The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District wanted to do something about the trash showing up in the collections system and at the treatment plant.
So a team created a fun awareness campaign to inform customers in and around Wisconsin’s capital city on what to flush and what to toss in the trash basket.
“Our main audience was kids and teens,” says Amanda Wegner, communications and public affairs director. “But really, it is for all ages because kids tell their parents and they help to educate each other. The children become our superhero advocates.”
The district, serving half a million residents in 24 communities in a 188-square-mile territory, has 145 miles of sewer pipe and 18 regional pumping stations. The Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant handles 37 mgd.
Creative spirit
The campaign launched in March 2023 and ran through that summer. The district is now remodeling its effluent building and plans to include the videos in the new building as part of plant tours.
The campaign idea came from a Wisconsin Idea STEM Fellows program that Wegner and Amy Steger, communications and marketing specialist, attended at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Upon their return, Steger took the lead on the video awareness campaign and worked with Wegner. Steger identified the audience of kids and teens, wrote the scripts for the video, and worked with an advertising agency, Fatbird Creative, to make the videos come to life.
To appeal to kids, the team chose animation, which they believed would also appeal to adults.
Three 30-second videos each include a call to action. One video warns against flushing wipes of any kind and tells how those products can clog household pipes as well as the district’s sewers.
The script reads:
“Wipes of any kind do not go in the toilet. Even if the packaging says flushable, it’s not okay to flush. ‘Flushable’ wipes, baby wipes, paper towels and thick facial tissue go in the trash can. Wipes don’t disintegrate in water like toilet paper. They clog pipes at your home and in our sewer system. It’s super gross, costs money and is bad for the environment. Take care of your home and ours: don’t flush (un)flushable wipes!”
Through animation, the video shows what items should not be flushed even if the packaging says they can be. It then shows how toilet paper disintegrates in water while wipes do not. The video ends with someone boating and an animated river otter, showcasing clean waterways.
Another video tells the audience that the toilet is not a trash can and only “pee, poo, paper” can be flushed. The third video describes the danger to wildlife and the ecosystem from flushing items like tissues, diapers and toys.
Wegner and Steger have also taken part in career fairs for many years for middle school students with a spinning wheel on what to flush and what not to. For correct answers, the children get a sticker to wear. The videos reinforce the messages on the wheel.
Getting the word out
The staff promoted the videos on the district website, on Facebook and Instagram, and on YouTube through Google Ads. They also placed ads at the movie theaters for attendees to view while waiting for the feature.
The district worked with the cinemas to place the videos in G and PG movie titles to better target the campaign to kids and families. District representatives who sat in to watch the ads said they were well-received.
“By far the best return on our investment were the Google ads we placed on YouTube,” Steger says. “There were lots of likes after people viewed the videos.” The campaign is entirely funded by the district. Plans are to continue the campaign and perhaps add to it.
Winning recognition
The campaign won a National Environmental Achievement Award in the Public Information and Education Video category from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. It also won eight other awards:
- Two ADDYs from the American Advertising Federation – Madison: Silver for Public Service/Film, Video and Sound, and a Judge’s Choice Award
- Four MUSE Creative Awards from International Awards Associate, a globally recognized award management organization: Gold in Video, Government; Silver in Social Media, Environment and Sustainability; Silver in Social Media, Government and Politics; and Silver in Video, Green/Eco-Friendly
- A Telly Award for excellence in video and TV: Silver in Social Video Series, Sustainability
- A WisCOMsin Award of Distinction from the Public Relations Society of America Madison Chapter
The campaign metrics include 1.7 million impressions to over 1.4 million viewers:
- Think Before You Flush received more than 62,000 views, average duration 30 seconds; 37% of viewers watched until the logo closer.
- Flushable Wipes Aren’t Flushable received some 51,000, average duration 29 seconds; 25% of viewers watched until the logo closer.
- “What’s Okay to Flush received more than 105,000 views, average duration 30 seconds; 32% of viewers watched until the logo closer.
“We wanted to create tasteful videos to develop trust with our audience,” Steger says. “One of the most significant impacts of the campaign was that it elevated the wastewater industry to our audience and educated them on how critical it is to all of us on a daily basis.”
