Reaching 6BN people with a one-of-a-kind exhibition for Yorkshire Water
This is one of a series of projects we’re running with Yorkshire Water in the short space of a few months, including our ‘Teapot Index’ campaign that got 170 pieces of media coverage.
This campaign had an anti-blockage focus, to better educate customers on what can – and can’t – be flushed down the loo. And what better way to visualise this than through a real-life exhibition? So, we literally created Yorkshire’s most disgusting art exhibition, called the ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, that would reveal the most shocking items found down Yorkshire’s drains.
And where else better to place the exhibition than in Yorkshire’s biggest shopping city, Leeds? And at the heart of the City Centre, Leeds Trinity – a prime spot to catch the attention of shoppers.
Create:
We knew our exhibition had to be engaging, shoppers are constantly on the move. So, we created real-life replicas of some of the alarming items found down Yorkshire’s drains; including a ‘not so peppy pig’, ‘boots that aren’t made for walking’, and a ‘real-kitchen nightmare’.
We also had a ‘Wall of Shame’ where we feigned recognised artists illustrating more unusual and big blockage items clogging up Yorkshire’s drains. Followed by a ‘Fatberg’ monument to highlight the result of flushed non-biodegradable solids; such as wet wipes, fat, and oil that plague sewer systems.
To encourage participation from all ages, we ran a competition which encouraged the public (children in particular) to draw their own anti-blockage poster – which resulted in over 300 applicants. Finally, we can’t forget Yorkshire Water’s mascot the Wipesaur who also turned up for photo opportunities!
The exhibition concept and execution was designed by our creative team, and supported by social media assets in the run-up to the event.
Engage:
Capturing content on the day was crucial in contributing to the success of the event, so our creative team captured videography on the day, which was used to support PR outreach and for social media amplification.
Prior to the event, we drafted press copy to entice attendees, BBC Look North, Yorkshire Evening Post and ITV confirmed attendance ahead of time. After offering journalists an exclusive, we outreached to key regional publications, inviting them to the event. On the day, BBC Look North filmed a broadcast TV feature, interviewing members of the public and Miles Cameron, from the Yorkshire Water waste team. This was broadcast later that evening.
On the day, we tailored our approach, targeting picture desks, video desks and news desks, sending imagery and video footage from the event to press at lunchtime for campaign longevity.
Convert:
Our public sector PR approach educated audiences to ‘Bin it, not block it’ and achieved the following results –
- 6BN campaign reach
- 267% increase in media exposure
- 3 pieces of TV coverage, including BBC Look North
- 2 radio features, with BBC Radio Leeds
