Flinders Ranges Council / LGA SA

Undrinkable. Unthinkable. An awareness campaign with real community impact.

The Opportunity

‘The dog won’t drink it, so why should we?’

That was the question the residents of the SA town of Quorn were asking SA Water and the State Government, after a survey revealed 97% of the town’s population don’t drink mains water due to its extremely poor quality.

The high chlorine, chloride and salt count in the water likens it to that of a swimming pool and, because of this, residents of Quorn are forced to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars per year on alternative sources such as bottled water.

The Flinders Ranges Council partnering with the LGA, enlisted our support with elevating the plight of Quorn’s water woes, via media engagement and an advertising campaign.

Our Approach

We needed to make SA Water, the State Government and the broader community take notice and taste for themselves what Quorn residents have been dealing with for over two decades.

We combined a savvy media strategy with hard hitting advertising campaign creative to drive home the message that Quorn is demanding action.

The media campaign included:

Development of a comprehensive media release painting a clear picture of the water crisis in Quorn, consolidating data, local resident voices and the calls to action of local government spokespeople
Targeted interview opportunities for key spokespeople with statewide and metropolitan media outlets
A press conference held in Victoria Square featuring the Mayor of Flinders Ranges Council, the CEO of the Local Government Association and local residents of Quorn addressing the media and providing samples of the Quorn water to taste

The advertising creative featured:

A concise, catchy headline that appeals to a sense of justice
Four hero images depicting visual representations of the real-life impact of the poor water in Quorn
The campaign was rolled out across social media advertising, display advertising, outdoor assets and placards.