UNICEF | TAP PROJECT | 2007
They put a $1 price tag on free water / UNICEF "TAP PROJECT"
Esquire magazine challenged the creatives it named to its "Best and Brightest" list to build a brand using just one page of the magazine. What David Droga came up with wasn't an ad at all — it was a mechanism that changed the world.
The problem
Around the world, about 990 million people lack access to safe drinking water, and 4,100 children die every day from water-related illness. David Droga of Droga5 teamed up with UNICEF on a pro bono basis, treating the problem as an experiment in what he could build from scratch. At the point when he first came up with the idea, UNICEF wasn't even involved yet.
The insight
The aim was simple: put a price on tap water, something everyone already gets for free. On World Water Day, restaurants across New York would sell tap water for $1, with all the proceeds going to UNICEF. $1 could bring a child 40 days of clean water. It had the power of something anyone could join right away.
The idea
In its first year, thousands of people paid $1 for tap water at about 300 restaurants in New York, raising around $100,000. Before making any ads, Droga5 focused on getting people moving — reaching out to PR experts and celebrities, and once politicians got behind it, the campaign took off.
What happened
In 2007, it won a Titanium Lion at the Cannes Lions. The following year it expanded to 30 cities across North America, and the year after that it spread overseas as well. It continued for more than ten years, raising over $10 million. UNICEF called it the most successful initiative in its 56-year history.
Afterthought
Everything started from that one flip: putting a price on something that's normally free. What's remarkable is how the whole system was built so that both the people paying and the restaurants selling it could feel good about it. It's rare to see such a small device prove, so clearly, that an ad agency can actually move society.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2007
