We created belief …

Flushed wet wipes are a massive issue in the UK – a leading cause of the ‘fatbergs’ that choke our drains, sewers, and rivers. This costs £100 million every year to our shared system. And 90% contain some sort of plastic – not something we want in our waterways. Local water companies have deployed a spectrum of campaigns to address the issue, but this problem is national, and it called for a national approach. Water UK approached RY for a solution.

We tested local campaigns with surveys guided by behavioural science. Northumbrian Water’s Bin the Wipe campaign (which RY developed in 2020) floated to the top. It was clear, bold, and single-minded – all critical elements to shift specific behaviours. To adapt it for a national context, we rendered the creative in an unexpected, urgent red-and-black palette. A ‘journey of the wipe’ animation brought the story home – literally – with a vivid illustration of the impact of a block on homes, rivers, and sewers. And a campaign toolkit for Water companies to get on board with, are all housed on a dedicated BTW microsite www.binthewipe.org

The first burst of the campaign, launched in February 2023, has massively
outperformed targets, exceeding expectations for a broad-based awareness campaign. Across all social channels, we achieved more than 41 million impressions and reached 17 million citizens. The ‘journey of the wipe’ video was viewed more than 2 million times. And link clicks beat targets by 80% on Meta, and 620% (!) on Twitter – unheard of performance for an awareness campaign, and testament to the bold simplicity of the approach. 

The film was a finalist both at the New York Festivals and Evcom London Live and Film Awards, and won Silver at the Evcom Clarion Awards in the Film Innovation catefory