Yo-Chi.
Yo-Chi removed bottled water from its venues, in a bottle battle that tasked audiences to make Yo-Chi's water bill higher in a campaign via Snack Drawer.
The campaign reframes Yo-Chi’s decision to offer free drinking water in-store as a bold marketing platform, with one objective: make the “water bill” even bigger.
Snack Drawer co-founder and chief creative officer, Hannah McElhinney, said the approach was designed to make sustainability engaging, not preachy.
“Purpose-led work often defaults to being serious - and that’s where it can lose people,” McElhinney said.
“We wanted to express a strong environmental-led decision in a way that’s entertaining and shareable - because that’s what drives real engagement and behaviour change.”
National coverage included the SmartCompany, Concrete Playground, The Carousel, and an opinion piece in The Canberra Times.
In-store, digital screens displayed a live count of the rising “water bill."
A Buy One Get One Free initiative across all 70 Yo-Chi venues further encouraged customers to refill and participate.
The offer drove 50,612 redemptions - bringing more than 101,000 guests with reusable bottles into Yo-Chi venues.
In just nine days, Yo-Chi’s in-store water usage also generated a $355,132 “water bill” in forgone bottled water revenue.
Yo-Chi co-owner and brand director Oliver Allis said the campaign was about challenging industry norms while giving customers a reason to get involved.
“We hope the noise from this campaign can shake up the industry a bit,” he said.
“It’s ridiculous to celebrate losing money, but even more ridiculous is the continued sale of plastic water bottles in settings like Yo-Chi, where there’s a clear alternative.”
“Snack Drawer helped turn it into something people could engage with and be part of.”
TEAM CREDITS
Chief Creative Officer: Hannah McElhinney
Senior Creator: Patricia Casten
Creator: Aaliyah Wattie
Editor: Lara Köse
Account Director Sarah Rogan
Account Executive: Roz Evans
PR: Lucy Saarelaht
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