Social Campaign

During the three weeks that I have stayed in Berlin there were a limited number of visible social campaigns. Just recently, I began to notice billboards for a campaign introduced by Wash United. The billboard was placed in the S-bahn station of Wollankstraße. which is the name of the nearest subway station I am currently residing at. The billboard read, “Wir sind Champions für WASH. Und Du?” translated into English this means, “We are Champions for Wash. And you? “. The “champions” on the billboard are dressed in green jerseys. I felt that the colors and theme were very relevant to the time considering that the World Cup is now being played. Even though I cannot read or speak German, I could understand the concept of the campaign due to the toilet and hand washing symbols present on the billboard. My guess was that this was a social campaign for water sanitation.

I took note of the web address that was present on the billboard and decided to find out more information. It turns out that my guess was pretty accurate. Wash United is a club that promotes access to (WASH): clean water, sanitation and hygiene. Wash United is comprised of African Civil Society Organizations, governments, United Nation Agencies, and various professional soccer players. The webpage publicizes that several known professional soccer players are a part of their organization including Didier Drogba, Nwankwo Kanu or Stephen Appiah.

According to background information provided on the website they are currently active in eight countries located in Sub-Saharan Africa, which include: Burkina Faso, Mali, Lesotho, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Tanzania. However, the reason I was able to come across the billboard in Berlin, Germany is because they are currently reaching out to European cities so that political decision makers and the public in general will become aware of the importance of water and sanitation.

From a communications perspective I was curious to see what social media outlets were currently being used by this specific campaign and found that WASH is active on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. After visiting the Facebook page it was apparent that they only have a small fan base of 100 people. However, from a public relations perspective I felt that they were well organized. There were several events listed on their homepage as well as on the Facebook page, advertising their most recent fund-raisers. I believe that social media and outdoor advertising are the focus of their Integrated Marketing Communication plan that is currently in effect. Their call to action is demonstrated in two ways. First, on the billboard that I saw there was a web address listed for people passing by to gain more information. Secondly, on the webpage they have a tab (Take Action) that urges people to circulate materials and attend WASH events.

In my opinion, I really liked many aspects of this social campaign that is currently active in Germany. I find the colors of green and gold to be visually appealing. I think that because they are using professional soccer players as a face to their organization, the strategy to execute the campaign during the World Cup will be very effective in many countries. Overall, I think this campaign has the potential to reach many other countries outside Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe.