Denver had just emerged from a historic drought. While at the same time, the population was booming. In response, the Denver Water Board declared a 10-year goal to reduce water consumption by 22%. They turned to Sukle for help creating a culture of conservation.
Conservation was the buzzword of the time. The trouble was, people weren’t willing to do it. Conserving meant you had to give something up, a not very motivating proposition. We changed the conversation by asking people to not waste. Then we used media vehicles in a way that demonstrated the proposition.
“Use Only What You Need” had an immediate impact. After just three months, water consumption plummeted 21%. The campaign achieved 83% awareness among Denverites. And a study showed that “Use Only What You Need” increased favorable customer perceptions of Denver Water by 10% and trust in the utility by 9%, while cutting negative opinions of Denver Water in half.
Because of the campaign, Denver was named one of the most sustainable cities in America. “Use Only What You Need” has been acknowledged and studied around the globe. The campaign now resides in the OBIE Hall of Fame beside brands like Nike, Target and GEICO.
