A campaign by Halifax Water is getting a lot of attention, more for what it doesn’t say than what it does.
The water utility plans to convert methane from wastewater into energy, and found a tongue-in-cheek way to do it. One sign reads, “Powerful sh*t. We turn wastewater into energy.” Another says, “Be proud of your Dingle. A clean harbour means the beach is open.”
The signs can be seen on about 75 Halifax Transit buses. The $31,000-campaign was developed by a local company for Halifax Transit and runs throughout July and August.
“We're trying to make folks realize what the cycle of water is, from the source to the tap and back again," says Halifax Water spokesperson James Campbell.
Many Halifax Transit bus passengers say the signs didn’t faze them.
"I feel like we're always looking for something to be offended by or something like that, so I think you could get away with something like that," says one passenger.
"I think it's just getting its point across. I don't find it offensive," says another passenger.
Marketing professor Ed McHugh says it’s not easy getting everyone’s attention with signs.
"We're bombarded with 10 or 30,000 messages a week if they're marketing messages in some way, so your goal in marketing and promotions is to stand out," says McHugh.
McHugh says there’s a chance someone might be offended, but it's a calculated risk.
"In this case, people who are offended is going to be the smaller percentage than the people for whom this is kind of a little bit edgy and a little bit funny,” says McHugh.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ron Shaw.
