World Water Run – Mobilising a Global Community for World Water Day
Time: February to April 2021
Client: Thirst Foundation
Project: Global Activation Campaign
Impact: Exceeded sign-up goal by 2.5×, impression goal by 6x and US$3.38 million in estimated media value.
In March 2021, Mina Guli and her foundation Thirst booked me to design and lead the #WorldWaterRun, a week-long global activation culminating on World Water Day (22 March).
The campaign was conceptualised to be different from a typical awareness drive. Instead of simply posting facts on social media, we wanted to activate and engage an online community in a tangible, real-world way, and do it at a truly global scale. The run was free to join, designed to build community, pride, and participation, while raising awareness of the urgent need for water conservation.
A unique feature was the integration of personalised water facts. Each participant selected their favourite fact from a curated list, which was then featured on their race bib and share graphics. Using The Numberator, these personalised race numbers, certificates, and fact-based visuals were automatically generated and delivered, giving participants meaningful content to share while reinforcing key water messages.
By combining running and walking with a creative digital mechanic, the campaign engaged a far broader audience than traditional water campaigns, reaching not just activists, but also families, schools, and the global running community.
MY ROLE INCLUDED:
Campaign strategy and creative direction
Team management and coordination with Mina’s internal staff and agency
Social media management + copywriting
Paid media for social platforms
Email marketing strategy and execution
Landing page design and build
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVE:
To grow Mina’s global community and database of runners and water advocates by mobilising them in a shared, participatory challenge for World Water Day. The campaign was designed to:
Go beyond traditional social media awareness by engaging people in a real-world action at global scale.
Build a sense of community and pride through free participation and personalised content.
Communicate urgent water conservation facts in a fresh, interactive way.
Create a model that could be repeated and scaled for future partner campaigns.
CUSTOM PARNTER ACTIVATION
In addition to the core campaign collateral created for Mina’s platforms, we also supported a global professional organisation that wanted to mobilise its chapters and offices worldwide. Although they were not a formal sponsor, their participation added valuable reach, so we developed a co-branded activation specifically for them.
This included:
Custom race numbers and certificates featuring both Mina’s brand and the campaign partners, alongside the organisation’s own brand.
A dedicated landing page for their employees to sign up and participate, ensuring a seamless and on-brand experience.
This flexible approach allowed the campaign to strengthen alliances, extend its impact, and showcase the adaptability of the model for future partners.
Results
19,000 sign-ups (15,060 unique) – 2.6x the KPI of 6,000
Participants from 132 countries (including South Sudan and Vatican City)
294 million impressions – 6× the target of 50 million
Announcement email with an open rate of 75% in a list of nearly 20k subscribers
US$3.38 million estimated media value (Brand24)
335,657 km run – 8.3× the KPI of 40,075 km
The Numberator: Smart Personalisation at Scale
To seamlessly run large-scale virtual events, I developed an automation tool called The Numberator™, which I use for campaigns like this. It eliminates hundreds of hours of manual admin while giving participants a personalised, shareable experience that drives organic reach and excitement.
For #WorldWaterRun, The Numberator™:
Instantly emailed participants their personalised race numbers upon sign-up
Posted real-time personalised tweets from Mina featuring each runner’s race bib
Sent personalised certificates with an individualised thank-you note
Photos shared by runners on social media
Explore the #WorldWaterRun hashtag on Instagram and to see all the wonderful posts and videos made by participants over the years of running this event.
Campaign Assets
We developed a dedicated visual identity for the World Water Run, designed to live beyond a single activation and evolve into an annual, recognisable brand. Assets included customised race numbers, digital certificates, and branded social media templates that participants could proudly share online.
