To cast light on current water quality issues across the country, PUR partnered with creative agency Arnold Worldwide to educate and empower consumers about the source of their water, the journey it takes to reach their faucets, and the potential contaminants it can pick up along the way. The initiative comes to life through “hidden camera” national TV spots, online films, social media content and an interactive experience — KnowYourWater.com — where people can type in their home address and find a simple, easy-to-understand breakdown of data within their highly complicated (and often hard to find) EPA reports.
A centerpiece component of the campaign is a longer form online video titled “The Water Bar” directed by Sam Cadman of Hey Wonderful. The film is set in a NYC establishment called The Water Bar where a where a bartender (actor) offers patrons tap water from different cities around the country. As he tells them about the water they’re about to consume, the patrons are shocked to discover that water all across the country contains contaminants, even if it’s “within legal limits.” Water from Monterey, California, for example, features an “acceptable quantity of mercury.” The hidden camera piece–from which TV spots were cut–shows customers turned off by what are acceptable safe-drinking water quality standards, underscoring the need for water filtration from companies like PUR–because people have their own quality standards.
Doug Harry, creative director at Arnold Worldwide, stated, “The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, sparked a national conversation about degrading infrastructures, water cleanliness standards, and the potential for future water contamination outbreaks. It has never been more important for you to understand what contaminants might be in your tap water. Unfortunately, water quality reports are often difficult to track down and even more difficult to understand, so PUR decided to help. The “Water Should Be PUR” campaign takes real water quality data from all across the country and presents it in a way that allows you to easily understand what contaminants might be coming out of your tap. PUR’s mission is to help you truly know your water, because in the end, water that meets safe drinking standards may not meet yours.”
