Just a Drop creates longest-ever Twitter thread for World Water Day
The campaign emulates the lengths some people have to travel just to gain access to clean water.
For many people around the world, clean drinking water is something we never have to think about, but for others, it is a daily struggle and a vital resource they have to walk miles every day to collect.
To highlight the ongoing issue of water scarcity, charity Just a Drop teamed up with VCCP to raise awareness in the form of a social media challenge – encouraging us to do what we do best, and scroll. The average person scrolls through approximately 2km of content, per day. Something Just a Drop wants to use for good.
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As Fiona Jeffery OBE, founder and chairman of Just A Drop, says: “Having access to clean water can change someone's life, this is why we are working on creating long-term solutions by partnering with communities, supporting and training them. To raise awareness of the work and show how someone’s potential can be limited when their access to water is restricted, we are challenging people to scroll through the longest Twitter thread ever to show how far people need to go. We must all know the value of water.”
The Twitter thread will tell the story of Ann, from Mwingi West in Kenya, and her daily walk to collect water. It follows her as she leaves her home and on a grueling journey through physical threats and mental struggles to where she collects water.
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The thread will take about an hour to properly scroll through, with the intention being that many people won’t be able to complete it. If people decide to give up scrolling, they will simply like the tweet at the point they’ve reached which will trigger an auto-reply showing the distance they’ve walked. Every participant will be encouraged to retweet or ‘Quote retweet’ their distance, to inspire others into taking the Walk to the Well challenge too.
To create the film and images Just a Drop and VCCP London used a drone to capture Ann’s 9km walk. The photography features a varied landscape that is accompanied by a typographic story, to keep the scroller’s attention.
VCCP Media has worked with Posterscope and Maxx Media to secure media sites to display the digital out-of-home (DOOH) creative for the campaign which will go live in key conurbations around the UK. The DOOH billboards will feature footage of Ann’s 9km walk and direct people to take on the challenge and donate.
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Laura Muse, creative director at VCCP, adds: “It has been a privilege to work on such an important cause and to draw attention to a crisis that is, unfortunately, worsening while we enjoy even more convenience. This is the type of work we all get in the industry to make. A simple, beautiful idea that will deliver real change for thousands of people.”
The campaign is also being supported by celebrities including award-winning actor Stanley Tucci; actor and comedian Alexander Armstrong; fashion consultant and TV presenter Gok Wan; singer Michelle Heaton; wildlife presenter Gordan Buchanan; sailor Tracy Edwards; and presenter Stephen Sackur.
It was made possible by #PoweredByTweets, which is an annual Twitter competition that partners with the creative industry to launch ideas for good across the globe. The winning team receives £100K in Twitter advertising credit and works alongside Twitter to help develop the idea and to make it as successful as possible.