We were sent this link from a librarian’s blog, and we found it pretty cool. Yes, it’s more praise for our Denver Water Use Only What You Need work. Yes, it’s on another blog. We weren’t sharing to pat ourselves on the back again, but merely because we found it cool that someone in another market and another industry all together “got it” enough to write about it on their blog (and in a really informed way).
Makes us feel good when our work really is doing what it should- working.
Mike Sukle is in Santa Fe this weekend speaking at Design Week Santa Fe. He is part of a panel discussion on the segment titled Design for Good.
As they put it, “This year’s Design Week focuses on elements of good, conscious design by bringing you the visionaries at the forefront of thinking both in product design and in solving our collective problems, whether on the scale of community, nation, or planet.”
I imagine he’ll be talking about our work on water conservation for Denver Water, but he’ll fill us in when he gets back. In the mean time, we’ll be solving problems without him, on the scale of who’s bringing bagels in for our Monday morning meeting.
We recently put some temporary tattoos up on the site we did for Denver Water (UseOnlyWhatYouNeed.org. If you haven’t been, go- free UOWYN swag and games and such) and have been getting some mail from folks with them on. Feel free to send them in if you have any shots….. we prefer kid friendly shots, but we will look at anything once.
The tattoos are all spoofs of traditional tattoo themes, only using conservation and water issues as the slogans or concepts. And yes, I know all of you have always wanted that tribal armband tattoo (god, how the ladies adore them), so, we’ve def included one, as well as gothic gangsta letters to go across your stomach. Note, they work best where no hair is growing, so all you wanna be gangstas, pls get a stomach wax before application (yikes!).
So, we thought it funny (not everyone agrees, Adrants) to create a toilet guy for the Denver Water campaign. Well, funny AND clever. Funny b/c toilet jokes kill it. Every time. Never gets old. And, clever, b/c who better to tell you about your running toilet than a toilet that’s actually running! Enter lifesize commode mascot uniform. I’ve tried this thing on, and boy do I feel sexy.
We’ve had this guy running all over town (CSU/CU game during timeout, Rapids game v Galaxy/Beckham, Road races, Wash park, etc), and at the big events, like major sports events, we have a security guy chase him down and lay a Lynch-inspired lick on him, flushing him to the turf. Then the jumbotron says “stop running toilets”. People are bowled over (sorry, couldn’t resist).
I’ll post some links to blogs covering it:
Fark.com blog
Detriot Free Press
Yahoo UK news
Blog 360
The Denver Egotist
Spoonfed
Deadspin
Stay tuned for video updates soon!!!!!!
In an effort to reduce lawn watering this summer we let the grass speak for itself. What it says is not MENSA-level thinking, to say the least. Signs were posted around high traffic pedestrian areas in Denver. The talk bubbles in the grass all contain dumb comments, and the final sign ties it all together, saying “Grass is dumb. Water 2 minutes less. Your lawn won’t notice.” So far we’ve had all kinds of folks letting us know how much they’ve enjoyed finding the signs and reading the lines, and how they’ve become conversation starters in their neighborhoods. Perfect.
For the outdoor portion of our Tap stuff, we really focused on the fact that for only $1 you can provide 4o days of clean water to a child in need in a developing country. It’s such a small amount, yet it does so much for those in need. So, the ads really hammer home the money = water proposition, and we took some faux fashion shots where the pockets and purses are leaking water, because in all our heads those sassy fashion models are loaded and can certainly spare some cash/water. Not pictured is the male version of the bus shelter, and it’s a much wider shot of the billboard image. Look for them around town, but more importantly, donate a dollar for your tap water at participating restaurants in Denver between March 22 and 28 and hlep those in need. You can also donate at tapproject.org.
Seeing as how this is a pro bono project, we really wanna thank all those who came together to help us. We could not have done this without you. Many thanks:
PHOTOGRAPHY: Richard Feldman Studios
TALENT: Sebastian Ramirez – Donna Baldwin Talent
TALENT: Lori Auguste Sullivan – Donna Baldwin Talent
We’d also like to thank Lamar Advertising, Mile High Outdoor, Great Big Color, BP Graphics and Lange Graphics for donating their services.
We’re really excited to be working with UNICEF on the Tap Project this year.
Nearly 900 million people around the world have little or no access to safe drinking water. Tap sets out to fix that problem.
The Tap Project is based on a simple concept: during World Water Week restaurants ask their patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually get for free, and all funds raised go to support UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean and accessible water to millions of children around the world. According to Stevan Miller, Director of Corporate Partnerships at UNICEF, “This is the biggest project for UNICEF in fifty-six years.” Pretty cool.
Some of the best ad agencies around the country are pitching in to help. We’re happy to be working alongside Droga5, Saatchi & Saatchi, Hill Holliday, Energy BBDO, Publicis Mid America, TBWA/Chiat/Day, Trumpet, Fishtank, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Cargo, Publicis West, Nonbox, VCU Brandcenter, U1 Design, R&R Partners, BYU Adlab, GMMB, Empower Media Marketing, PopuliCom, Grupo Gallegos and Casanova.
As the lead agency for Denver/Boulder, we’ve had the awesome opportunity to work with a ton of really talented folks in our community that have donated their time and energy to make the campaign a reality.
The campaign launch is just around the corner, so check back soon to see the work.
Here’s some fun “non traditional” stuff we’ve been playing with. The barrel structures are placed around town (Stapleton, zoo, Belmar and one going in on 16th st mall this weekend) and say things like “Gone, history, adios, sayonara, kaput. This much water down the drain every month if you don’t adjust your sprinkler system.” The idea here is that by showing people exactly how much water things like a dripping faucet or running toilet or unadjusted sprinkler system waste, then maybe they’ll be compelling enough to actually change people’s behavior. To us, seeing just how much water it equates to is quite a statement, as it really looks like a lot of water. Jump on the bandwagon, people, but stay off the barrels.
The sandwich board guys are just us having fun with the using only what you need concept. I mean, really, do you NEED clothes? Especially in this darn hot summer we’re having in Denver? The guys aren’t really naked, as they’re wearing flesh colored spandex shorts, but man, on first glance they look naked. Needless to say, they are getting a LOT of attention on the streets.
First off, we’re really psyched to have this finally in effect. We’ve been trying to get this idea done for a few years- finally conveyor belt advertising is available in our market! Well, we all know how scarce water is in these parts. Being a high desert climate, it’s a precious resource. So, we thought a general consciousness message would work great for these: the belts are shots of a river (we shot the Blue river Silverthorne), so as the food/conveyor runs it appears to be the river flowing by. The dividers between orders say “Keep our rivers flowing”. Use only what you need, people.
Look for ’em in Sunflower Market and Vitamin Cottage.
sukle.wordpress.com 