#KnowTheCost – Spreading the Message to Atlantans
Did you know that it takes approximately 668 gallons of water to make a single soccer ball? Over 663 million people worldwide drink dirty water – that’s twice the population of the United States.
#KnowTheCost. This is the message that IBM, in collaboration with the Weather Channel, wanted to spread. The Mill, an experiential and interactive design studio, chose Piedmont Park as the venue to reach as many Atlantans as possible.
“It seemed like a no brainer with the stunning backdrop of Dockside, and the foot traffic the Park attracts,” says The Mill.
The Mill was challenged to ideate a concept to support a Change campaign that IBM and the Weather Channel were launching in June of 2019 to raise awareness around the issue of global clean water scarcity and water footprints. That is when The Mill came up with an activation ultimately called Know the Cost.
The Mill would take everyday items and freeze them in the amount of ice equivalent to the amount of water it takes to produce each one (leveraging global average). In this activation, a t-shirt, soccer ball, coffee cup and plastic T-Rex toy would be on display. They would work alongside a waterfootprint.org scientist to provide and validate the statistics and claims.
After some online research for parks in the area and a positive testimony, The Mill found Piedmont Park. The Mill says, “the rental was affordable, spacious, convenient and scenic, with great attractions and foot traffic.” Although it was an outdoor activation, The Mill really appreciated having a building included with the rental to store equipment, escape the heat, and utilize the restrooms. Other amenities that were useful included the security option and easy access for load-in and out.
We love when clients come to us with new challenges and opportunities like these, so the hope is that we’ll continue to do even more of these types of activations in the future, says the Mill. “If the opportunity presents itself, we would do another event here.”
To host your next activation or installation in Piedmont Park, contact ldickinson@piedmontpark.org or (404) 537-2831 to reach Leslie Dickinson. Also, visit https://piedmontpark.org/corporate/ to learn more.