Water for Colorado

Sustaining Our Future: Conserving Water for Generations to Come

mountains in Colorado reflected in a lake

To educate residents about the importance of conserving water and mobilize them to provide public comment during development of the state’s water plan, we created an integrated communications and marketing campaign that led to more than 60 earned media stories, thousands of social media followers and 30,000 letters written to then Governor John Hickenlooper urging that conservation be a key component in the State Water Plan.

During the development of Colorado’s first comprehensive Statewide Water Plan, residents had the opportunity to share with Governor John Hickenlooper and the State Water Board the priorities they thought should shape the plan. A coalition of conservation-focused nonprofits partnered with GFM|CenterTable to mobilize Coloradans to advocate for prioritizing conservation during the three-month public comment period.

Screenshot from the Water for Colorado homepage

GFM|CenterTable developed the “Water for Colorado” visual brand and website, along with a public perception and education campaign focusing on news coverage, dynamic social media content and compelling materials for ongoing face-to-face meetings. We tracked the number of key messages mentioned in State Water Plan news coverage, audience exposure through on-the-ground efforts, overall media coverage, organic and paid social media exposure and engagement, and actions inspired by the campaign.

Water for Colorado meme saying that one person can make a difference in our water access and amounts
A meme from the Water for Colorado campaign explaining that 90% of voters say water is a priority

Results

60+


State Water Plan earned media stories in just 90 days

5,000


social media followers in just three weeks

100+


engagements with state legislators and media outlets

30%


of all website traffic driven from social media platforms

40%


conversion rate for paid social media efforts

30,000


letters written to Governor Hickenlooper urging that conservation be a key component in the State Water Plan