WATER FILTER SYSTEMS: "FILTER FOR GOOD" Promo / PR Ad

Category: Best Integrated Campaign Led by PR
Advertiser: THE BRITA PRODUCTS COMPANY
Product/Service: WATER FILTER SYSTEMS
Senior Group Manager/Public Relations/Sponsorships: Drew McGowan (The Brita Products Company)
Executive Vice President: Susan Peters (Edelman)
Senior Vice President: Lainey Canevaro (Edelman)
Managing Director: David Freeman (Edelman)
Senior Vice President: Patricia Murphy (Edelman)
Senior Account Supervisor: Lisa Ptak (Edelman)
Senior Account Supervisor: Katie Rosholt (Edelman)
Senior Account Executive: Georgeanna Smith (Edelman)
Account Executive: Becky Verhey (Edelman)
Account Executive: Fallon O'connor Brooks (Edelman)
Media placement: Branded Integration in TV show "The Biggest Loser" - NBC - 01 March 2009
Media placement: Online Ads - Facebook.com - 17 August 2009
Media placement: National TV Ad Campaign - Various Broadcast Networks - 25 January 2010
Media placement: Brita/FilterForGood Branded Vignettes - Sundance.org, SundanceChannel.com And Sundance Channel - 26 January 2010

Summary of the Campaign
Brita’s Filter For Good campaign started in 2007 as a cause-driven PR campaign to reduce bottled water waste and encourage people to fill a reusable bottle with filtered tap water. At the time, bottled water was portrayed in the media and blogosphere as the poster child for unnecessary consumption, yet no alternative solutions were offered. Then came 'Filter For Good', a partnership between Brita and Nalgene which demonstrated the benefits of switching from bottled water to filtered water in a reusable bottle. Using a Brita filtration system and Filter For Good bottle (made by Nalgene), people could pledge their commitment through the Filter For Good pledge at the campaign’s hub, filterforgood.com. What began as a simple PR idea has morphed into a full-fledged movement that’s increasing Brita sales and driving people to change their behaviour by choosing healthier, more affordable and sustainable solutions. Spearheaded by our agency, from 2009-2010 Brita has leveraged affiliation with a credible non-profit, advertising, event sponsorships, social and traditional media support and other marketing vehicles to convey how using a Brita filtration system will not only help the planet but support good health and save you money. With the support of all Brita’s marketing arms the PR-driven Filter For Good campaign has turned into Filter For Good 2.0.

The Goal
Brita’s main objective is to inspire simple behaviour changes amongst mass consumers, particularly college students as a way to increase product sales. Edelman reviewed existing research and overlaid it with consumer trend data, which aided in strategy development. • 83% of consumers are willing to change their own consumption habits to help make tomorrow’s world a better place. • Environment was the No.1 social cause consumers care about. • There was growing interest in sustainability amongst college students; nearly half of all universities within the top three tiers adopted sustainability majors.

Results
Filter For Good 2.0 re-energised the brand and the Brita pitcher and Filter For Good bottle have become 'badges' for responsible purchasing. The movement has spread to musicians and celebrities who want to support Filter For Good. Quantitative metrics (from March 2009 - April 2010) prove its relevancy and successfulness: • Filter For Good 2.0 helped generate a year-over-year double-digit sales increases that broke all-time Brita sales records. • More than 65,000* people ditched bottled water (* Filter For Good pledges), eliminating 50 million disposable bottles potentially sent to landfills. • Consumers are engaged across multiple social media platforms and act as brand ambassadors for Brita. About 26,000 Facebook users became 'fans' of Brita Filter For Good and 1,600 began following @Filter For Good on Twitter. • More than 7,400 traditional media outlets covered Brita and/or the Filter For Good 2.0 campaign, resulting in more than 383 million media impressions. Media coverage was positive and portrayed Brita as an environmentally responsible, cost-effective and healthful product.

Execution
The campaign was reinvigorated with tactics that were leveraged to reach consumers nationally and adjusted to better meet objectives. Following is a sampling of tactics executed between March 2009 and March 2010: • Partnered with non-profit Surfrider Foundation to convey that all water is connected and demonstrate the importance of taking small steps to promote clean water. • Introduced national ad campaign highlighting Surfrider partnership. • Helped 2010 Sundance Film Festival reduce bottled water waste by providing 40,000 reusable bottles and Brita-filtered water, hosted exclusive performance by Grammy-winners Lady Antebellum and sponsored Sundance Channel vignettes. • Launched Facebook contest targeting college students, which was promoted through Facebook ads and blogger outreach. Grand prize was a trip to the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. • Created branded integrations with Seasons 8 and 9 of NBC’s popular show 'The Biggest Loser' to take show bottled-water free and associate brand with health and celebrity.

The Situation
FilterForGood’s launch successfully established Brita as a part of the bottled water backlash movement and the Brita pitcher and FilterForGood reusable bottle became icons for positive choices. The economic downturn in 2009 sparked growing concern in saving money. Additionally, 68% of consumers said that in a recession, they would remain loyal to a brand if it supported a good cause (source: Our companies 2008 goodpurpose™ study). Thus, in 2009-2010 Brita was faced with two significant opportunities to show consumers Brita products were not only eco-friendly solutions, but cost-effective and supporting a greater cause.

The Strategy
We worked with Brita and other agency partners to share key insights and develop strategies that worked together and supported the programme’s objectives. The initial success of Filter For Good (2007-2008) was built upon a foundation of passionate individuals who had made a commitment to making positive choices that impacted the environment. The evolution of Filter For Good 2.0 was based on a multi-tiered approach tapping into the existing fan base and building it through a combination of key influencer outreach, third party partnerships and direct-to-consumer tactics. The program was developed based on three key strategies: • Position the brand as the ideal solution for creating a personally sustainable lifestyle. • Engage influencers, media and consumers on emotional and rational levels about the personal and environmental benefits of using a Brita filtration system and reusable bottle. • Create unique experiences with influencers, media and consumers credibly in the right spaces from online to events.