Tulsa Water Works

Tulsa, OK

2016

As the creative director behind the "Tulsa Water Works" campaign for the Tulsa Metropolitan Utility Authority (TMUA), I was tasked with transforming the perception of Tulsa's tap water from a mundane utility to a source of pride and reliability. TMUA, responsible for managing, constructing, and maintaining the city's water works and sanitary sewer systems, wanted to highlight the exceptional cleanliness and high quality of their tap water, which undergoes rigorous treatment to meet and exceed federal standards. The campaign's core message was simple yet powerful: "Drink Tulsa Tap." The team aimed to encourage citizens to choose tap over bottled water, reducing plastic waste and fostering community trust in our infrastructure. Drawing from the images of our branded materials, you can see how we infused a fresh, vibrant aesthetic into everyday items to make the message approachable and memorable.

  • Girl wearing Tulsa Water Works sunglasses.

    Sunglasses

  • Girl wearing Tulsa Water Works tote shopping bag.

    Tote

  • Tulsa Water Works campaign pin-back button badges.

    Buttons

  • Tulsa Water Works campaign city bus wrap.

    Wrap

Drink Tulsa Tap.

The branding started with a bold, iconic logo that captured the essence of water's purity and flow. The design features a stylized water drop integrated into a circular motif, often with distressed textures and diamond-plate patterns to evoke industrial strength and reliability, nodding to an old manhole cover and TMUA's engineering backbone. Variations appear across the images such as on pins with phrases like "Tulsa Water Works" in rugged, stamped typography, emphasizing authenticity. I chose a palette of cool blues and whites to symbolize clarity and freshness, making the logo versatile for everything from small buttons to large-scale applications. This cohesive branding not only unified the campaign but also turned it into a visual shorthand for quality, helping residents associate TMUA with innovation rather than just maintenance.

To amplify reach, we blended guerrilla and traditional marketing tactics with a strong social media push. Guerrilla efforts included surprise pop-ups at local events where we distributed free water samples in branded cups, sparking conversations about tap water's superiority. Traditional channels shone through in the images, like the massive building wrap in an urban setting and the city bus advertisements cruising the downtown streets, both turning public spaces into billboards for the message. On social media, we leveraged platforms like X and Instagram with user-generated content challenges, encouraging Tulsans to share photos of themselves "drinking Tulsa tap" using #TulsaWaterWorks. This created viral buzz, with posts garnering thousands of engagements and even partnerships with local influencers to debunk myths about tap water safety.

Merchandise played a pivotal role in raising awareness and generating funding for water conservation initiatives. From the pins and sunglasses shown, perfect for festivals and daily wear, to the eco-friendly tote bags that doubled as practical giveaways, each item was designed to be desirable and shareable. Sales from these products, available at TMUA events and online, directly supported community programs like leak detection workshops and school education on water quality. The campaign's success was evident in an uptick in positive sentiment toward tap water, proving that creative, tangible branding can turn a public service into a celebrated local icon.