According to the United Nations, Turkey is only a few years away from a water crisis. So three years ago, Reckitt Benckiser (RB) brand Finish initiated a water conservation program and campaign with Havas Turkey. In the communication, the agency showed dried up lakes and rivers to wake people up to the fact that we are losing our resources one by one. Then, in 2020, Finish decided to revive Kuyucuk lake to encourage people to make a change.
Kuyucuk lake is a Ramsar site, meaning a lake that is considered to be of specific value by the UN. And as the only wetland within hundreds of miles on the route of migration, it is of vital importance for birds. It is a home for 233 different bird species yet it dried up completely two years ago. The inhabitants of the village (under the same name), which is only a kilometer from the lake, have been mourning for the loss of birds ever since.
Finish, with the help of NGOs and the Turkish government, made a plan to bring the lake back. And it asked Havas Turkey to share this good news with the villagers in an innovative way with help from the birds themselves. Havas Turkey documented the whole experience and make it into this film–”Birds Will Be Back” directed by İpek Kent of Depo Film–that aired nationwide.
So far, 40% of the lake has been restored, and most of the bird species are back.
“When campaigning for a cause, we need compelling stories,” said Ergin Binyildiz, CCO, Havas Turkey. “Stories of hope that will encourage the masses to join the cause. This is why changing the fate of a little village can be key to creating a nationwide movement. The revival of the lake, the sentiment in that little village later became the fuel for the second year of Turkey’s water campaign. Now we all have friends and relatives saying they are changing their habits. And my six-year-old daughter reminds me to turn the tap off. What else can one ask for? We are proud beyond words.”
