Learning from Other Writers: Dirty Water Campaign
Instructor's Notes
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Dirty Water Campaign
UNICEF
Video
In 2009, UNICEF’s Tap Project bottled the water that millions of people drink worldwide and “sold” it from a Dirty Water vending machine. This campaign garnered media attention and raised money to help people access clean, safe water. Watch the video that documents the project, and then respond to the questions that follow.
View transcript.
Casanova-Pendrill
Source: https://thepositivechangeproject.org/unicefs-amazing-dirty-water-campaign/
Questions to Start You Thinking
Meaning
- What was the purpose of the Dirty Water campaign?
- What waterborne illnesses were included on the vending machine? How did people react to these?
- Based on the video, do you think the campaign was successful? Why or why not?
Writing Strategies
- The Dirty Water campaign is an example of guerrilla marketing, an advertising strategy that uses unconventional methods to convey a message. What makes guerrilla marketing effective or ineffective in this case? If more conventional methods had been used, such as television commercials or billboards, would the Dirty Water campaign have been as successful? Why or why not?
- The video documenting the campaign incorporates news clips, footage of people donating, images of children in developing nations, and more. What is the effect of including all these different types of content? Do they make the video easy or hard to follow? Do they make it engaging? Use examples from the video to explain your answers.
- What do you think was the purpose of the video: to educate? to entertain? to convince people to donate? Explain your response.