Sphere
#36
2014
18
Hutchison’s Water Play
>>
Northumbrian Water staff refer to
Dwaine Pipe as being ‘recruited’
in July of 2012, as if he is a real
person. Created as part of the public
information campaign ‘Love your Drain’,
he has had an operational and cost-
saving impact on the company beyond
expectations.
Blocked drains – caused by things like
nappies, baby wipes and cotton buds –
cost Northumbrian Water around
GBP1.6 million per year.
They developed a fully integrated
behavioural change campaign with clear
objectives. Dwaine Pipe was created to
appeal to a broad range of customers,
delivering messages in a positive, fun
way around keeping drains clear. Most
water companies tell people what they
can’t do rather than what they can do.
Northumbrian Water wanted to help
and engage their customers in a clean
fresh way rather than hector them.
A radio campaign, roadshow events,
press advertising and an educational
programme with a Dwaine Pipe puppet
show sees him travelling the length and
breadth of the north-east of England.
He has appeared in pantomime and
cooked up a storm with celebrity chef
Jean-Christophe Novelli at a food
festival where he encouraged everyone
to scrape cooking fats into the bin.
This activity has been supported by
a secondary campaign that targeted
businesses such as takeaways and
restaurants and provided them with
tools to deal with grease disposal.
Analysis shows blockages have been
reduced by more than 10 per cent,
representing a significant saving
to the business and a real service
improvement for customers.
As well as reducing blockages, Dwaine
Pipe has been winning awards too. The
campaign was a Gold Winner in the
Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign
and recently won Marketing Initiative of
the Year at the
Utility Week
awards, the
Oscars of the UK utility industry.
Northumbrian Water’s customers love
Dwaine Pipe too. He has an integrated
social media campaign, which sees
him communicate with residents of
the north-east and promote his key
messages. Dwaine Pipe has his own
Facebook and Twitter accounts (follow
him on Twitter @loveyourdrain) and his
popularity is spreading.
Dwaine Pipe – a pipe for the people
public puts down the drains. It must work
with developers, the public and nature to
keep waterways clear.
Dwaine Pipe says ‘only pee and
poo go down the loo’
Dwaine Pipe has become Northumbrian
Water’s champion for keeping drains
clean. He teaches people about the two
distinct systems for sewers, what goes
in each and what shouldn’t be flushed
away. Homes and businesses send foul
water to one system that delivers it to
treatment plants. Rainwater run-off from
streets, outdoor eaves and yards goes
directly into rivers and streams, clean
enough to be returned to the environment.
The systems in the past were somewhat
mixed, allowing some run-off water into
the sewerage system. But now, increased
demand means systems are being sealed
off from each other so only waste water
goes through the foul water system to
the treatment plant, improving efficiency.
Dwaine Pipe has become a surprise hit
with the community and has had a real
impact on the business.
Stopping do-it-yourself flooding
A proactive approach also means that
Northumbrian Water closely monitors
major and minor landscaping that can
change the region’s flood-risk profile. For
example, if 1,000–2,000 new homes are
built in an area, it can dramatically impact
run-off patterns far away downstream.
At a micro-level, ‘urban creep’ can also
increase flood risk. Households that pave
over lawns and gardens can reduce the
local area’s ability to absorb rainfall and
increase loading on rainwater collection
systems. Collectively, an area’s flood-risk
profile becomes riskier over time.
Furthermore, the distinction between
the two systems may be lost on many
‘do-it-yourself’ plumbers who connect
their home’s foul water output to rain
run-off collection systems – a big no-no
that Northumbrian Water must be on the
lookout for.
Flood alert!
While the weather cannot be controlled,
it can be prepared for – almost always.
Advanced radar tracking with the Met
Office, which detects incoming weather,
sees Northumbrian Water spring into
action, warning high flood-risk customers
to batten down the hatches. Heavy rains
in 2005, 2009 and on Thunder Thursday
mean that customers take such warnings
very seriously.
Decades of rich and varied experience,
domestic and international, coupled with a
