Amusing Monday: H2O hero can be you and me
July 13th, 2009 by cdunaganReducing stormwater pollution is an issue faced by local governments throughout the United States. I am impressed when a local group comes up with an amusing way to convey the water-quality message.
That’s what I found in H2O Hero, a character invented when the Watershed Education Initiative — a coalition of government, educational and environmental groups in Monroe County, New York — launched an effort to educate the public about protecting Lake Ontario. The Advertising Council of Rochester (New York) enlisted a volunteer marketing team to organize the campaign, and Sigma Marketing Group of Brighton conducted research and ultimately created the cartoon character.
The message they settled on is that any citizen — including 155-pound “Larry,” the H20 Hero — can help in the effort of protecting local waterways. To read more about the campaign and how it got started go to the Home of the H20 Hero.
The first public-service cartoon went out to the public in May of 2007, followed quickly by another. The campaign has won awards, including the 2008 Web Marketing Association Web Award. (See story in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.)
A followup study revealed that the campaign had reached 94 percent of the target audience with average people seeing one or more media spots three to four times. See municipal compliance report (PDF 240 kb).
Tags: H2O Hero
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