2016 Silver Best Use of Technology

Agency Proximity London

Client Water Aid

Campaign summary

Your £1 locker fee could help save lives. Do you really want it back?

Campaign overview

WaterAid’s vision is a world where everyone everywhere has safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

They needed an idea that dramatises the problem but offers an immediate opportunity to help.

Strategy

Our increasingly cashless society squeezes dry the opportunities for one-off cash donations - an important source of income for many charities like WaterAid.

This campaign looked for places where cash is still king - vending machines, parking meters, shopping trolleys and the like. Could the humble coin-operated changing-room locker become a compelling new platform, unlocking a whole new revenue stream for WaterAid?

The fitness industry is a luxury in the developed world and personal fitness presents a moment of stark contrast with the developing world and is the perfect opportunity to create an emotional connection with a donor and a cause. And there was a shocking statistic to help highlight the scale of the problem WaterAid are dealing with.

Globally dirty water kills one child every minute, while we in the first world enjoy the luxury of universal safe water. And we have so much water, we have 1000’s of pools in which to swim. This is where the message landed.

Creativity

Return from the pool, get changed, and open a locker to find out how many children have died from dirty water in the time it takes to go for a swim.

The £1 sitting in your locker right now could help.

It all taps into ‘sunk cost’ behavioural economics bias where people feel they’ve already spent the money and are more likely to leave it.

The technology can also capture data, allowing WaterAid to form an ongoing conversation. The campaign chose a swimming pool in the affluent area of Richmond in Surrey, an area with a high proportion of ABC1 consumers that would amplify the contrast of the message with the developing world.

The initial 48hour test of The Hope Locker generated a huge response. The wider charity and marketing press keenly covered the piece of bespoke consumer hardware.

Results

The initial test of the Hope Locker proved that it has the potential to generate efficient and effective income, while raising awareness and engagement for WaterAid.

Based on 240 lockers the projected 12-month revenue would be £136,000 per year, per swimming pool - delivering an ROI of 1.3:1 in year one.

As of July 2016, commercial discussions are now under way with media owners and fitness chains to explore rolling out the scheme in Jan 2017.

Team

John Treacy (ECD) • Rob Kavanagh (Creative Director) • Simon Stephenson (Art Director) • Andy Morris (Director of Technology & Delivery) • Kathy Howes (Senior Creative Producer) • Brian Eagle (Head of Design) • Hannah Locke (Customer Experience Director) • Gabor Eszenyi (Motion Graphic Designer) • Felicity Weller (Head of Project Management) • Suzanne Partridge (Managing Partner) • Jon Biggs (Creative Director) • Stephen Bezoen (Senior Mobile Developer)