, and parents made it a point to tell their children about the sink sticker, and give them a small piece of advice on water conservation. Overall, the initiative was a resounding success as staff and employees saw a reduction of water waste in the public bathrooms; the client loved the idea so much that they've agreed to run it again this year as well.