CHALLENGE:
With $0 budget, we needed to find a way to shock the public and gain mass media exposure alarming New Yorkers about the thousands of children dying daily from a lack of clean water, and the urgency to help with donations to UNICEF.

IMPLEMENTATION:
We bottled dirty water in 8 lethal varieties, took a broken down, old vending machine and recycled it into a working dirty water vending machine and launched it in Manhattan for 1$. “DIRTY WATER from developing countries” was designed to shock the public while inviting them to donate into the machine, via text message, or online.

RESULTS:
This innovative, low cost outdoor-media/space engaged New Yorkers, attracted worldwide media coverage, and increased the number of donation beyond all expectations/ the wide media exposure continues generating online and text message donations to UNICEF. Over 33MM+ impressions through massive TV news coverage (TV Stations: New York 1, NY1 Español, Telemundo, among others, Millions more reached nationally and internationally by massive online coverage, articles and blogs, which continue to appear today, from countries like Thailand, Portugal, Spain and Austria among others, and 45,000+ foot traffic impressions estimated for location during that week (estimate provided by the Union Square Partnership)