EPWater Pipes Up About Proper Drain Protocol

The Project

Our friends at El Paso Water partnered with us for an essential yet often overlooked cause: combating the clog of fats, oils, greases (FOG), and wipes in our drains. The mission? To craft a campaign that speaks to the residents of El Paso in a way that’s engaging while also being educational. We dove into creating a suite of imaginative and impactful concepts, aiming to educate the community about correct disposal methods and the repercussions of blocked pipelines. The challenge was substantial: keeping the message light, charming, and memorable, while driving home the importance of this everyday issue.

The Approach

In our pursuit to address the pressing issue of drain care, we embraced an unexpected concept we affectionately dubbed "Drainsplaining." Inspired by social media trends, we breathed life into kitchen and bathroom fixtures, transforming them into relatable, cheeky characters that could humorously highlight the missteps of everyday people like Carl and Sarah. These anthropomorphic fixtures not only surprised our audience with their unexpectedly chatty demeanor, but also delivered powerful messages about the consequences of improper FOG and wipe disposal.

Our videos were set in everyday scenarios — a Thanksgiving dinner cleanup and a casual family gathering - to ground our message in relatable situations. Carl's encounter with a talking sink and Sarah's surprise dialogue with a talking toilet served as the creative backbones of our campaign. These skits humorously dramatized the potential disasters of such seemingly harmless actions, using wit and a touch of sass to teach the importance of "stashing it before trashing it."

By personifying the objects that suffer from our thoughtless habits, we highlighted the issue in a memorable and impactful way.   Each scenario is wrapped with actionable advice, delivered in a way that is easy for the audience to adopt and implement. This creative direction not only reinforced the campaign's educational goal but also made it entertaining and shareable, amplifying its reach and resonance within the community.

The Outcome

"Drainsplaining" is having an impact on how our community manages fats, oils, greases (FOG), and wipes. The goal of our campaign wasn’t just about getting noticed, but starting important conversations and encouraging people to think and act differently.

The positive responses we're seeing online and the thumbs up from our client show us we're on the right track. It’s the little changes in everyday habits that the community is starting to make that keep us going.