While browsing a search on “creative advertising” on Google today, I came across a large number of outdoor advertisements that I was impressed with and humbled by. One really caught my attention, however. Specifically an idea by UNICEF to market and sell “disease infested” water to the public. In an attempt to raise awareness for children who do not have proper access to clean water on a daily basis, UNICEF placed vending machines all over Manhattan that contained dirty water water rather than the usual bottled water, soda, or juice. People were encouraged to donate money to UNICEF through the vending machines or online to fund efforts to provide children in developing countries with clean water. The most interesting part about this campaign, however, is that it was actually very successful and spurred a lot of donations. UNICEF’s ability to relate numbers with examples (dirty bottled water) really helped people feel connected to the issue.
Even though this campaign is almost 5 years old, I think it is a great marketing concept. It engages the consumer in a way a normal advertisement might not. It would be interesting to see how a company might apply this advertisement concept to a product today; or if the concept might only be successful when used with a situation that is as sensitive as the one that UNICEF presented in this case…
- Article Link: Dirty Water Campaign