No single natural resource is more central to life than water — and in the midst of a water crisis, awareness of our usage is the number one way to mitigate our consumption. In this partnership with Moen, we uncover three integral and under-reported stories in the world of water, digging into advancements in the watersphere you have to see to believe. Whether it’s fog collection on the coasts of California, micro-organism research from Florida Gulf University’s Water School, or a holistic look at the US’s immense tap water system through the lens of a climate scientist; the future of clean water will impact us all.
With the knowledge of Moen’s mission to elevate consumer water consciousness, Condé Nast approached the brand with an opportunity to partner with our purpose-driven Mission Studio to produce a video series that educates, inspires, and empowers audiences about the importance of understanding and mitigating our water consumption. In short, to pay attention to the irony that something we take for granted is the most important thing for our survival. Our three-part journalistic documentary-style videos each represent pillars of deep, thought provoking research that wake us up whenever we turn on the tap.
Florida Gulf Coast University's brand new Water School is dedicated to water research and scientific studies to keep water ecosystems, and the people around them, safe and healthy—because all environmental decisions are social decisions. We visited Fort Myers to learn more about their research into natural versus human-caused algal blooms, and what that means for the health of our water ecosystems as our human populations continue to boom. The importance of this video was unfortunately underscored, as it came out just before a family hiking in the American West died of toxic fumes caused by algal blooms in the lake they camped around. From speeding beside our scientist’s research boat to mounting a GoPro on an algae sample casing to wading in alligator-infested waters, we made sure water was the focus of and part of our production.
In drought-afflicted California, global water expert Dr. Peter Gleick pulls back the curtain on our industrial tap water system, debunking the notion that tap water is low quality and instilling appreciation for a service that most of the world would love to have. We dive into the deep end of how the tap treatment process works, what we can do to ensure it continues to deliver potable water, and why not to take it for granted the next time you get a glass of water. Gleick brings us into his home, his living backyard (lawns are bad!) and over to the Lafayette reservoir to explain what the true value of water is to us.
And finally, further up the California coast, Dr. Daniel Fernandez brings us through the delicate and visually captivating process of fog collecting — an alternative method of harvesting water in drought-stricken areas around the world. Arriving at the Glen Deven Ranch before sunrise when the marine layer was thick on the mountain tops and waiting for the sun to dissipate the precious fog yielded breathtaking drone footage of our Fog Doctor gliding through the California wilderness — a captivating metaphor for the breadth of new ways to work with water that we’ve yet to explore.
We believe that human driven narratives create emotional connection, editorial-style reporting creates trust, and strategic publishing aligned with content calendars ensures relevance. The impact of our three water stories published on Architectural Digest were reflected in the 1.2 million unique views and 1.1 million social engagements. In a brand lift study 9 out of 10 surveyed favored the content as “highly likable” and 3 out 5 surveyed felt the series elevated their awareness of Mission Moen’s water conservation goals. This overwhelmingly positive response netted a 71% overdelivery on benchmark views, with over half a million more views than expected.
This ultimately led to an expanded collaboration with the Moen team to diver deeper and produce a second season of stories in the water sphere - expanding our ability to further educate an engaged audience on the importance of our most precious resource.
