By Laura Bliss
CityLab
Leave it to San Francisco to turn saving water into something mildly salacious: The city’s “Water Conservation is Smart and Sexy” campaign features voluptuous shots of shiny water features along with suggestive messages, such as “Replace Your Old Toilet and Get Paid for Doing It.”
The bus ads, billboards, and throatily narrated videos have been entertaining and educating S.F. residents since last year, but they recently picked up steam in the media. And last week, the S.F. Public Utilities Commission announced they’re throwing another $300,000 into extending the campaign, for more signs about full frontal washing machines and advice to nozzle your hose.
The cheeky campaign manages to be pretty funny—which, in the world of public utility advertising, is already saying a lot. The city probably received a positive response, given the cash it’s continuing to invest in the blitz. But whether or not it accomplishes its intended goal—presumably, to get people to use less water—it raises another question: Can sex sell behavior change? And if not, what can?
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