Break up with bad water habits
Water Corporation, in collaboration with The Brand Agency, launched ‘Break up with bad water habits’, a campaign designed to address the critical need for Western Australians to adopt more waterwise behaviours, with a specific focus on shorter showers and adhering to sprinkler rostered watering days.
CHALLENGE:
Despite the ongoing need for new water sources, the primary challenge lay in shifting ingrained, "autopilot" routines that contribute significantly to water waste. Water Corporation’s research revealed a substantial knowledge gap among customers, with 64% unaware of the recommended shower time and one in five not knowing their designated watering days. This lack of awareness, coupled with a tendency for people to overlook their daily water consumption, meant that traditional conservation messages often failed to instil lasting behavioural change.
SOLUTION:
To address this critical challenge, the ‘Break up with bad water habits’ campaign was developed as the next strategic step building upon Water Corporation’s ‘Shaping WA’s Water Future’ platform. This initiative focused on providing clear, actionable steps for the Western Australian community, placing the ‘how’ at the forefront of its messaging.
The creative approach leveraged wit and humour to cut through the everyday noise, making the campaign engaging and memorable. It sought to make water use visible again, not through guilt, but by prompting people to question habits they’d stopped noticing. The campaign featured relatable scenarios that highlighted common water-wasting behaviours, encouraging a "break up" with these old routines.
The campaign needed to move beyond simply stating the problem, instead finding an engaging and memorable way to make water use visible again and prompt a re-evaluation of everyday habits, particularly among newer residents and younger audiences who may not have experienced past drought conditions.
The campaign launched across a comprehensive media mix including TV, online video, audio, out-of-home, and social media throughout August 2025, aiming to empower Western Australians to play a direct role in protecting this precious resource for generations to come.
