Emergency sanitation may not be top of mind for most people when thinking about disaster preparedness. Yet, the 2011 Christchurch earthquake highlighted the vulnerability of sewerage systems following an earthquake. Wastewater pipes can break, leaving us without functioning facilities for up to 30 days (or more). It’s vital that communities understand the need to manage their own waste following a large earthquake or emergency event.
We partnered with the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) as they created the ‘Wellington region Emergency Sanitation Plan’ – a world first! We worked together to develop an informative and engaging region-wide Emergency Toilet campaign. Now, residents of the Wellington region know what to do if they can’t use their loo.
Our priority was making campaign resources accessible for WREMO’s diverse local audience. Leading the design is an illustration featuring two people working together to dig a long-drop, one of the practical solutions for post-earthquake sanitation, and something many New Zealanders are familiar with. The reverse side of the flyers uses clear visual illustrations to inform readers about the two main emergency toilet options. This is particularly helpful for those whose primary language isn’t English. For people with physical limitations, there’s guidance directing them to getprepared.co.nz for more detailed assistance.
The wide-reaching campaign included digital ads on Stuff, TVNZ and in local cinemas; social media ads and animation, digital billboards, bus backs, printed flyers and street posters, newspaper ads, and even branded toilet paper! WREMO also got out to engage the community with live webinars, radio ads and interviews, and most successfully, taking to the streets with a giant inflatable poo emoji shaped mascot nicknamed ‘Poonelope’ to help spread awareness.
The campaign statistics show the impact and how well it resonated with the public. WREMO’s emergency toilet webpage showed a whopping 978% increase in visitors during the campaign month. Campaign content on social media reached 443,149 views, with an 85.8% surge in Facebook page visits and a 79.8% growth in followers.
This collaboration with WREMO follows our other extensive large-scale public service campaigns together. Previous campaigns delved into subjects like ‘Community Emergency hubs,’ ‘Tsunami Readiness,’ and ‘Earthquake Preparedness.’ For each campaign we provided a range of design outputs so WREMO could share crucial live-saving messages with their audience.
