Coke
In August 2016, The Coca-Cola Company hit a milestone most companies only talk about. They achieved 100% water replenishment globally, five years ahead of schedule, becoming the first Fortune 500 company to replace every drop of water they use. Not in one market. Not as a pilot. Everywhere. And quietly enough that you might have missed it if you weren’t paying attention.
That mattered, especially to millennials. They care deeply about environmental impact and are quick to reward brands that act responsibly. They’re also even quicker to call out anything that smells like green-washing. So this announcement couldn’t sound like corporate chest-thumping. It needed to feel confident, humble, and unmistakably human.
But this wasn’t a finish line moment. As Coca-Cola continues to grow, so does the amount of water it needs to replenish. The challenge isn’t something you solve once and frame on the wall. It’s ongoing, complex, and very real. Which meant this achievement couldn’t be treated like a victory lap, it had to be framed as a responsibility they were committed to carrying forward.
> Roll: Creative Director Art Director: Mel Fitts Copy: Neil Pohl
Our solution was simple: stop talking and let the water speak. We stripped away corporate language and built a social campaign with a direct voice and a whimsical, hand-crafted visual style that felt honest enough to share.
The results spoke for themselves. Engagement on branded Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter posts ran up to 10× higher than category benchmarks, earning Coca-Cola genuine credit among sustainability-minded audiences.
And yes, this was for one of the biggest brands in the world. Which makes it even better that our production setup involved a trip to the local hardware store, stacks of glass panes, spray-on water repellent, PVC pipes, and hand-cut stencils of the iconic contour bottle. No hype. No gloss. Just water, gravity, and a brand confident enough to keep it simple.
