- Campaign: The Tap Project
- Brand: UNICEF
- Agency: Droga5
Why the campaign rocks:
Droga 5’s Grand Prix winner at the 2007 Cannes Festival of Creativity, The Tap Project, is one of the GOAT campaigns that can win every year if it is entered. It is one of the finest demonstrations of much-abused statements in advertising circles that “an idea has the power to change the world”. It had a clear call to action — donate $1 for tap water. The idea was to ask restaurant patrons to donate $1 for the tap water they would normally receive for free, the funds raised would then go towards providing clean water to children in need. The campaign was launched during World Water Week.
It was not a typical campaign whose core was an ad film; it was an idea first which used mediums like outdoor, print, posters, and even TV. The campaign also leveraged the power of social proof. When people saw others donating, it encouraged them to do the same. A brilliant idea, simply executed, using integrated media and cutting-edge technology (of that time), with people participating, delivering the core objective of raising awareness and funds for a worthy cause. To this date, there are only a handful of campaigns that can tick all these boxes.
— As told to Akanksha Nagar