For many Australians, managing everyday expenses is already a delicate balancing act. But when unexpected hardship strikes even essential services like water can become difficult to keep on top of. For Yarra Valley Water, the challenge wasn’t just about offering help to those in need. It was about making sure people knew that help was there and felt confident enough to ask for it.
Previous campaigns had built strong foundations, introducing financial support options such as payment plans, bill extensions, concessions and Utility Relief Grants. But awareness remained patchy. People either didn’t know these services existed, or didn’t see themselves in the stories being told. The brand needed to evolve its message to reach more people, more clearly, with a tone that reflected the lived experience of those doing it tough.
Research revealed that financial hardship carries not just logistical strain, but emotional weight. There’s pride in staying afloat. People take pride in saving money, stretching a dollar, and sharing thrifty wins with others. The language of help needed to honour that, not talk down to it.
It was also clear that some creative choices from earlier campaigns, while effective, still felt a little too polished. Real connection would come through in authenticity: through photography that reflected everyday environments, through language that sounded like a neighbour or a friend, and through representation that included older Australians, multicultural communities and people who quietly carry the financial burden for others.
We learned that clear, direct language mattered. Jargon didn’t serve anyone. And that the campaign would be more powerful if it came not from a brand talking at people, but from real people talking to one another.
To connect more meaningfully with the audience, we made a series of intentional shifts in language, in tone, and in the way the campaign looked and felt. We moved away from polished portraits and adopted a more relaxed visual style, using real people in real settings. Talent were photographed in casual clothing, often in their own homes, surrounded by everyday details that made the stories feel lived-in and relatable.
We simplified the message, letting customer voices speak for themselves. Phrases like “Registering my health care card was easy. Now I save on every water bill” delivered a clear, tangible benefit, no fine print, no vague promises. We dropped the WaterCare sub-brand to reduce confusion and unified the campaign under a single, confident Yarra Valley Water voice.
Every element of the work was designed to reassure. To normalise asking for help. And to reflect back the quiet resilience of people doing their best to stay on top of things.
The strength of this campaign was in letting real stories do the talking, and in making support feel both available and ordinary.
The work honoured the quiet resilience of people doing their best to stay on top of things.
The intent was simple: make every viewer feel like the message was meant for them, regardless of age, background, or circumstance.