It won't flush

Changing Yorkshire's toilet and sink habits to reduce sewer blockages

PROOF

40% Campaign Recall.
18% soft blockage reduction.
TV ad seen by 44% Yorkshire adults.

394m opportunities to see or hear the campaign.
Customers understanding YW aren't responsible for blockages up 14%.

IDEA

What do dear departed goldfish, last night’s nail clippings, and mucky old wet wipes have in common? None of them should go down the drain. But a lack of awareness about what not to flush was causing Yorkshire's sewers to hide some nasty problems - blockages. To tackle this, we needed to shift the mindset of an entire county. It wasn’t just about stopping the flushing—it was about breaking bad behaviours behind closed doors. But we had to overcome negative brand perceptions before we could change Yorkshire’s habits. First, though, we had to catch their attention. This campaign had to be bold, instantly recognisable, and memorable. So, we put porcelain front and centre, using humour to educate—one sticker at a time.

IMPACT

We challenged what the good people of Yorkshire thought they knew about the sink and loo. Using CGI to give us the freedom to take even the smallest bad habits and plaster them all over Yorkshire on a scale representing the size of the problems they cause. We crafted hyper-stylised room scenes stickered with all the things you shouldn’t send down the drain. Connecting the toilet and the sink to tackle the out-of-sight, out-of-mind attitude that costs Yorkshire Water millions. We created a campaign that didn’t point the finger but educated, turning an ugly problem into a striking campaign.