This campaign got going in AZ mainly through the efforts of the City of Phoenix and the City of Mesa; and discussions within a state-wide conservation group consisting of AZ water professionals from various local, state, and federal agencies. That is how it got started in AZ but at the same time it was going in a lot of places along the eastern seaboard. Yes, it is a scheme (and I do not use that term badly) to promote social change in the way people use water but more so it was an idea a certain marketing firm had that they considered socially responsible, one, but two, also potentially a great way to make a profit. My opinion is that they succeeded on both counts. It was always intended to be a quick way to imprint conservation maeasures and never intended to get very deep in the ways, whys and means of water conservation.

My organization kind of drifted away from the group because most of the other members are in the desert regions of AZ so the conservation messages were geared towards the desert environment, not the high elevation forested, but none the less arid, sections of AZ

Just an FYI- there’s a new grass that has been developed as a hybrid of native buffalo grass by some folks out of Texas Tech. Though great for low water use, buffalo isn’t very tolerant of shade or traffic, check out http://www.turffalo.com/

The Hampton Roads Water Efficiency Team (HR WET) was one of the first east coast partners in WUIW. What our extensive market research has found (in both surveys and focus groups) is that residents know WHY it’s important to save water. What they weren’t getting in past campaigns was the HOW to save—what actions, big and small, could they take to make a difference. Water–Use It Wisely does this succintly and clearly with top quality photos and graphics that grab the audience. The local governments in Hampton Roads, VA are thrilled to be a part of this campaign and we encourage other utilities to tailor it to their needs as well.

Hi Eric… I’m so excited that you ‘discovered’ the “Water Use It Wisely” (WUIW) campaign, even if you do feel as though you may be the last person on the planet to do so. I suspect though, that many others, like yourself, may not be familiar with the campaign, so it’s great that you’ve encouraged this discussion.
 
At the risk of sounding like a biased parent, I would like to send along my perspective of the campaign. I work for the water conservation office in Mesa and the WUIW campaign was created in 2000 by Mesa, Phoenix and Scottsdale to develop and reinforce a universal water conservation ethic. It is a colorful, fun (as you noted), and empowering campaign that measurably increases consumer’s knowledge of water saving techniques. At this time, close to twenty partners make up the Arizona coalition.
 
The campaign was not just an idea cooked up by an advertising firm to sell to water agencies. It was developed in a ‘grass roots’ fashion, by water conservationists frustrated with how to get an effective message out. We were fortunate to find Park&Co (an advertising, marketing and communications firm), a creative, environmentally minded, and socially conscious firm to work with us to develop and continually grow this campaign. Park&Co has even been a vested partner in WUIW, and in this unique role, has donated over $300,000 dollars of in-kind services.
 
I have personally worked with this company for nine years and I cannot speak highly enough about them. They have a keen understanding of the subject, they are energetic and fun, and over the year’s they have demonstrated extreme patience with our coalition of multiple municipal and government agencies.
 
Some things I think are extremely powerful about the campaign:
1. The number of creative ‘water saving devices’, such as ears (listen for drips), food coloring (add to the toilet tank to check for leaks), etc. And the possibility of adding new devices is endless. Then the tag line always brings it back to, “There are a number of ways to save water and they all start with you,” because ‘you’ are the number one device.
2. The campaign allows us to have a universal message and provides economies of scale. We get a lot more for our money when we can combine efforts. None of us on our own could have afforded what we have gotten from this campaign – but by partnering we not only get a ‘Madison Avenue’ style campaign, we get better leverage for sponsorships. In the Phoenix metropolitan area, we have over 20 cities and towns with shared borders. Without the AZ WUIW coalition we would not have been able to get sponsorships by the AZ Diamondbacks, the Phoenix Coyotes, Lowe’s, Home Depot and more. Also, when one of us pays to develop a new campaign piece it is open to everyone to share. As more partners join the campaign, it grows in strength and diversity.
3. The campaign is extremely flexible, versatile and is easily customized for any situation (preserving clean water, conserving wildlife, community issues, etc.). And much of the campaign elements can be incorporated into messaging material. Just as an example, we use the logo and tag line on our envelopes, in our workshops, on our landscape brochures, on our Web site, on our Main Street avenue banners, and more.
 
But you asked a question that I haven’t answered yet. “How well does it work?” Through local survey’s we have found that the recognition for the campaign has rated as high as 84%, and we think that is extremely successful. I’m reminded of a few years ago when I needed to attend monthly meetings at a downtown building. To enter, I had the option of a glass door and a revolving door. For a while there was a small white sign on a metal stand that stated, “Please use the revolving door to help save energy.” I did. But I noticed that one day the sign was gone and I found myself going through the regular door. It amazed me how a simple message and reminder could change my behavior.
 
I understand your concern for more well-rounded messaging. But as Julia mentioned in her comments, focus groups have found consumers to say, “don’t tell us why to save water, show us how.” And that concept was the origin of the campaign. But, I do assure you that we are constantly looking at measures of effectiveness and causes of barriers in order to get further insight for campaign modifications. This past year we concentrated on the development of the WUIW Web site to provide more complex actions that people can take to save water. Because our campaign dollars were spent on this development instead of media, we all made a coordinated effort to publicize a monthly water saving message through our local outlets.
 
I think the WUIW campaign can be used in much the same way as the sign by the revolving door. It is not there to be a water conservation program. It is not going to accomplish the gallons saved of toilet retrofits or a slap in the wallet from a surcharge for high water usage. But we can combine it with effective and measurable programs – to keep the message on people’s minds, to give them a way to participate without causing them guilt or fear.
 
Yes, I could go on and on, and I’m sure I’ve gone way past the blog-length etiquette. But I hope you and others will take a closer look at the opportunities this campaign can provide. You can see just how many water providers have discovered it and lots more information on the Web site at wateruseitwisely.com. Where else can you find an award-winning ready-made campaign, an on-line store of promotional give-aways, and examples of promotional and outreach ideas that are just a phone call or mouse click away? How about this? Water saving device #128. A Blog. Let others know about the WUIW campaign and save five million gallons a month. There are a number of ways to save water and they all start with you. Water – Use it Wisely.

I’m a bit late on this discussion and do not want to repeat what others have explained, but we have been at this with our rain barrel for 7 years now and started selling our barrels through municipalities to help get the “word’ out about protecting our precious natural resource and the benefits of rain collection. So….WUIW has always been a great campaign for gov. agencies and non-profits to quickly by into the marketing package and educate their citizens on HOW to conserve. Many cities around the country are being forced into water conservation because of growth and lack of rain fall and are doing this by placing water restrictions on irrigation, thus needing to educate people on HOW to conserve. WUIW started out as just a package you could purchase then grew so big so quick they now have employees that manage the campaign and seem to be expanding into better product information and so forth. We as a business do not seem to gain anything from the website, but their total message is the best out there! By joining WUIW and getting approved to be listed on the “conservation directory” we are able to use the logo on our website and we now have the stickers posted everywhere.
I believe another good blog would be the EPA’s Water Sense program, have you already done a segment on that??
Please keep me on your blog list and I will try to respond faster if I have information to share. Thanks, Lynn